On Thursday, President Trump proposed a sense of security that Ukraine would be involved in negotiations to end the war with Russia. His remarks made it clear that the suspected outlook and surprising officials from Ukraine's European allies would be excluded from the settlement.
“Of course they'll do,” Trump responded to a reporter's question in his elliptical office in Washington, saying whether Ukraine has a place at the table. “I mean, they're part of it. We have Ukraine, Russia, and other people will be involved.”
European leaders on Thursday called for a role in the debate between Trump and Russian President Vladimir V. Putin to end the conflict.
Some of the closest allies of the US, including the UK and Germany, were among those who claimed that Ukraine and its country had the right to be at the negotiation table.
“Europe must be involved in the negotiations, and I think that's very easy to understand,” said Boris Pistorius, German Minister of Defense. The continent may be able to say that “we must “live directly” at the outcome of any transaction and “play a central or major role in the peace order.”
Pistorius and other NATO defense ministers said that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegses' return to Ukraine's pre-2014 border was “unrealistic,” and Trump held the A in Brussels on Thursday. Comments were made at the meeting held. A long call with Putin showed a potential willingness to make concessions to Russia, which Kiev previously thought would be unacceptable.
Trump and Hegses' comments may hope that the US will give up some of the territory currently seized by Russia and give up its goal of becoming a NATO member, which Russia is opposed to. He suggested. However, some European officials opposed on Thursday the premature surrender on these issues as they would be a key negotiation tip in any transaction.
When Trump said Wednesday that he and Putin of Russia had begun talks to end the war, he didn't particularly mention that he was involved in the negotiations. Interest is on the sidelines along the way.
After talking to Putin on the phone, he spoke with Ukrainian President Volodimia Zelensky – Trump suggests that Ukrainian NATO membership is unrealistic Ta.
Trump also said there is a high possibility of a mutual visit with Putin. Saudi Arabia may host peace talks, he said. A Kremlin spokesman said Thursday that Russia believes that while the meeting between Putin and Trump should take place “quite fast,” it is too early to discuss the date.
Zelensky responded to Trump Putin's call on Thursday, insisting that his country must be involved in consultations over its own fate.
“As a sovereign nation, we would not be able to accept the agreement simply without us,” he told a Ukrainian journalist. He said Ukraine had not been notified to join the phone.
Late Thursday afternoon, Trump said he had consulted with both Putin and Zelensky, saying he believed Putin wanted peace.
“I think he'd tell me if he didn't,” Trump said.
News of Trump's initiative to end the war echoed across Europe, from the golden halls of power in Western Europe to the muddy ditches at the forefront of the war. In Russia, financial markets surged, and the ruble jumped, rejoicing Moscow's business leaders.
The new American agenda has been little surprise to European leaders – Trump is clear about his views on the war in Ukraine, but the suddenness of the change in US attitude is surprising. did. Much of Europe was shaking at the possibility of renewing Russian influence on the continent and the prospect of a decline in Ukraine.
This American stance towards Ukraine risked burdening some of the most powerful transatlantic alliances.
In Britain, where support for Ukraine crosses the political spectrum, Kiel's Preferred Prime Minister last month signed what the UK called a 100-year defense agreement with Ukraine, earning £3 billion a year in the near future (dollars) provided.
Now, British leaders must weigh their support for Ukraine, despite their determination to build a friendly relationship with Trump.
“Don't forget, Russia remains a threat that far surpasses Ukraine,” British Defense Secretary John Healy said Thursday. He added, “There will be no negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine.”
Hegseth focused on his remarks at the NATO conference in Brussels calling for European countries to spend more on defense. American allies “have to make NATO great again,” he said.
“President Trump will not allow anyone to turn his uncle Sam into an uncle sucker,” he said at a press conference after the conclusion of the meeting Thursday. He also criticized comments about European leaders' prioritizing their values ​​in general. “Value matters,” he said. “But you can't shoot value.”
The Trump administration's push to launch negotiations to end the war comes at a time when it reduces prospects for military resolution of the conflict.
The pace of Russia's multifaceted attacks in eastern Ukraine has been declining since November, with the Kremlin forces accounting for just another 19 square miles so far this month.
The Russian army is also struggling to drive Ukrainian soldiers out of checks on Russian territory in the western Kursk region, despite committing tens of thousands of fighter jets and reinforcements in the campaign from North Korea.
Both Russia and Ukraine are trying to replace soldiers killed or wounded on the battlefield. The Russian government has provided growing bonuses and salaries to attract new employees, a financial spiral that is contributing to the destabilization of the Russian economy. Each Ukraine relies on stricter mobilization tactics to compensate for the decline in volunteers.
In Ukraine, soldiers welcomed news of Trump's initiative with a mixture of fear and resignation. Ukrainian Battalion Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Vadim Valiuk, said he had drilled a hole in a small wooden house on a side street near the front.
“If we stop fighting now, it would give Trump the opportunity to stop the flow of weapons and ammunition,” Colonel Value said. “This allows Putin to build his army, and two years later he was able to take over Ukraine very easily.”
With the prospect of peace negotiations, the war continues to rage. Russia dropped two bombs on Thursday in the city of Kramatalk in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian prosecutor's office. The bomb killed a 46-year-old man and wounded five other people, prosecutors said.
Some Ukrainian civilians said they longed for the war to stop. On a misty winter morning in Kiev, the capital, the square in front of St. Michael's Golden Monastery was filled with soldiers who had come to the cathedral for the funeral of another fallen comrade.
The funeral was observed by 63-year-old Oleksandr Liuven, who lives in Rukianivka, a capital district often attacked by Russian troops. “I hope it's finally over,” he said of the war.
Yulia Liubintsova (41), head of the Ballet Dancers Union, also expressed her hopes for peace negotiations. “We understand that we won't return territory because there's no one left to fight,” she said. “The majority of us are few and far fewer, so negotiations are only useful.”
But near the frontline, Ukrainian soldiers said they felt isolated and abandoned. Soldiers who identified themselves by call sign koku-baka following military protocols say that negotiating with Russia is “too painful” despite the military being exhausted. He said he felt it.
“In the end, we know that it will fight for our freedom, only for our independence,” he said. “We'll continue to fight because we have no other options.”
Report contributed Marklandler, Maria Valenikova, Anatoly Kurmanaev, Ivan Nechepurenko, A certain mejito And Hank Sanders.
