Trump pledges to keep Ukraine’s territory off the table in talks with Putin - Bloomberg
Photo: Donald Trump (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump assured European leaders that he would not discuss territory at his meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska and would demand that he negotiate with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Bloomberg reports.
According to the agency, citing sources, Trump assured European leaders during a telephone conversation that he would not negotiate with Putin on Ukrainian territories during the meeting in Alaska and would insist on a meeting between the Kremlin leader and Zelenskyy.
He reiterated his public statement that he would quickly find out whether the Russian president was serious about negotiations and said that the US would be ready to contribute to supporting certain security guarantees, apart from Kyiv's full membership in NATO.
According to sources, the US President warned that he would apply very serious consequences if Putin did not agree to a ceasefire agreement later this week.
The American leader said he hoped to use Friday's meeting to organize a quick second meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
After the call, French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that any decisions regarding territory can only be made by Kyiv, and that there are currently no serious plans for an exchange of territories on the table.
"Trump was very clear on the fact that the US wants to obtain a ceasefire at this meeting in Alaska," Macron said. According to him, both Europeans and Americans must continue to support Ukraine until a lasting peace is established.
The conversation, which lasted about an hour, was attended by the leaders of Germany, France, Poland, Italy, Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. She called the call very good and said it strengthened the common position on Ukraine.
Trump rated the discussion 10 out of 10 and said he was ready to cancel a second meeting with Putin if he considered his position insincere. Turkey was discussed as one of the possible venues for a trilateral summit between him, Putin, and Zelenskyy.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasized that Ukraine would participate in all further negotiations.
According to Bloomberg, European countries assured Trump that Ukraine needs reliable security guarantees to implement any agreement. If no progress is made at the meeting in Alaska, the allies are ready to increase pressure on Russia.
Trump's plans for meeting
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said he hoped to reach an agreement with Vladimir Putin on a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, calling such a scenario positive.
He also assured that he would not make any agreements with Putin without Ukraine's participation. At the same time, Trump believed that an exchange of territories between Ukraine and Russia might be necessary to achieve peace.
Against this backdrop, there were speculations in the media that Moscow would seek to gain control over the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Responding to these statements, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukrainian troops would not leave the Donetsk region.
