Trump and Zelenskyy's dialogue unveiled publically
In a significant development, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi of Ukraine has confirmed the agreement of five principles with US President Donald Trump in recent peace negotiation efforts. The announcement was made during a press conference in Berlin on August 13, jointly held with Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The five principles, aimed at achieving a sustainable peace agreement, are as follows:
- Peace Talks and Negotiation Formats: The discussions have proposed a trilateral meeting involving the three leaders, but a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy is considered a prerequisite before any trilateral summit. Russia has demanded to be part of discussions on security guarantees, reflecting the complex diplomacy needed.
- Territorial Integrity and Sovereignty: Zelenskyi has firmly opposed surrendering any sovereign Ukrainian territory to Russia, emphasizing that Ukraine must decide its own territorial fate, consistent with its constitution.
- Security Guarantees for Ukraine: Trump has committed to helping European nations provide security guarantees to Ukraine, signaling international support for Ukraine's defense needs during negotiations.
- Mutual Concessions as Basis for Peace: Achieving peace requires reciprocal concessions—both Russia and Ukraine need to give and get something to reach a peace deal, according to Trump administration officials.
- Potential Strengthening of Sanctions or Withdrawal of Support: Trump has indicated he might implement "massive sanctions or massive tariffs" against Russia if peace talks fail in the near term, or alternatively let Ukraine and Russia "fight it out," signaling leverage through economic pressure and a willingness to reassess U.S. involvement.
The principles do not reveal any details about the other four key issues discussed, nor do they provide specific details about the nature of the ceasefire or the timeline for the strengthening of sanctions against Russia. However, it is clear that the discussion includes a ceasefire as part of the principles and that sanctions against Russia are to be strengthened if Russia does not agree to a ceasefire. The principles also include a commitment to discussing everything related to Ukraine exclusively with Ukraine.
The news of these principles was reported by news outlet nv.ua. The discussion took place under the condition that Russia agrees to a ceasefire, but no information has been provided about any response from Russia regarding the discussed points.
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