Zelenskyy, European leaders express prudent optimism after Trump’s call before Putin’s meeting
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a “constructive” discussion with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, two days before Trump’s planned meeting in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Speaking alongside Zelenskyy, Merz said after the video conference that “important decisions” could be taken in anchorage, but stressed that “fundamental European and Ukrainian security interests were to be protected” at the meeting.
“If the United States of America is now working towards peace in Ukraine which protects European and Ukrainian interests, (Trump) can count on our total support in this company,” said Merz.
Merz summoned a series of virtual meetings for Wednesday in an attempt to make the voice of European and Ukrainian leaders heard before the summit, which would take place in an American military installation.
Zelenskyy and the leaders of European countries were all sidelined from this summit.
When Zelenskyy visited Berlin for the last time in Berlin at the end of May, Merz is committed to helping Ukraine to develop its own long -range missile systems, which would be free from all the limitations imposed by the West on use and targets.
Zelenskyy skeptical about Putin’s sincerity
The Ukrainian president continued to express a doubt about Putin’s desire to end the war, which began with the invasion of Russia in February 2022.
“He tries to apply pressure before the meeting in Alaska in all regions of the Ukrainian front. Russia is trying to show that it can occupy all of Ukraine,” said Zelenskyy.
Before a meeting of Trump-Putin, the National breaks down what Russia wants in order to put an end to his war with Ukraine. In addition, how smugglers get a new deadly synthetic opioid called Nitazene in Canada.
Zelenskyy said additional sanctions against Russia – that Trump was hesitant to apply – are necessary to strike “the war economy of Russia”.
Trump said he wanted to see if Putin seriously wanted to end the war, who is now in his fourth year.
“It will be a very important meeting,” Trump told Washington on Wednesday. “But he puts the table for the second meeting – if the second meeting takes place.”
Trump answered the question of a journalist according to which there would be “serious consequences” for Russia if Putin did not seem serious about the end of the conflict, but would not comment what form it would take.
However, Trump has disappointed allies in Europe by saying that Ukraine will have to abandon a territory held by Russia. He also said that Russia had to accept land exchanges, although it was not clear what Putin could go.
European allies have pressure for Ukraine’s participation in any peace talks, frightening discussions that exclude kyiv could otherwise promote Moscow.
Trump lowered on Monday repeated chances to say that he would pressure so that Zelenskyy participates in his discussions with Putin, and was disdainful of Zelenskyy and his need to be part of an effort to ask for peace. Trump said the summit on Friday after Friday, a meeting between Russian and Ukrainian leaders could be organized, or that it could also be a meeting with “Putin and Zelenskyy and me”.
Europeans and Ukraine be wary that Putin, who waged the greatest land war in Europe since 1945 and used Russia’s energy to try to intimidate the European Union, could obtain favorable concessions and define the contours of a peace agreement without them.
The overall fear of many European countries is that Putin will tackle one of them afterwards.
Macron said Trump was prioritizing a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. He added that Trump had been clear that “the territorial problems relating to Ukraine … will only be negotiated by the Ukrainian president”.
Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Putin wanted Ukraine to withdraw from the remaining 30% of the Donetsk region that she still controls within the framework of a cease-fire agreement, a proposal that the leader has categorically rejected.
Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine would abandon any territory that he controls, affirming that it would be unconstitutional and would only serve as a springboard for a future Russian invasion.
He said that diplomatic discussions led by the United States focusing on the end of the war have not responded to Ukrainian key requests, including security guarantees to prevent future Russian attacks and including Europe in negotiations.
Push of NATO rejected by us
Three weeks after Trump’s return, his administration took off the lever effect of Ukraine NATO membership outside the table – something Putin demanded – and reported that the EU and Ukraine had to manage security in Europe now while America is focusing elsewhere.
EU senior officials think that Trump can simply ensure a ceasefire in Ukraine, and is probably more interested in American geostrategic interests and a great power policy, aimed at accelerating business with Russia and rehabilitating Putin. The White House has concluded an investment agreement with Ukraine for a future mineral extraction and recently relied on European countries to provide military aid to Ukraine thanks to agreements with American weapons suppliers.
President Donald Trump is pushing a new plan in two parts to end the Vladimir Putin war in Ukraine: threatening a 100% rate on the main trade partners of Russia if an agreement is not concluded in 50 days and providing Ukraine patriotic missiles. Andrew Chang explains why Ukraine desperately needs these air defense capacities and what is behind the change of Trump. Images provided by Getty Images, The Canadian Press and Reuters.
The Russian forces on the ground ended on a key territory in the city of Pokrovsk, in the eastern region of Donbas, which is part of the eastern industrial heart of Ukraine that Putin has long coveted.
Military analysts using open source information to monitor battles have said that Ukraine’s ability to postpone these advances could be critical. The loss of Pokrovsk would give Russia an important victory before the summit and could complicate the Ukrainian supply lines to the Donetsk region, where the Kremlin has concentrated most of the military efforts.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces struck an oil pumping station in the Russian Bryansk region overnight on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Ukraine staff. The drones hit the UNCH station, which provides the Russian army, according to the press release, adding that damage and a large fire have been reported in the area around the pumping station.
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