European officials have no idea that Donald Trump will say about the Russian war in Ukraine next time and that the consequences can be for them.
Bloomberg writes that during the first three years, direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia ended on Friday in Turkey without a ceasefire agreement, and Moscow repeated the list of maximalist requirements.
The leaders of France, Germany, Poland and Great Britain joined the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelenski in a telephone conversation with Trump to discuss the next steps.
Although Europeans disappointed the results of Istanbul negotiations, it is unclear whether they bowed Trump to a more stringent approach to Putin.
A week ago, it was optimism that months of painstaking diplomacy lent their fruits. The United States and Europe seemed to be on the same wavelength for ultimatum: if Putin did not agree with the unconditional cessation of fire, they impose mass sanctions against Russia.
When Putin walked around this requirement and suggested instead to restore direct negotiations with Ukraine, the mood began to change. Although European leaders thought that the support of Trump sanctions, instead, he called on Zelensky “immediately“ immediately ”to meet with Russia to find out whether a peace agreement was possible.
This led both sides to Istanbul, and Trump, who was in a tour in the Middle East, said that not a single consent was impossible while Putin and Putin. He suggested that he would be ready to stay in Istanbul if the breakthrough looked.
This did not happen. Instead, European leaders who gathered in Albania on Friday were forced to express their indignation that the Russian president elected officials with a lower level of level to represent his interests in negotiations.
Publicly, Europeans adhere to their line – the sanctions will be imposed if Putin continues to abandon the truce. They generously praise Trump’s efforts to stop the war.
However, in private conversations, European officials are disappointed and puzzled by obvious constant fluctuations in Trump, the agency’s diplomatic sources say. One of the officials said that they hope that events this week would force Trump to understand that the Russians are not serious about worldly negotiations, and the United States should answer strongly.
Some still believe that the US president will fulfill its previous threats to impose the so -called secondary sanctions and bank restrictions against Moscow and its partners. He can also approve the bill prepared by Senator Lindsay Gram, who will introduce “destructive” new sanctions and has two party support in Congress.
Others are still skeptical of the fact that Trump has a desire to use Graham measures that include punitive responsibilities for oil, gas and other energy from Moscow.
At a meeting in Istanbul, the Russian delegation immediately put forward a number of maximalist requirements to the Ukrainian side, writes RBC-Ukraine with reference to its sources.
This is about:
- Ukraine adoption of neutral status;
- the actual refusal of Ukraine to five Ukrainian regions (including those territories that the Russian Federation does not control);
- the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from these territories;
- Refusal of repair;
- “Protection of the rights” of the Russian, speaker.
Source: Racurs
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.