WASHINGTON, Aug 19: President Donald Trump has begun arrangements for a face-to-face meeting between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss a pathway to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The US will back European security guarantees aimed at preventing Moscow from reinvading its neighbor once the current conflict ends.
The details of the security guarantees and Trump’s efforts to arrange peace talks were still evolving as an extended meeting among Trump, Zelenskyy, and other European leaders wrapped up at the White House.
The “most important” outcome of the meeting was the “U.S. commitment to work with us on providing security guarantees,” French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters.
Trump said he would forge ahead with arrangements for a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.
He spoke by phone with Putin during Monday’s talks with Zelenskyy and the leaders of Britain, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, as well as the president of the European Commission and head of NATO.
The developments come amid a significant measure of trepidation on the continent that Trump is pressing Ukraine to make concessions that will only further embolden Putin after the US leader hosted the Russian president for an Alaska summit last week.
Trump said he would forge ahead with arrangements for a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.
After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself. Again, this was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years.
It was not clear if Putin has fully signed on to such talks. Russia state news agency Tass cited Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov saying Putin and Trump “spoke in favor” of continuing direct talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations
Ushakov also discussed “the idea of raising the level of the direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations.”
Zelenskyy told reporters following the White House meeting that if Russia does not demonstrate a will to meet, then we will ask the United States to act accordingly.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in an appearance on Fox News that “if Russia is not playing ball” on direct talks with Ukraine, “the United States plus Europe will do more when it comes to tariffs and sanctions” on Moscow.
Zelenskyy previously had said he wanted Russia to agree to a ceasefire before any meeting between himself and Putin, but he said Monday that if the Ukrainians started setting conditions, the Russians would do the same.
That is why I believe we must meet without any conditions, and think about what development there can be of this path to the end of war,” Zelenskyy said. (AP)
