At the first meeting of the post-war contact group, President Vladimir Zelensky wants to discuss inviting Ukraine to NATO.
Peace talks on the war in Ukraine could begin this winter, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, Reuters reported. He noted that Warsaw will actively participate in any negotiations when the EU presidency passes them from January 1, 2025.
Echoes of the meeting with Trump
In a conversation in Paris with newly elected US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is afraid only of Trump himself and, perhaps, of China.
“I told President Trump that Putin is only afraid of him and maybe China. This is true. Only determination can bring this war to a just conclusion and ensure lasting peace. We must act now to restore a fair that international order,” Zelensky wrote in X.
The President of Ukraine also emphasized the importance of cooperation on how to end the war in Ukraine. “This is our top priority. This is what we focused on at the meeting in Paris, and it was a very productive conversation,” he said.
Polish Prime Minister Tusk said he is also ready for negotiations on the situation in Ukraine. According to him, French President Emmanuel Macron plans to arrive in Poland on December 12, where he will report the results of the meeting with Zelensky and Trump in Paris.
Contact the group
At the first meeting of the contact group to end the war, President Vladimir Zelensky wants to discuss Ukraine’s invitation to NATO, said the Deputy Head of the Presidential Office, Igor Zhovkva.
On December 9, the candidate for German Chancellor from the CDU party, Friedrich Merz, proposed the creation of a contact group of four countries (France, Poland, Great Britain and Germany) to develop a common position at the end of the war that was started of Russia. Zelensky publicly supported this initiative. Presidential spokesman Sergei Nikiforov said Ukraine plans to hold a meeting of a new contact group in December to develop a common position among partners to end the war. The list of its participants is still being formed, however, as Nikiforov noted, these are countries that have long-term weapons, invest the most in Ukrainian defense production and on which Ukraine’s accession to NATO depends.
“One of the issues of such a meeting, one of the issues on the agenda, is the acceptance of an application for membership, and the issue of guaranteeing security for Ukraine until it joins NATO, along with other issues , issues of military support for Ukraine,” Zhovkva emphasized.
He emphasized that these issues were also raised during Zelensky’s meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and US President-elect Donald Trump in Paris.
Everyone is pleased with Trump
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala was pleasantly surprised in a telephone conversation with Donald Trump, who was interested in Prague’s position regarding Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“We are in a very difficult and dangerous situation, which some have rightly called a second Cold War,” Fiala told Bloomberg. And he added that in Europe’s interest, “a strong America that will show its strength to Russia” is the only chance to stop Putin.
But Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met with Trump personally at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Trump’s future national security adviser Michael Volz and entrepreneur Elon Musk joined the conversation.
“USA now. The future has begun! Evening at Mar-a-Lago with Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Michael Volz,” Orban wrote.
On December 1, it was reported that Trump had several phone conversations with Orban after the election, asking for his opinion on ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.