New York: US President Donald Trump says that after his summit with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, he is dropping his demand for a ceasefire and instead wants to go directly for a peace agreement to end the Ukraine War.
Following Friday’s late-night call with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders, he said in a Truth Social post that it was “determined” that a peace agreement was the way to go.
“It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up”, he posted early Saturday morning, Washington time.
European leaders and Zelensky are sceptical about any arrangement that does not include an immediate ceasefire because Russia could take more Ukrainian territory to strengthen its negotiating position.
Trump had said that he would talk to Putin about his continued attacks on Ukraine while diplomacy was underway.
He asserted in the Truth Social post that the summit on Friday in Alaska was “very successful” and his calls with Zelensky and other European leaders went “very well”.
He said that Zelensky was coming to the White House on Monday afternoon, and “if all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin”.
Trump did not reveal the “the most significant” difference he had with Putin that blocked a deal.
At a news conference after the Friday summit in Alaska, he said there were “a couple of big ones that we haven’t quite gotten there, but we’ve made some headway”.
“One is probably the most significant, but we have a very good chance of getting there”, he said.
Trump appeared to have walked back on his earlier claims that he would insist on a ceasefire and end the talks if there wasn’t an agreement on one.
Flying to Alaska, he told reporters on Air Force One, “I want to see a ceasefire rapidly”.
“I don’t know if it’s going to be today, but I’m not going to be happy if it’s not today”, he added.
Zelensky said on X that the European leaders coordinated their positions and wanted a ceasefire “as soon as possible”.
“The positions are clear. We need to achieve real peace that will be lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions”, said, adding, “We must stop the killings as soon as possible, ceasefire both on the battlefield and in the skies, and against our port infrastructure”.
He said that he asked Trump to strengthen sanctions against Russia if talks with Putin did not materialise.
“In the conversation with President Trump, I emphasised that sanctions should be strengthened if there is no trilateral meeting or if Russia evades an honest end to the war”, he said.
The European leaders, who call themselves “The Coalition of the Willing”, in their joint statement after talking with Trump and meeting among themselves did not take up the ceasefire issue.
They said they “welcomed President Trump’s efforts to stop the killing in Ukraine, end Russia’s war of aggression, and achieve just and lasting peace”.
They “are clear that Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity”, said the statement issued by the heads of state or government of Britain, France, Germany, Poland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Finland, and the president of the European Council.
“As President Trump said, ‘there’s no deal until there’s a deal’. As envisioned by President Trump, the next step must now be further talks including President Zelenskyy, whom he will meet soon”, they said.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron said on X that following Trump’s briefing, European leaders in their meeting resolved to “maintain pressure on Russia as long as its war of aggression continues and until a solid and lasting peace, respectful of Ukraine’s rights, has been established”.
He added, they will continue to “work closely” with Trump and Zelensky “to safeguard our interests in a spirit of unity and responsibility”.
(IANS)
