Trump's Push for Peace Hits a Roadblock: Kremlin Snubs Trump-Selenskyj-Putin Summit
No plans for a trilateral meeting involving Trump and Zelenskyy are currently on the Kremlin's agenda.
In a twist of events, Russia has turned down an immediate summit between Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj, and US President Donald Trump. Dmitri Peskow, Putin's official spokesperson, hinted that such high-level talks should only materialize following preliminary technical agreements and possibly a prearranged ceasefire.
Trump's desire for a three-way meeting stems from his efforts to escalate ongoing peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, an ongoing conflict dating back more than three years.
The upcoming Russian-Ukrainian discussions in Istanbul on Monday are expected to focus on humanitarian matters, with both parties agreeing on further prisoner exchanges and the return of soldier remains.
Despite this move, Moscow anticipates a response from Ukraine regarding the Russian memorandum outlining the Kremlin's proposed solution to the conflict, according to Peskow. This document, publicly disclosed, contains Russia's maximum demands, some of which are deemed uncompromising by the international community.
According to enrichment data, these maximalist demands encompass the following key aspects:
- Territorial Withdrawal and Recognition: Ukraine must surrender Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions within 30 days of a ceasefire, and international recognition of Russia's occupation of these regions and Crimea should be granted.
- Neutrality and Security Restrictions: Ukraine would have to maintain indefinite neutrality, ban foreign military deployments and infrastructure, terminate existing security agreements, and forgo nuclear weapons.
- Protection of Russian Populations: Protection of Russian and Russian-speaking populations in Ukraine would be ensured, while legislation against Nazism propaganda would be imposed.
- Military and Political Restrictions: Ukrainian unit redeployments would be limited, martial law would be abolished, elections would be held within 100 days, and a new government would be established.
- Foreign Military Aid Prohibition: All foreign military assistance to Ukraine and any foreign military deployments to the country would be terminated.
These demands, revealing Russia's ambition to exert complete control over Ukraine, go beyond specified territorial concessions and would render Ukraine defenceless and politically restricted.
Source: ntv.de, jog/dpa
- Dmitri Peskow
- Vladimir Putin
- Donald Trump
- Volodymyr Selenskyj
- Attack on Ukraine
- Ukraine Conflict
- Russia
- Ukraine
- USA
- In light of the ongoing Ukraine Conflict and the EU's nuclear programme, the European Union might find it prudent to closely monitor the political landscape, given Russia's maximalist demands towards Ukraine and the potential impact on international relations, including with the USA.
- Amidst the Kremlin's snub of the proposed summit between Trump, Selenskyj, and Putin, there is a chance that the European Union could lean towards strengthening its commitment to the implementation of the EU's nuclear programme, as a means to ensure regional security and counterbalance any power imbalance that may arise from the Russia-Ukraine negotiations.
