EU leaders fear Trump abandoning efforts to end Ukraine war – Bloomberg
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
Some EU country leaders are afraid that US President Donald Trump is abandoning his efforts to stop the Russian-Ukrainian war, Bloomberg reports.
According to the media outlet, a week ago, when Trump called for a 30-day truce and threatened Russia with sanctions, European leaders were full of enthusiasm. However, Trump’s conversation with the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin disappointed Europe.
After the conversation with Putin, Trump stated that Ukraine and Russia would begin peace negotiations, likely without the USA. At the same time, the US president did not speak about sanctions and did not mention any pressure on the Russian president.
According to Bloomberg, several EU governments have already expressed disappointment with the actions of the USA because Trump has still failed to force Putin into peace and may now abandon efforts to stop the war.
Sources of the media outlet stated that among European leaders there are concerns that Trump is retreating from peace efforts and that he clearly indicated he would not strengthen sanctions and is abandoning the proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. According to them, neither Ukraine nor Europe agrees with Trump’s call for direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations.
"Today, it feels like we are back into a much longer-term scenario in which Putin is buying himself and his military more time. Putin won himself more opportunities, and a ceasefire and a resolution seem ever further away," noted Kristine Berzina, managing director of the German Marshall Fund’s Geostrategy North program in Washington.
Trump later stated that the USA is not retreating from efforts to stop the war, but he is considering whether it is worth doing so. According to the US president, he has a “red line,” after which he will withdraw from the negotiations, but he did not explain what exactly he meant.
Trump called Putin and Zelenskyy
US President Donald Trump yesterday called the Russian leader Vladimir Putin and spoke twice with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to media reports, Trump called Zelenskyy before and after his conversation with Putin.
After the conversation with Putin, Trump stated that the Russian Federation and Ukraine must immediately begin negotiations on a ceasefire and ending the war.
More details about the conversation between Trump and Putin – in the RBC-Ukraine article.
Also, Trump had a productive conversation with Zelenskyy. More on that – in the RBC-Ukraine article.
In addition, RBC-Ukraine explained why Trump called Putin and what Zelenskyy said about it.
