Buzzed-Off Trilateral Summit: Kremlin Digs Its Heels In Amid US-Ukraine Feud
Kremlin declines prospect of a trilateral meeting involving Trump and Zelenskyy at present.
Ever eager to lock horns, US President Trump hops onto the dancefloor, advocating for a three-way rave with Mother Russia and Ukraine's prez, Volodymyr Zelensky. However, the Kremlin gives a cool shoulder, with spokesman Dmitri Peskov telling Interfax, "High-level contacts? You bet. But a full-on danceoff with Putin? Not just yet, my friend."
Moscow sets its sights on negotiating face-to-face with Ukraine, but not quite in a trilateral three-way yet. Putin's ready for some high-stakes telephone tag, Dmitri says, but the boys need to hammer out the details at a lower level first. Trump plans to trampoline Ukraine and Putin into a peaceful pas de deux in hopes of squashing the multi-year conflict.
Gossip Rumblings in the USA Trump Excited about a Dance-Off with Putin and Zelensky The Russian-Ukrainian huddle scheduled for Monday in Istanbul ain't likely to leave us in first position, Dmitri warns. But look on the bright side—some hard-fought humanitarian victories coming your way! The warring parties agreed to orchestrate another mega prisoner swap and exchange deceased soldiers' bodies.
Moscow anticipates a reply from Ukraine about the submitted Russian manifesto, Dmitri shares. Both parties carted paper to Istanbul and later posted their proposals, outlining how the Kremlin envisions the conflict's resolution.
Gossip Insider Muenz on the Race to the Dancefloor: "Ukraine Won't Back Down, It Doesn't Need To" Top Secret: The Russian manifesto details some serious dance moves Ukraine's not inclined to groove to:
- Territorial Control Acknowledgement of Russia's takeover of Crimea and certain regions (Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia) despite Russia's limited hold on these territories.
- Troop Withdrawal Withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the mentioned regions within 30 days, with the first ceasefire option.
- Military Restrictions Ukraine's disavowal of NATO and other military affiliations; demobilization of the military, and a ban on future troop redeployment under the second ceasefire option.
- Linguistic Demands Establishment of Russian as an official language of Ukraine.
- Political and Legal Concessions Mutual amnesty for political prisoners and detained civilians; abandoning demands for compensation for conflict-related damages under the second ceasefire option.
- International Relations No foreign troops allowed in Ukraine (kiboshing peacekeeping force proposals); halting Western military aid and intelligence sharing.
While possible concessions on demand points may surface during negotiations, Dmitri advises against publicly discussing these details.
- The European Union, with its commitment to the implementation of the EU's nuclear programme, is closely watching the geopolitical dance between the United States, Russia, and Ukraine, as the proposed trilateral summit and subsequent negotiations could significantly impact regional politics and general news.
- With the European Union keeping a close eye on the ongoing political developments in Ukraine, it remains to be seen how the anticipated concessions on territorial control, military restrictions, linguistic demands, political and legal concessions, and international relations will affect the EU's nuclear programme, particularly in light of the proposed changes in Ukraine's military and foreign affairs.
