Ukraine: Donald Trump considers the meeting of Putin and Selenskyj to be necessary

After the last violent criticism of the Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj, US President Donald Trump now considers a direct meeting of Selenskyj and the Russian head of state Vladimir Putin necessary. “President Putin and President Selenskyj will have to meet,” said Trump on Friday with a view of possible conversations about a ceasefire in the White House. Meanwhile, negotiations on a raw material agreement between the USA and Ukraine said on Saturday from Kiev that this was not yet ready for signature.

Trump said on Friday, after saying that the Ukrainians had nothing in hand, which could contribute to the conversations about an end to the war. He had very good conversations with Kremlin boss Putin, but “not so good conversations with Ukraine,” he said. “You have nothing in your hand, but you play with hard bandages. But we won’t allow it to go on like this.”

Shortly before, the right-wing populist had said in an interview with the Fox News broadcaster that Selenskyj’s participation in negotiations to terminate the Ukraine War was “not very important”. Russia had started his major attack on Ukraine three years ago on February 24th.

Trump had significantly tightened his tone compared to Ukraine this week. He described Selenskyj as a “dictator without elections” and accused him of being jointly responsible for the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. For his part, Selenskyj described Trump as a victim of Russian disinformation.

With his recent statements, however, Trump seemed to be dealing with his previous confrontation course towards Selenskyj. At the meeting with journalists in the Oval Office, he now said about Ukraine: “You are very brave, in every way you can imagine.”

According to Trump’s assessment, Putin is by no means under pressure to engage in a peace agreement with Ukraine. “He doesn’t need a agreement because if he wanted to, he would take the whole country (Ukraine),” Trump continued on Friday.

Trump also commented on negotiations on a raw material agreement with Ukraine. Kiev will “hopefully sign an agreement in the near future”, which Washington grants preferred access to the Ukrainian mineral resources. Despite the escalation of their tensions, Washington and Kiev continue to negotiate the agreement that would give the United States access to strategically important raw materials in Ukraine in return.

From Ukrainian circles familiar with the negotiations, on Saturday, Selenskyj was “not ready” to sign the agreement in its current form. “We are still trying to make changes,” it said.

The French President Emmanuel Macron and the British Prime Minister Keir Strander accused Trump of doing nothing to end the war. Both politicians will be expected separately in the White House next week.

The Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez warned of his upcoming trip to Kiev that peace in Ukraine and security in Europe could “not be forced”. Sánchez demanded that a “fair and persistent and persistent peace” require the participation of Ukraine and Europe.

Meanwhile, Selenskyj called on the allies in Europe to strengthen their effort for an end to the war in Ukraine. “Europe has to and can do a lot more to ensure that there is actually peace in Ukraine,” said Selenskyj on Friday in his every evening video address. To reach an end to war with Russia is “possible” because Ukraine and its partners in Europe have “clear suggestions”.

Meanwhile, the Russian chief of staff Waleri Gerassimow traveled to a troop visit to the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. According to the Ministry of Department in Moscow, the Russian armed forces recently achieved further terrain gain in the Luhansk region.