European leaders do not believe in Vladimir Putin's sincerity regarding a peace agreement, so their strategy is to support Donald Trump in his intentions until he finally realizes that he needs to be tougher on the Kremlin, writes Politico. The main action plan is to expose the Kremlin's bluff and lobby for tougher sanctions.
After a meeting at the White House, European leaders discussed further plans and expressed great doubts about the Kremlin negotiating in good faith, but were optimistic that Washington would punish Russia if Putin proved to be the biggest obstacle to peace, sources of the publication noted.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who until the last moment tried to talk to Putin, is now most openly stating that Putin is not inclined towards peace and remains committed to his goal of destroying Ukraine.
Despite the doubts, Western partners agree to support the American initiative, as "it will be a clear test of Russian intentions." And the security guarantees being developed will help Ukraine negotiate from a position of strength.
CNN, citing expert opinions, also writes that Putin is not ready to negotiate with the Ukrainian leader - neither now nor in the future.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov stated that it is only about "the possibility of raising the level of representatives." Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov added that Russia does not refuse any formats, but noted "careful preparation" of any high-level meetings. Putin himself did not give any comments, his intentions regarding the meeting became known only from Donald Trump's statements.
Analysts note that for the Kremlin, a meeting with Zelensky would mean recognizing the Ukrainian president as the legitimate leader of a country that Russian propaganda has portrayed for years as a "Western puppet."
"Putin does not consider a meeting with Zelensky critically important because his war is primarily a confrontation with the West. But he may agree if he has guarantees that Moscow's demands (territorial concessions) will be on the table," says Tatiana Stanovaya from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The Kremlin sees in Donald Trump an opportunity to incline Kyiv to a more accommodating position. Stanovaya notes that Putin views Trump "as someone who facilitates the implementation of the Russian vision for resolving the war."
At the moment, Putin has no incentives to agree to a meeting with Zelensky: he receives diplomatic concessions without real compromises. The only question is whom Trump will blame for the failure of the negotiation process, analysts summarize.
Photo: Win McNamee