European leaders react to US-Russia peace talks
The leaders of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom—countries of the so-called "coalition of the willing"—are due to hold a call on Sunday to discuss the situation following negotiations between the US and Russian presidents in Alaska and ahead of a meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump in Washington, according to the BBC News Russian Service.
The video call is expected at 1:00 PM GMT. The European leaders have welcomed Trump's efforts to establish peace in Ukraine, but they are concerned that the shift in the White House leader’s position could in fact allow Russia to continue its war.
After his talks with Putin, Trump stated that he no longer supports a full ceasefire followed by peace talks. He said that instead, the parties should seek to conclude a permanent agreement that would lead to peace.
According to media reports, the Russian president once again presented maximalist demands, which include the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the entire Donetsk and Luhansk regions, a freezing of the front line in other areas, guarantees that Kyiv will not join NATO, and the consolidation of the status of the Russian language in Ukraine.
Ukraine has labeled these demands as unacceptable.
On Monday, Zelenskyy will travel to Washington for a meeting with Trump.
An AFP source specified that some European leaders were also invited to these discussions. In this way, Ukraine's allies hope to avoid a repeat of the public exchange of words between the US and Ukrainian presidents that occurred earlier this year.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
