Trump Encounters Zelensky and European Leaders - Key Highlights
In a significant development, world leaders gathered at the White House on August 18 for a multilateral meeting aimed at resolving the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The participants included US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
The meeting, which lasted approximately 30 minutes for the media, was marked by a sense of urgency as Trump stated, "In a short period of time, a week or two weeks, we'll find out if we're going to resolve this or if these horrible fights will continue. We'll do everything we can to make it stop."
However, Trump acknowledged that current talks might not lead to peace, expressing, "I think when we set it up, I believe it's when, not if, we'll see some really positive steps."
Zelensky, for his part, stressed that any territorial questions should only be raised at a trilateral meeting, while Macron suggested that a trilateral meeting should be preceded by a ceasefire, followed by discussions on security guarantees for Ukraine.
Notably, Trump called Putin during his negotiations with European leaders, contrary to his earlier statement. The conversation between the two leaders lasted about 40 minutes. Later, it was reported that Trump had spoken with Putin and informed him about the completed talks with Zelensky and leaders of several European countries.
Trump also suggested discussions should include possible territorial exchanges based on current lines of contact. Macron emphasized that Europe should also be involved in discussing a way out of the Ukrainian conflict.
No specific statements were attributed to Zelensky or the European leaders during the media portion of the meeting. However, it was reported that Trump considered the "threat of further Russian aggression against Ukraine, in case of an agreement, to be exaggerated."
In a surprising turn, Macron suggested a four-way meeting would be necessary for discussing security guarantees. This idea was echoed by other European leaders, such as Sunak and Meloni, who also focused on these aspects in their remarks.
The gathering at the White House marked a significant step towards resolving the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The leaders' discussions will undoubtedly shape the future course of events in the region, and the world will be watching with bated breath for any positive developments.
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