Trump to offer Putin economic incentives to end the war in Ukraine
He is reportedly ready to present Putin with a proposal that includes several economic concessions to Russia in exchange for peace, according to The Telegraph.
Among the incentives would be access to Alaska's natural resources, as well as Ukrainian rare earth minerals and the lifting of some sanctions on Russia's aircraft industry.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other senior administration officials are reportedly working closely with Trump to finalise the proposals ahead of the summit.
In April, Kyiv and Washington signed a deal that gives the US access to Ukraine's minerals. According to the Kyiv School of Economics, Ukraine holds one third of Europe's and 3% of global lithium reserves.
Two of Ukraine's largest lithium deposits lie in Russian-held territory and Putin has laid claim to the valuable minerals extracted there.
Ukrainians are sceptical
Ukrainians in Kyiv on Wednesday voiced scepticism that the planned summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will bring the war on Ukraine to an end.
Trump has threatened 'very severe consequences' if Putin does not agree to stop his war in Ukraine the summit, to be held in Alaska on Friday, though he did not say what those consequences might be.
Kyiv residents weren't optimistic of a breakthrough.
"In my opinion, nothing is likely to change in the coming days," said a woman who gave her name only as Natalya.
"We have already seen numerous times how negotiations have been postponed, failed, and other changes have occurred."
Oleksandra Kozlova, 39, head of department in digital agency, echoed her sentiment.
"People have already lost hope. Personally, I don't think this round will be decisive," she said.
Many Moscow residents were more hopeful.
'This (conflict with Ukraine) must end someday, so I hope that some kind of compromise can certainly be found,' one resident said.
'It's a huge deal, that the first step has already been taken,' another commented. 'There will definitely be an advantage.'
Conflicting terms for peace
Trump consulted with European leaders earlier on Wednesday, who said the president assured them he would make a priority of trying to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine when he speaks with Putin on Friday in Anchorage.
Prior to Trump announcing the meeting with Putin, his efforts to pressure Russia into stopping the fighting had delivered no progress. The Kremlin's bigger army is slowly advancing deeper into Ukraine at great cost in troops and armour. Russia and Ukraine are far apart on their terms for peace.
Moscow presented ceasefire conditions that are nonstarters for Zelenskyy, such as withdrawing troops from the four regions Russia illegally annexed in 2022, halting mobilisation efforts, or freezing Western arms deliveries.
For a broader peace, Putin demands Kyiv cede the annexed regions, even though Russia doesn't fully control them, and Crimea, renounce a bid to join NATO, limit the size of its armed forces and recognise Russian as an official language along with Ukrainian.
Zelenskyy insists any peace deals must include robust security guarantees for Ukraine to protect it from future Russian aggression.
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LeMonde
2 hours ago
- LeMonde
After the Trump-Putin summit, Europe must make a move
Everything unfolded just as the Europeans had expected. The summit on Friday, August 15, between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, ended without any concrete prospects for a ceasefire in Ukraine. However, it worked to the advantage of the Russian president, who found himself rehabilitated on the world stage thanks to the event. The aggressor of an independent country, Ukraine, which he claims as his own, and wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, Putin was treated on Friday by the United States with all the honors reserved for a respected leader of a major power. Greeted as he stepped off the plane by President Trump, invited to walk the red carpet with him to the American president's limousine and then invited inside, the Russian president clearly appreciated these gestures. To express his gratitude to Trump, he echoed two grievances dear to the Republican president: that the 2020 presidential election, won by Joe Biden, was fraudulent, and that the war in Ukraine would never have started if Trump had been president. As for the rest, while describing the meeting as very "productive" and on "the path to peace in Ukraine," Putin merely reiterated, during a brief joint appearance before the press, the "underlying causes" of his conflict with Ukraine. The talks lasted just over two and a half hours, whereas the Kremlin had planned for "six to seven hours" of discussions. The scheduled lunch did not take place, journalists were not allowed to ask questions and the exchanges apparently did not touch on commercial or economic matters, nor on arms control – contrary to Moscow's wishes. For his part, Trump showered "Vladimir" with praise, calling him "a strong guy (...) tough as hell." He spoke of a "very productive" meeting where there were "many points that we agreed on," except for one, "probably the most significant," which he did not specify. The American president, who had threatened Russia just a few days earlier with "very severe consequences" if it failed to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine, stated on Fox News on Friday that the question of new sanctions was not under consideration for the time being, but that he might have to think about it in two or three weeks. In light of this lack of results, the ball is now in the Europeans' court. On Saturday morning, Trump briefed them, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, on his discussions and the points of agreement he mentioned. Even before speaking to them, he offered this advice to Zelensky on Fox News after the summit: "Make a deal!" From the way Putin and Trump presented matters in Anchorage, it can be inferred that the proposed "deal" is not in Kyiv's favor. Echoing Trump, Putin said he hoped the Europeans "won't throw a wrench in the works and not make any attempts to use some backroom dealings to conduct provocations to torpedo the progress." Keen not to miss any chance to end the war, the Ukrainian president nonetheless responded positively to the idea of a three-way meeting with Putin and Trump, and decided to travel to Washington on Monday to discuss it. The scenario Europeans have feared – a settlement hashed out behind their backs by the Russian and American leaders – cannot be ruled out. However, unlike Trump, Putin acknowledged that they, together with Kyiv, have cards to play. The time has come to use them, and to do so with resolve.
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
In high-stakes summit, Trump, not Putin, budges
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Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
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