The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky warned Western allies of his country's current intentions regarding his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, who, on the other hand, according to American President Donald Trump, "wants peace." Zelensky called Washington to agree on the position of "putting a point" in relation to Russia before the start of any negotiations with it. At the same time, Europeans were warned that any negotiations taking place "behind their backs" and bypassing Kyiv are doomed to failure.
The President of France Emmanuel Macron warned of a world that has become “capitalisation” before Ukraine, raising the question of whether Putin will "secretly" end the "permanent" war in an interview with Financial Times, published yesterday. Europeans have not yet recovered from the shock after the phone conversation that took place last Wednesday between Trump and Putin regarding Ukraine, at the time when the Kremlin announced that Kyiv “in some way” is ready to participate in peace negotiations, which Washington is trying to hold.
Trump confirmed that Ukraine will be “a side” in negotiations, which he intends to hold to end the war between it and Russia, noting that Putin "wants peace." The President of the Republicans said to journalists in the White House the next day after the phone conversation with Putin: "I believe that he will tell me, if he does not wish for peace."
At the time when the Kremlin announced that "there are no decisions" on the timing and place of a possible meeting between Putin and Trump yet, adding that preparation for the summit between the presidents could take "months." The press secretary of the Kremlin Dmitry Peskov stated on television that "so far no decisions have been made, either at the working level or at the highest level... ultimately, indeed, regarding the preparation, it may take some time, it may be weeks, it may be months, it may be several months."
Zelensky expressed doubts about Putin's statements about his desire for peace, noting that he discussed on the phone with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and "warned the international leaders that they should not trust Putin's statements, which say that he is ready to put an end to the war." In a similar context, the head of the Ukrainian Ministry Andrii Sybiha warned against any attempts to "divide the world," as it was during the Cold War.
Representatives of European leaders insist that achieving a permanent peace in Ukraine cannot be separated from the security of the continent. From Washington's side, according to the words of the Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, they assert that these negotiations in any case will not be regarded as "betrayal" regarding Ukraine.
