The president of the United States, Donald Trump, has announced that He will talk on Tuesday with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putinto address the possibility of ending war in Ukraine, after positive negotiations between US and Russian officials in Moscow. “We want to see if we can end this war,” Trump told reporters aboard the Air Force One, on his return to Washington from Florida. “Maybe we can, maybe not, but I think we have a Very good opportunity. ”
The American president seeks to obtain Putin’s support for a HIGH FIRE PROPOSAL OF 30 DAYSthat Ukraine accepted last week. However, the clashes continued during the weekend with intense air bombings, while Russia advanced in their offensive against Ukrainian positions in the Kursk region.
Putin expresses “cautious optimism”
On Friday, the Kremlin reported that Putin had sent Trump a message about his high fire plan through the American envoy Steve Witkoff, who held meetings in Moscow. According to the Russian presidency, the president expressed a “cautious optimism” on the possibility of reaching an agreement to end the war, which is already extended for three years.
However, in television interviews on Sunday, Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz agreed that There are still important challenges to solve Before Russia accepts a cessation of hostilities, and much more to achieve a definitive peace. Consulted by the US chain ABC on whether the United States would accept an agreement in which Russia retains the areas occupied in eastern Ukraine, Waltz replied: “Are we going to expel all the Russians of every centimeter of the Ukrainian territory?” Added quand negotiations must be based on “reality.”
For his part, Rubio told CBS that any peace agreement will require “a lot of arduous work and concessions of both Russia and Ukraine”, and that it will be difficult to initiate conversations while the fighting continues.
The president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, said Friday that See a real opportunity to end war After accepting the American proposal of a 30 -day truce. However, he reiterated that the sovereignty of his country “is not negotiable” and that Russia must return the occupied territories. Since the beginning of the invasion in 2022, Moscow has taken control of large areas of eastern Ukraine, in addition to the Crimean Peninsula, annexed in 2014.
Russia demands security guarantees
The Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Alexander Grushko, said in an interview with the Izvestia medium that any peace treaty must include “irrevocable” security guarantees for Moscow, such as the exclusion of NATO Ukraine and its permanence in a neutral status. “The neutral status of Ukraine and the refusal of NATO countries to accept it in the alliance must be part of this agreement,” said Grushko.
Putin has justified his offensive in Ukraine ensuring that The expansion of NATO represents a threat to the security of Russia. Among its demands, in addition to the resignation of Ukraine to join the Alliance, it requires the recognition of Russian control over the occupied territories, the reduction of the size of the Ukrainian army and the lifting of Western sanctions. He has also requested the realization of presidential elections in Ukraine, something that kyiv considers unfeasible while the martial law continues.
Debate on peace troops
Trump, who has modified the position of the United States approaching Moscow, has described To Ukraine as a more difficult partner than Russia in negotiations. In February, his meeting with Zelenski at the White House ended abruptly, with the early departure of the Ukrainian president. However, the acceptance of a high fire by kyiv now puts the pressure on Russia to yield to Washington’s demands. In Europe, some allies of Ukraine have stressed that any cessation of hostilities and eventual peace agreement must have the participation of kyiv in the negotiations.
The British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, indicated on Saturday that Western allies are preparing plans to support Ukraine In case of a truce. The United Kingdom and France have expressed their willingness to send a peace force to supervise a possible fire in Ukraine, although Russia has ruled out that option until the fighting ends.
“The deployment of contingents of NATO in Ukraine, under any label, would make them part of the conflict with all their consequences,” Grushko warned. “We can talk about unarmed observers or a civil mission to guarantee certain aspects of the agreement, but for now, it is only hot air.” For his part, the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, declared that the decision on the deployment of peace troops in Ukraine corresponds exclusively to kyiv and not to Moscow.
