US President Donald Trump's change of tactics regarding peace talks came after months of non-public communication between British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron. This is stated in a Politico article, reports UNN.
Details
It is noted that Starmer and Macron used their channels in the White House to convey to Trump the message that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin cannot be trusted. In particular, they sought to convince the American president to reduce pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and direct some of his anger at Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, using the argument that Putin is making Trump look like a fool.
The US president's public criticism of Putin allowed diplomats in London and Paris to discreetly clench their fists in satisfaction - their efforts over the past three months seem to have begun to bear fruit
According to the publication, key roles in the negotiations with the American administration were played by British National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell and Defense Minister John Healey. Their efforts were coordinated with the US Ambassador to the UK, Mark Burnett. For his part, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that he had had 13 conversations with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this year alone, and Starmer and Trump - "almost" as many.
"At this point, Trump realised that Putin cannot be trusted. This is what the President (Emmanuel Macron - ed.) constantly repeats and tries to convey to Trump. This is our current strategy," the authors quote an unnamed French official as saying.
Let us remind you
On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that in the next eight to ten days, the West will increase pressure on Russia on the issue of establishing peace in Ukraine. At the same time, he noted that he "remains cautious" on this issue, because "part of the equation depends on Moscow."