Political

Maia Sandu praises ‘monumental’ efforts for Ukraine peace

On Tuesday, August 19, Moldovan President Maia Sandu praised the “monumental” efforts by US and European leaders to end the war in Ukraine and pave the way for peace.

Sandu said Moldova looks forward with hope to the next steps and remains firmly by Ukraine's side.

“I welcome the monumental effort by President Donald Trump and European leaders in Washington to end the bloodshed and pave the way for peace in Ukraine and our region. Lasting peace depends on solid security guarantees,” Ms Sandu wrote in a message posted on the X platform (formerly Twitter).

On Monday, August 18, US President Donald Trump met in Washington with European leaders, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte to discuss the start of peace negotiations. After which Mr Trump described the meeting as "fruitful."

In turn, European leaders and the Ukrainian president expressed satisfaction that the United States had shown its willingness to participate in providing security guarantees for Kyiv.

After the White House negotiations, Mr Trump specified that the discussions focused on security guarantees for Ukraine, "which will be provided by European countries in coordination with the US."

The US leader wrote on his social network, Truth Social, that US Vice President James D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steven Witkoff will now handle the preparations for the meeting between Mr Putin and Mr Zelenskyy “at a location to be determined later.” According to Mr Trump's message, this meeting will be followed by trilateral negotiations with the participation of the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, as well as the US President.

Merz's statements after the Washington summit

For his part, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that his expectations for the Washington summit were not only met but “were even exceeded.” At the press conference following the event, he specified that the meeting between Mr Putin and Mr Zelenskyy should take place within the next two weeks.

Listing the four main messages of the summit, Mr Merz emphasized that, following the long and intense discussions at the White House, “the US is prepared to offer security guarantees and coordinate them with the Europeans.”

The issue of potential territorial concessions by Ukraine

Referring to possible territorial concessions by Kyiv, the German Chancellor stressed that a potential surrender of Donbas would be comparable in scale to the US giving up the territory of Florida. "A sovereign state cannot simply make such decisions. This is a decision the Ukrainians must make themselves, during the negotiations," he stated. Mr Merz added that during the meeting of European leaders with Mr Trump and Mr Zelenskyy, the topic of Ukraine ceding territories in favor of Russia was not addressed.

Additionally, the head of the German government announced that on August 19, a videoconference will be held for the members of the so-called "coalition of the willing" to support Ukraine, with the participation of 30 states. On the same day, an extraordinary EU Council meeting will also take place, where summit participants will present their conclusions.

Zelenskyy ready for negotiations with Putin “without conditions”

Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Mr Trump's statement regarding the US's willingness to participate in providing security guarantees for Ukraine after the war "a big step forward." According to him, the details of these guarantees must be established in the next ten days. Among these, Kyiv also wants to obtain financial support, including for the economy and for the purchase of weapons from the US, the Ukrainian president emphasised.

He added that he is ready for a personal meeting with Vladimir Putin and said he would not insist on a ceasefire as a prerequisite for peace talks.

Ukraine promises to buy $100 billion of US Weapons in exchange for security guarantees

Zelenskyy also mentioned Mr Trump's willingness to help organise a prisoner exchange with Russia on the "all-for-all" principle. According to the Ukrainian leader, this exchange will include not only military personnel but also civilians, journalists, and political prisoners.

Regarding the "territories issue," Mr Zelenskyy said in Washington that such sensitive matters would be discussed during the trilateral meeting with Mr Putin and Mr Trump.

Translation by Iurie Tataru

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