The US president has reportedly also indicated that Ukraine would be included in negotiations on any territorial swaps with Russia
US President Donald Trump has reportedly told Western European leaders that he wants to reach a ceasefire deal in the Ukraine conflict at his upcoming meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, according to France’s Emmanuel Macron.
A video conference was held between Trump and the leaders of Germany, Finland, France, the UK, Italy, Poland, EU officials and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky on Wednesday. The virtual meeting was devoted to discussions of Trump’s summit with Putin in Alaska scheduled for Friday.
Speaking to reporters after the call, Macron stated that the US president had indicated that he intends to “obtain a ceasefire in Ukraine during the meeting with Putin.” Trump also assured the Europeans that any discussions on territorial issues relating to Ukraine would be negotiated with Kiev at the table.
Macron said that Trump will push for a future trilateral meeting with Putin and Zelensky during the Alaska summit. The meeting could take place in Europe, according to the French president.
Previously, when announcing the summit with Putin, Trump suggested that a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine would have to include some sort of land swap. Zelensky has rejected the notion of recognizing Russia sovereignty over any of the territories claimed by Kiev, citing limitations imposed by Ukraine’s constitution.
During a separate press briefing following Wednesday’s video conference, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that Western European leaders and Trump had agreed to put more “pressure” on Putin if no progress towards a peace deal is made in Alaska.
Russia has repeatedly stated that it is open to peaceful resolution, but has stressed that any deal would have to address the roots of the conflict and respect the realities on the ground. This includes the status of former Ukrainian territories that have joined Russia after holding public referendums.
Moscow has said that it expects a positive outcome of Friday’s summit between Trump and Putin, adding that it sees the meeting as a chance to mend strained relations and move forward on long-standing issues.
Trump has also said that he expects the summit to be a “feel-out meeting” to determine whether the Ukraine conflict can be settled.
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