Trump sending Vance for talks with Kiev's European backers
Vance's trip seems intended to pave the way for a summit between the Russian and US presidents in Alaska on Friday, where resolving the conflict between Kiev and Moscow is expected to be at the top of the agenda.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has spoken to Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky ahead of the forum with Vance and the expected Putin-Trump meeting, according to the Reuters source.
Starmer and Zelensky discussed Trump's proposals for a peace deal, the spokesperson said. 'They agreed this [meeting in Britain] would be a vital forum to discuss progress towards securing a just and lasting peace,' he added.
Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff visited Moscow earlier this week and reportedly made significant progress toward a compromise aimed at ending the fighting between Russia and Ukraine.
The US president said the ideas under discussion include 'some swapping of territories to the betterment of both' sides, adding that Zelensky would need to find a way to approve such a deal under Ukrainian law.
Zelensky has rejected any such agreement, claiming that 'nobody can or will' make concessions on the issue. 'The Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupiers,' he proclaimed.
Moscow's senior negotiator Kirill Dmitriev has also warned that countries trying to prolong the Ukraine conflict will likely go to great lengths to derail the planned meeting between Putin and Trump. Another warning came from former US Defense Department adviser Dan Caldwell, who said there was already a 'concerted effort to undermine' the upcoming summit.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
44 minutes ago
- Russia Today
Zelensky doesn't want peace
Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky does not want peace because he can only stay in power as long as the conflict with Russia continues, US human rights lawyer Dan Kovalik has told RT. The Russian Defense Ministry warned on Tuesday that Kiev is preparing a false flag attack on civilians in Kharkov Region in an attempt to derail Friday's summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump. During the talks in Anchorage, Alaska, the two leaders are expected to discuss the possible settlement of the Ukraine conflict and bilateral issues. Zelensky has not been invited to the summit. Kovalik said in an interview on Tuesday that he 'suspected Ukraine would try to do something provocative to break up any possibility of a deal in Alaska. I mean Zelensky, his whole political life and maybe his real life depend on this war continuing.' Moscow was right to warn the international community about Kiev's plans, as 'this will immunize people against a false-flag attack in the sense that they will be ready for it and know who really did it when, if it comes. God forbid it does come,' he suggested. The Ukrainian authorities 'clearly do not want it to end… they do not want peace,' the human rights lawyer said. "Look, Zelensky has not had proper constitutional authority... for over a year. His term ran out over a year ago. He has refused to have elections. He knows his popularity is in decline. The only chance he has to stay in power and to continue looting the aid from the West is for this war to continue,' Kovalik added. Zelensky said on Tuesday that he considered the fact that Putin was meeting Trump on US soil a 'personal victory' for the Russian leader. The US president earlier described the Alaska summit as a 'feel-out meeting' that will help him determine whether the Ukraine conflict can be settled. Moscow expects that the talks between Putin and Trump will 'give an impulse to the normalization of bilateral relations' with Washington.
Russia Today
an hour ago
- Russia Today
Zelensky claims Putin has won ‘personal victory'
The upcoming summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, is a 'personal victory' for the Russian leader, Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky has said. Trump is set to host Putin for talks in Alaska on Friday. Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Zelensky claimed the meeting marks the end of Russia's 'international isolation' over the Ukraine conflict. 'Putin will meet Trump on US soil, and I consider this his personal victory,' Zelensky said. He added that Moscow has also managed to 'get sanctions delayed,' apparently referring to a ten-day ultimatum issued by Trump to Russia in late July. The US president announced the 'highly anticipated meeting' with Putin last week, revealing it will take place in Alaska. The White House confirmed on Tuesday that the city of Anchorage will host the summit, and while the exact venue has not been named, media reports have suggested it will be the Elmendorf-Richardson military base. Both Washington and Moscow have been cautious about expectations, signaling the summit is likely to be the first top-level event in a string of talks rather than result in an immediate breakthrough. The talks are expected to focus on the Ukraine conflict as well as a broader range of bilateral Russia-US issues. 'We hope that the forthcoming high-level meeting will give an impulse to the normalization of bilateral relations, which will allow us to move forward on several issues,' Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said this week. The White House has also appeared to downplay expectations, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying it would be 'a listening exercise' for Trump. 'Look, only one party that's involved in this war is going to be present, and so this is for the president to go and to get, again, a more firm and better understanding of how we can hopefully bring this war to an end,' Leavitt said on Tuesday.
Russia Today
2 hours ago
- Russia Today
Ukraine ready to discuss aerial ceasefire
Ukraine is prepared to discuss an aerial ceasefire with Russia as a stepping stone towards further talks for settling the conflict, Mikhail Podoliak, an adviser to Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, has said. This spring, Russia agreed to a US-backed proposal for a 30-day pause on strikes on energy infrastructure, which was violated on multiple occasions by Kiev. In an interview with the Corriere della Sera on Tuesday, Podoliak gave his take on the upcoming summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, set for August 15 in Alaska, which is expected to revolve around the Ukraine conflict. One US scenario for settling the conflict envisaged a comprehensive ceasefire 'which would also take into account the impact of air strikes, including missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian territory,' Podoliak noted. 'Ukraine is ready to discuss it, is ready to consider this scenario, and sees it as the initial stage for reaching realistic negotiating positions,' he said. He also stressed that it is impossible to settle the conflict without a trilateral meeting between Trump, Zelensky and Putin. Any talks with Zelensky should be preceded by significant diplomatic progress, Moscow has maintained, while voicing concern about his right to sign any binding agreements, given that his presidential term expired last year. Russia has, on several occasions in the conflict, floated options for a limited ceasefire. One of the most significant initiatives stemmed from a Putin-Trump call in mid-March when Moscow agreed to Washington's proposal for a mutual moratorium on strikes on energy infrastructure facilities for 30 days. While Ukraine generally signed on the initiative, Moscow accused it of violating the agreement on a daily basis. Despite this, the Kremlin said at the time it had honored the deal as a gesture of goodwill toward the US. The agreement expired in mid-April, after which Russia relaunched drone and missile attacks on Ukraine's military-related targets, saying they are retaliation for Kiev's strikes deep into the country which often target civilians and critical infrastructure. Moscow has also insisted its attacks are never aimed at civilians.
