US President Donald Trump, during a phone call on Wednesday, told European leaders that he had no intention of discussing any possible territorial division issues when he meets with Kremlin head Vladimir Putin in Alaska this week, citing two European officials and three other people informed about the conversation, NBC News reports, writes UNN.
Details
Trump, during the phone call, which was also attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stated that he was going to meet with Putin with the goal of securing a ceasefire in Ukraine, these sources said.
Trump and European leaders agreed that a ceasefire in Ukraine should be implemented before peace talks begin, European officials and two other people informed about the conversation said. They added that after the conversation, some European leaders were left with the impression that Trump was not optimistic about the outcome of his meeting with Putin.
Two European officials and three other people informed about Wednesday's phone call said that all leaders agreed that Ukraine should be included in the negotiations and should decide what territorial concessions it might be willing to make. They also said that the leaders were united in their opinion that if Putin did not agree to a ceasefire, Trump would likely impose new sanctions against Russia.
Two other people familiar with Wednesday's phone call said that European leaders left with positive impressions about Trump's plans for his meeting with Putin. One of them said that achieving a ceasefire is expected to be a priority for Trump at the meeting. The other person expressed confidence that negotiations regarding Ukrainian territory would not be discussed without Ukraine.
In response to a request for comment, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated: "The White House does not discuss the details of the President's private diplomatic conversations. However, President Trump has made it clear that he wants to end this war and stop the killing, and Friday's meeting with President Putin will be an important moment in this process."
On Wednesday, after the conversation, Trump said it was "very good" and suggested that another meeting involving Zelenskyy could quickly follow his meeting with Putin.
"There's a good chance we'll have a second meeting that will be more productive than the first, because, first of all, I'm going to find out where we are and what we're doing," Trump told reporters. "I'd like to do that almost immediately, and if they want, we'll have a quick second meeting between President Putin, President Zelenskyy, and myself."
US Vice President J.D. Vance, who also participated in Wednesday's phone call, later stated during a speech to American servicemen at RAF Fairford in the UK that "one of our most important shared security goals in Europe" is to end the war in Ukraine.