Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was back at the White House on Monday for the first time since his Oval Office blow-up with Donald Trump and JD Vance.
The European leader brought backup this time: A "coalition of the willing", including the UK's Sir Keir Starmer, France's Emmanuel Macron, and others including the EU's Ursula von der Leyen and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Members of the delegation hoped to sway Trump away from unilaterally agreeing to make concessions to Russia, including ceding Ukrainian-held land.
The coalition notched at least two of its goals: Ukraine won't be excluded from negotiations with Russia. And the degree to which a security guarantee will be provided for Ukraine will be ironed out in the coming days, with Kyiv insistent on European involvement.
During Monday's meeting, the U.S. president halted talks in order to speak with Putin.
In that call, Trump secured a commitment from Vladimir Putin to hold talks with Ukraine within the next two weeks. A trilateral meeting between Russia, the U.S., and Ukraine would then follow.
Starmer, departing the White House on Monday evening, was short on details. On what the group was able to find agreement with Trump, the prime minister quipped: "Quite a lot."
NATO's secretary-general Mark Rutte more effusively praised the president on Fox News: "Without President Trump, this deadlock with Putin would not have been broken. He is the only one who could do this."
"He's putting pressure [on Russia], but he is also looking for ways to solve this, to bring this war to an end. Today was very successful," he continued.
Follow The Independent's live coverage here.
0 comentários:
Postar um comentário