Following a virtual conference with Donald Trump on Wednesday, two days before he meets with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss resolving the crisis in Ukraine, European leaders were cautiously optimistic.
According to reports, Trump informed the Europeans that securing a truce between Kyiv and Moscow was his main objective for the meeting. According to France’s Emmanuel Macron, he also concurred that security assurances had to be included in the agreement and that Volodymyr Zelensky had to be included in any territorial disputes. Macron claimed that speaking with Trump had given the Europeans an opportunity to “express our expectations” and that it had enabled him to “clarify his intentions.
Along with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and NATO commander Mark Rutte, Trump and Vice-President JD Vance also addressed the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, and Poland.
The Europeans’ phone conversation today was a last-ditch effort to keep Trump focused on Ukraine’s interests and the security of the continent after they were left out of the hurriedly planned meeting in Alaska.
It seems to work to some degree. Trump gave the summit “a ten” on Wednesday night and warned that unless Russia stopped its conflict in Ukraine, it would suffer “very severe repercussions.
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