After the summit in Alaska without progress, Zelensky and Trump will meet in Washington to discuss a possible peace agreement that would bring positions between kyiv, Moscow and the West closer together, amid European pressure for security guarantees for Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will travel to Washington on Monday to meet with his American counterpart, Donald Trump, after the recent summit in Alaska between the United States and Russia ended without an agreement to halt the fighting. Trump's change of stance, which now proposes seeking a comprehensive peace agreement rather than a ceasefire, brings him closer to the position held by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump expressed on social media that, after talks with Zelensky and European leaders,"the best way to end the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often fails to hold." Putin has insisted since the beginning of the invasion that Moscow is not seeking a temporary truce, but rather a long-term pact that addresses its strategic interests.
Monday's meeting will be Zelensky's first visit to the United States since Trump publicly criticized him in February. According to the Ukrainian president, the talks will address"all the details related to ending the killing and the war." Trump indicated that if the meeting goes well, a meeting with Putin could be arranged.
Zelensky, who was not invited to the Alaska summit, stressed the importance of including European leaders in any stage of negotiations to ensure security guarantees alongside the United States. In this regard, countries such as France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Finland, and Poland issued a joint statement supporting Ukraine and defending the integrity of its borders. They also expressed openness to participating in a"trilateral summit with European support."
Meanwhile, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that Russia has no intention of ending the war anytime soon, stressing that Moscow's forces continued attacks during the summit. Analysts such as Neil Melvin of the Royal United Services Institute interpreted Putin's approach to the meeting as a means of reducing international pressure on Russia, something he, in their view, achieved.
While Zelensky supported the idea of a tripartite summit, Putin's foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, asserted that the topic was not discussed at the Alaska meeting. The Ukrainian president proposed increasing sanctions against Moscow if the meeting doesn't materialize or if Russia attempts to evade a genuine agreement.
France, the United Kingdom, and Germany announced they will convene a video conference call on Sunday for the"coalition of the willing" to coordinate a possible monitoring mechanism for any pact that would end more than three and a half years of war.
For now, the front line, some 1,000 kilometers long, remains active, with Russian advances in recent months representing the largest territorial gain since the early stages of the conflict. Despite the diplomatic signals, experts warn that as long as Putin believes a military victory is possible, the fighting will not cease.
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