Meeting may persist in a revised structure
The White House recently played host to a significant summit involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, former U.S. President Donald Trump, and several European leaders. The discussions centred around securing Ukraine's future and finding a resolution to the ongoing conflict with Russia.
Trump is reported to have arranged for a potential bilateral meeting between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, contingent upon both leaders showing flexibility and paving the way for peace talks to progress. However, Putin has shown reluctance to meet Zelenskyy directly, casting a shadow over the prospects of the proposed four-way meeting involving Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S., as well as dialogue with European leaders.
Zelenskyy and U.S. officials, including Special Envoy Keith Kellogg, are actively preparing for this possible summit. Their aim is to facilitate a peace resolution and discuss security guarantees and military aid. European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, expressed strong support for Ukraine’s security and urged urgent action.
The talks at the White House heavily emphasised robust security guarantees for Ukraine, similar to NATO’s collective-defence principle. The Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, suggested that NATO membership for Ukraine would be the best security guarantee, but his country could offer NATO a lot, having a strong and battle-hardened army.
In the meantime, the war in Ukraine continues unabated. In the most intense Russian drone attack in two weeks, seven people were killed in a residential area of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, including a toddler and a 16-year-old boy. Twenty more people were injured, including six children.
Amidst these ongoing hostilities, explosions were heard in the city of Odessa following a Russian drone attack, but the type of facility was not initially disclosed. Furthermore, the Ukrainian General Staff has published new loss figures for Russian troops in Ukraine, stating that Russia has lost around 1,070,890 soldiers since February 24, 2022.
Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has demanded strong security guarantees for Ukraine, which is being attacked by Russia. He reiterated that such guarantees are crucial for Ukraine to effectively defend itself after a ceasefire and peace agreement. For a just and lasting peace, pressure on Russia must be increased, also with strengthened Ukraine aid, Wadephul said.
Trump, however, has put pressure on Zelensky before their White House meeting, not addressing Russian President Vladimir Putin as the aggressor. Instead, he urged Zelensky to seek a negotiated solution to the war, mentioning the Ukraine's abandonment of claims to the Crimean Peninsula and NATO membership as conditions.
As the negotiations continue, the international community watches with bated breath, hoping for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine.
- The international community is urging flexible approaches from all parties involved, as Community policy discussions focus on securing a peaceful resolution to the ongoing war-and-conflicts in Ukraine, including potential talks between Zelenskyy and Putin.
- Aside from security guarantees and military aid, politics play a significant role in these negotiations, with Trump suggesting Ukraine's abandonment of claims to the Crimean Peninsula and NATO membership as conditions for a negotiated solution to the war, despite Russia's role as the aggressor in the conflict.
