Letters: Does the world really need more weapons?
Does the world really need more weapons?
'The War Drums Are Now Beating' was the heading of the letter of the week in the Weekend Herald (June 14). It was an excellently clear letter. The writer commented that Nato leaders may be annoyed because New Zealand is not spending enough
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Christopher Luxon Says He's 'Focused 100%' On Economy, Not Passports
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Zelenskyy, European leaders head to US for talks on peace deal terms
US President Donald Trump said reclaiming Crimea or entering Nato were off the table for Ukraine, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Washington for Monday talks aimed at ending the war with Russia. Zelenskyy, who has repeatedly rejected territorial concessions, will meet Trump in Washington on Monday, accompanied by European
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Ukraine's future could hinge on a hastily assembled meeting at the White House as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky brings with him an extraordinary cadre of European leaders to show US President Donald Trump a united front against Russia. The European political heavy-hitters were left out of Trump's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday, and they look to safeguard Ukraine and the continent from any widening aggression from Moscow. By arriving as a group, they hope to avoid any debacles like Zelensky's February meeting in the Oval Office, where Trump chastised him for not showing enough gratitude for American military aid. The meeting on Monday (early Tuesday morning, NZ time) also is a test of America's relationship with its closest allies after the European Union and United Kingdom accepted Trump's tariff hikes partly because they wanted his support on Ukraine. Monday's showing is a sign both of the progress and the possible distress coming out of the Alaska meeting as many of Europe's leaders are descending on Washington with the explicit goal of protecting Ukraine's interests, a rare and sweeping show of diplomatic force. ADVERTISEMENT "It's important that America agrees to work with Europe to provide security guarantees for Ukraine, and therefore for all of Europe," Zelensky said on X. The night before the meeting, however, Trump seemed to put the onus on Zelensky to agree to concessions and suggested that Ukraine could not regain Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, setting off an armed conflict that led to its broader 2022 invasion. President Donald Trump welcomes Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House in Washington, Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (Source: Associated Press) "President Zelensky of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight," he wrote Sunday night on social media. "Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!" Zelensky appeared to respond with his own post late Sunday, saying, "We all share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably." He went on to say that "peace must be lasting," not as it was after Russia seized Crimea and part of the Donbas in eastern Ukraine eight years ago, and "Putin simply used it as a springboard for a new attack." The sitdown in Alaska yielded the possible contours for stopping the war in Ukraine, though it was unclear whether the terms discussed would ultimately be acceptable to Zelensky or Putin. The European heavyweights going to Washington ADVERTISEMENT Planning to join Zelensky in America's capital are European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. On the table for discussion are possible NATO-like security guarantees that Ukraine would need for any peace with Russia to be durable. Putin opposes Ukraine joining NATO outright, yet Trump's team claims the Russian leader is open to allies agreeing to defend Ukraine if it comes under attack. Trump briefed Zelensky and European allies shortly after the Putin meeting, and details from the discussions emerged in a scattershot way that seemed to rankle the US president, who had chosen not to outline any terms when appearing afterward with Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, is welcomed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz upon arrival in the garden of the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025 (Source: Associated Press) "BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA," Trump posted Sunday on social media. The president also bemoaned media coverage of his summit with Putin and said on Truth Social: "I had a great meeting in Alaska." Following the Alaska summit, Trump declared that a ceasefire was not necessary for peace talks to proceed, a sudden shift to a position favored by Putin. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that a ceasefire was still possible but that "the best way to end this conflict is through a full peace deal." ADVERTISEMENT The issues on the table for the European allies European officials confirmed that Trump told them Putin is still seeking control of the entire Donbas region, even though Ukraine controls a meaningful share of it. And Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said the US and its allies could offer Ukraine a NATO-like commitment to defend the country if it came under attack as the possible security guarantee. "How that's constructed, what we call it, how it's built, what guarantees are built into it that are enforceable, that's what we'll be talking about over the next few days with our partners who are coming in from overseas," Rubio told NBC's "Meet the Press." Rubio said on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" that such a commitment "would be a very big move" by Trump. He expects the delegations will "spend six, seven hours talking about these things, maybe more, and try to get to a point where we have something more concrete." Monday's meeting will likely be very tough for Zelensky, an official close to the ongoing talks said. That official spoke on condition of anonymity to speak openly about thinking within Ukraine and between allies. Zelensky needs to prevent a scenario in which he gets blamed for blocking peace talks by rejecting Putin's maximalist demand on the Donbas, the official said. It is a demand Zelensky has said many times he will never accept because it is unconstitutional and could create a launching pad for future Russian attacks. ADVERTISEMENT If confronted with pressure to accept Putin's demands, Zelensky would likely have to revert to a skill he has demonstrated time and again: diplomatic tact. Ukrainian leadership is seeking a trilateral meeting with Zelensky, Trump and Putin to discuss sensitive matters, including territorial issues. Zelensky is looking to avoid another Oval Office blowup After enduring a public tirade by Trump and Vice President JD Vance in February, Zelensky worked to repair relations with the US. Constant diplomatic communication and a 15-minute meeting at the Vatican in April on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral helped turn the tide. Trump appeared at the time to be swayed by Zelensky's conditions for peace. But Trump says he cares primarily about ending the war, an ambition that led him after his meeting with Putin to discard the need for a ceasefire. European allies also have worked with Trump, reaching a deal in July for NATO allies to buy weapons from the US for Ukraine. Ahead of Monday's meeting, France's Macron stressed the importance of building up Ukraine's military and the need to show Putin that Europe interprets his moves as a threat to other nations. ADVERTISEMENT "If we are weak with Russia today, we'll be preparing the conflicts of tomorrow and they will impact the Ukrainians and — make no mistake — they can impact us, too," Macron said.
