Following a full day of discussions at the White House with French President Emmanuel Macron, President Donald Trump announced Monday that he is getting close to reaching an agreement with Russia and Ukraine to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump called for Europe to provide more money, while Paris demanded further guarantees from Moscow.
Monday marked the somber third anniversary of the conflict, and the president of the United States appealed for an agreement to stop it. He has stated that this will involve a contract with Ukraine about its vital minerals, which he implied the Ukrainian president may sign as early as next week.
Trump claimed that there is a great deal of mistrust on both sides. "It's wonderful that I'm coming in now because of that. However, I believe that reaching a settlement and continuing to lead Russia in a very good manner would greatly benefit Russia. That is your obligation. However, I firmly think he wants to reach an agreement. I think he wants to strike a deal, but I may be mistaken."
When Trump claimed that Europe provided a loan to Ukraine, Macron was more cautious and corrected him at the White House. Then, Macron cautioned against putting your faith in Moscow.
"Let’s try to get something first which ... can be assessed, checked, and verified," he stated in English. And let's make sure that we create enough short-term promises. And we're prepared to get engaged at this point. Regarding France, many of my colleagues in Europe are prepared to get married. However, this American support is necessary since it contributes to the legitimacy of the security assurances. And this is our ability to discourage one another. Additionally, I believe the president possesses this ability.
The outcomes of the two leaders' discussions were discussed by analysts.
According to William Pomeranz, a senior scholar at the Wilson Center Kennan Institute, "It appears that they agreed to have European peacekeepers enforce the peace between Russia and Ukraine." "Yes, there are attempts to have a peace agreement and the use of peacekeepers to enforce the agreement between Russia and Ukraine, but there are a lot of other side issues that I haven't been able to get a hold of."
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine conveyed optimism and underlined the significance of Washington's involvement.
"We hope to sign an economic agreement in Washington, but our teams are already working productively with the U.S." he stated in English. And we would like to hear from you, President Trump because our families and all of our people are quite concerned about whether America will assist. Will the United States lead the free world? And I want to be honest with you: American support and aid are crucial for our people and life in general."
However, several international leaders voiced their worries that Washington and Moscow did not include Ukraine in high-level talks in Saudi Arabia. During a recent meeting with Zelenskyy in Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Russia hasn't always been involved in the process.
"The intended outcome has not been attained because Russia has been left out of the tables that have been established thus far, aside from the Istanbul process," Erdogan stated. "This war must be ended through mutual negotiations, and Ukraine must unquestionably be included in the process if the new process is to produce results."
Talks have not been precise thus far, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"We touched on issues related to the Ukrainian crisis during the phone conversation and at the meeting in Riyadh," he stated. It was not, however, essentially discussed. All we decided to do was approach it. Having stated that we are not against European nations' involvement."
Trump's proposed agreement, according to some analysts, would not benefit Ukraine.
Liana Fix, a fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations, stated, "We have to see this as a move by Donald Trump to damage the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — and in the most serious scenario, as Trump advocating for Russia's position, which has been previously stated that elections have to be part of the negotiations in Ukraine but it's an entirely Ukrainian domestic issue."
Therefore, it's not only a back-and-forth between Zelenskyy and Trump. Since Ukraine is seen as a barrier to normalizing ties with Russia, we see a larger realignment of U.S. policy in this direction," she added.
In the meantime, the Eiffel Tower, Paris' most iconic landmark, blazed brightly in the yellow and blue of the Ukrainian flag as Ukraine solemnly commemorated Monday as the third anniversary of the conflict.
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