Volodymyr Zelensky, after a video conference with Donald Trump, reported that the American president is ready to provide Ukraine with security guarantees. He also noted that everything concerning Ukraine should be discussed with Ukraine, so a trilateral negotiation format is necessary. However, the main initial condition — is a ceasefire, which Donald Trump will seek at the meeting with Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky also indicated that his position on Donbas remains unchanged, Russia cannot have a veto right on Ukraine's accession to the EU and NATO, and peace negotiations should be combined with pressure in the form of sanctions. «Putin is bluffing, saying that sanctions do not work, they are not important. They help, they hit the Russian military economy. They do have more weapons, artillery, but three times more losses. I told Trump that Putin does not want peace, he wants to occupy our country», — added the Ukrainian president.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz informed journalists that Ukraine is ready to discuss territorial issues, but the starting point should be the front line. Merz emphasized that he wants the US president to succeed on Friday in negotiations with Vladimir Putin, but first and foremost, the security interests of Europe and Ukraine must be considered. «In Alaska, the fundamental security interests of Europe and Ukraine must be observed. On this issue, a common agreement has been reached between Europe and the USA», — added Merz.
He also reported that if there is no progress in resolving the conflict in Ukraine after the summit between Putin and Trump in Alaska, then «it is necessary to increase pressure on Russia».
French President Emmanuel Macron noted that EU leaders have made it clear that there must be a clear link between any potential territorial concessions and security guarantees for Ukraine, emphasizing that in the conversation Trump agreed with such a position.
Macron stated that it is not possible to seriously discuss issues of exchanging Ukrainian lands now. «The war continues. It depends on security guarantees. This is our European problem. Ukraine is on the front line of the fight against Russian imperialism. Remember, they started back in 2008 in the Caucasus and can go further», — he said. According to the French president, Trump during the meeting with Putin wants to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine. This is the first step, without which there will be nothing else.