'No unilateral Ukraine peace deal in Alaska': Zelenskyy, European leaders urge Trump
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz convened a virtual summit with Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and several European leaders amid fears that Putin could seek to influence the US president into accepting terms favourable to Russia.
After the virtual summit, Zelensky and German Chancellor address reporters in Berlin, Germany, following their meeting with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, as per CNN.
Two European diplomats familiar with the virtual meeting confirmed that Trump appeared to say that he would push for an unconditional ceasefire in his meeting with Putin.
According to sources, Trump said that he believed that a ceasefire would be a show of goodwill from Russia, and he also noted that the Ukrainian territory is not for him to negotiate.
The leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland, NATO, and the European Union had taken part in the virtual meeting with Trump. It was followed by another larger meeting of the "Coalition of the Willing" that US Vice President JD Vance attended, according to CNN.
After the meeting, Zelensky said leaders agreed on "five common principles" to lay out the "format of negotiations" to be held in Alaska, including a focus on a ceasefire and "truly reliable" security guarantees.
"Everything concerning Ukraine must be discussed exclusively with Ukraine. We must prepare a trilateral format for talks. There must be a ceasefire, that is number one," he said.
He added: "There must be security guarantees, truly reliable ones. And today, President Trump spoke of his support for this and of America's readiness to participate."
"Russia cannot have a veto over Ukraine's European and NATO prospects," he said. "Peace talks must be combined with appropriate pressure on Russia."
Zelensky also emphasised that sanctions against Russia should be strengthened if no ceasefire agreement is reached on Friday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
9 hours ago
- Observer
Germany's Thyssenkrupp cuts targets as US tariffs weigh
FRANKFURT: Thyssenkrupp's shares slumped on Thursday as the struggling German industrial giant slashed its sales forecasts due to weak demand amid US President Donald Trump's tariff onslaught. The group, whose products range from steel to car parts and submarines, said it now expects sales to fall by five to seven percent in the current fiscal year. This compared to a previous forecast of a drop of up to three per cent. Thyssenkrupp's shares plunged seven percent on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange following the announcement. The group has long been struggling, particularly as its traditional steel business faces competition from Asia, but the turmoil triggered by Trump's tariffs have worsened its problems. "The past quarter was characterised by enormous macroeconomic uncertainty," said Thyssenkrupp CEO Miguel Lopez. "We are very much feeling the weak market environment in key customer industries such as the automotive, engineering and construction industries." The firm, one of Germany's best-known industrial groups that traces its history back to the 19th century, also posted a hefty net loss for the April-to-June period of 278 million euros ($325 million) — five times greater than a year ago. The results were hit by an impairment in the troubled steel division as well as restructuring costs at its auto unit. The company also gave a more cautious forecast for operating profits for the current fiscal year, which runs to the end of September. The firm expects them to be in the lower end of a previously announced range of 600 million to one billion euros. On a brighter note, its unit that makes submarines and warships reported a jump in sales and orders, driven by a boom in the defence sector triggered by the Ukraine war. Thyssenkrupp shareholders voted last week in favour of spinning off the division so it can benefit more from growing demand. It is part of a broader overhaul to split the entire group into a series of standalone businesses, but the plan has fuelled fears of further job cuts at the historic conglomerate. — AFP
Observer
19 hours ago
- Observer
Trump-Putin summit to take place on US military base
WASHINGTON: The summit between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will be held at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, a White House official said on Wednesday. The two leaders will meet on Friday to discuss an end to the more than three-year war in Ukraine, in what will be their first standalone summit since a 2018 meeting in Helsinki. Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson - located near Alaska state capital Anchorage - is made up of the Elmendorf Air Force base and the Army's Fort Richardson, which were combined in 2010. The base is the headquarters for entities including Alaska Command - responsible for US forces in the state - as well as the Alaskan NORAD Region, which helps provide aerospace control and warning. The US military regularly conducts intercepts of Russian aircraft that venture near American airspace in Alaska, contacting Moscow's planes visually or electronically. Russia launched a full-scale war on Ukraine in February 2022, and Trump has spent the first months of his second term in office trying to broker a peace accord, an effort that has so far failed to yield a breakthrough. Meanwhile, Trump said on Wednesday he'd had a 'very good call' with European leaders including Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky as he prepares for Friday's summit with Putin. 'We had a very good call. He was on the call - President Zelensky was on the call. I would rate it at 10, you know, very, very friendly,' he told reporters during an event at Washington's Kennedy Center. Trump added that he wants to hold a 'quick second' meeting with Putin and Zelensky after the Alaska summit. — Agencies
Times of Oman
20 hours ago
- Times of Oman
'No unilateral Ukraine peace deal in Alaska': Zelenskyy, European leaders urge Trump
Berlin: European leaders, concerned about potential concessions to Russia, urged US President Donald Trump not to strike a unilateral Ukraine peace deal with President Vladimir Putin during their upcoming meeting in Alaska, CNN reported. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz convened a virtual summit with Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and several European leaders amid fears that Putin could seek to influence the US president into accepting terms favourable to Russia. After the virtual summit, Zelensky and German Chancellor address reporters in Berlin, Germany, following their meeting with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, as per CNN. Two European diplomats familiar with the virtual meeting confirmed that Trump appeared to say that he would push for an unconditional ceasefire in his meeting with Putin. According to sources, Trump said that he believed that a ceasefire would be a show of goodwill from Russia, and he also noted that the Ukrainian territory is not for him to negotiate. The leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland, NATO, and the European Union had taken part in the virtual meeting with Trump. It was followed by another larger meeting of the "Coalition of the Willing" that US Vice President JD Vance attended, according to CNN. After the meeting, Zelensky said leaders agreed on "five common principles" to lay out the "format of negotiations" to be held in Alaska, including a focus on a ceasefire and "truly reliable" security guarantees. "Everything concerning Ukraine must be discussed exclusively with Ukraine. We must prepare a trilateral format for talks. There must be a ceasefire, that is number one," he said. He added: "There must be security guarantees, truly reliable ones. And today, President Trump spoke of his support for this and of America's readiness to participate." "Russia cannot have a veto over Ukraine's European and NATO prospects," he said. "Peace talks must be combined with appropriate pressure on Russia." Zelensky also emphasised that sanctions against Russia should be strengthened if no ceasefire agreement is reached on Friday.
