European leaders rally behind Ukraine ahead of Trump-Putin meeting
Trump said next Friday's meeting with his Russian counterpart on U.S. soil would focus on ending the war, now in its fourth year.
In response, Zelenskyy thanked European allies in a post on X, writing Sunday: 'The end of the war must be fair, and I am grateful to everyone who stands with Ukraine and our people.'
Trump-Putin meeting spikes worries
Saturday's statement by top European leaders came after the White House confirmed the U.S president was willing to grant Putin the one-on-one meeting Russia has long pushed for, and suggestions from Trump that a peace deal could include 'some swapping of territories.'
Story continues below advertisement
That raised fears that Kyiv may be pressured into giving up land or accepting other curbs on its sovereignty.
A White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they aren't allowed to speak publicly, told The Associated Press that Trump remained open to a trilateral summit with both the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, but for now, he will have a bilateral meeting requested by Putin.
Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President JD Vance met Saturday with top European and Ukrainian officials at the British Foreign Secretary's weekend residence to discuss how to end the war.
Trump previously said he would meet with Putin regardless of whether the Russian leader agreed to meet with Zelenskyy.
The Trump-Putin meeting may prove pivotal in a war that began when Russia invaded its western neighbor and has led to tens of thousands of deaths, although there's no guarantee it will stop the fighting since Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart on their conditions for peace.
European leaders call for a 'just and lasting peace'
Saturday's statement, signed by the president of the European Union and leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and the UK, stressed the need for a 'just and lasting peace' for Kyiv, including 'robust and credible' security guarantees.
'Ukraine has the freedom of choice over its own destiny. Meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or reduction of hostilities,' the statement said.
Story continues below advertisement
'The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine. We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force,' the Europeans added.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
A fruitless push toward a truce
A month-long U.S.-led push to achieve a truce in Ukraine has so far proved fruitless, with Kyiv agreeing in principle while the Kremlin has held out for terms more to its liking.
Trump also moved up an ultimatum to impose additional sanctions on Russia and introduce secondary tariffs targeting countries that buy Russian oil if the Kremlin did not move toward a settlement.
The deadline was Friday. The White House did not answer questions Saturday about possible sanctions.
The Kremlin earlier this week reiterated demands that Ukraine give up territory, abandon its bid to join NATO, and accept limits on its military, in exchange for a withdrawal of Russian troops from the rest of the country.
2:38
Zelenskyy rejects negotiations that exclude Kyiv as Trump-Putin meeting set for Alaska
Particularly galling for Kyiv is Moscow's insistence that it cede pockets of eastern and southern Ukraine the Kremlin claims to have annexed, despite lacking full military control.
Story continues below advertisement
Mark Galeotti, a British expert in Russian politics who heads the Mayak Intelligence consultancy, says Moscow's tactic of encircling towns in eastern Ukraine has brought a string of territorial gains for Russia, and Putin 'does not appear to feel under pressure.'
For the Kremlin, 'further delaying any more serious U.S. action and the optics of a meeting with the U.S. president will already be wins,' Galeotti argued in an analysis published Sunday by the UK's Sunday Times newspaper.
Zelenskyy rules out giving up territory
Zelenskyy said Saturday that Ukraine 'will not give Russia any awards for what it has done' and that 'Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier.'
Ukrainian officials previously told the AP privately that Kyiv would be amenable to a peace deal that would de facto recognize Ukraine's inability to regain lost territories militarily.
But Zelenskyy on Saturday insisted that formally ceding land was out of the question.
Galeotti argued that any deal that involves Ukraine abandoning territory would be 'agonising' and politically dangerous for Zelenskyy.
Andriy Yermak, a top aide to Zelenskyy, noted on Sunday that Kyiv will strive to boost its position ahead of the planned Trump-Putin meeting.
'Ahead lies an important week of diplomacy,' he said.
Story continues below advertisement
2:09
Zelenskyy rejects territorial concessions as Trump and Putin plan Alaska summit
Pushing for sanctions
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday that European leaders are 'intensively preparing' ahead of the Alaska summit, while they 'hope and expect' that Zelenskyy will be invited.
Merz told Germany's public broadcaster ARD that he has for weeks been encouraging Washington to toughen sanctions against Russia, adding that 'Putin only acts under pressure.'
Mikhail Kasyanov, Putin's first prime minister and later a political opponent, similarly told the BBC Sunday that the Kremlin would be more willing to negotiate seriously and make some concessions when sanctions have further strained Russia's economy.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Sunday praised Washington for taking steps such as allowing more military equipment to flow to Ukraine and imposing secondary sanctions on India for purchasing Russian oil, saying Trump 'clearly is putting pressure on Putin.'
Story continues below advertisement
'Next Friday will be important because it will be about testing Putin — how serious he is — on bringing this terrible war to an end,' Rutte said in an interview with ABC's This Week.
0:42
Ford calls Trump 'probably the most disliked politician in the world in Canada'
— Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price in Washington, D.C., Danica Kirka in London, and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this report.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
13 minutes ago
Carney and Zelenskyy speak ahead of Trump-Putin summit in Alaska
Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke by phone Monday, reaffirming their agreement that Ukraine must be a party to any discussions about a possible end to the war in that country. Speaking in advance of the Friday meeting in Alaska between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Carney and Zelenskyy welcomed Trump's leadership in working toward a lasting peace for Ukraine. The two leaders underscored that decisions on the future of Ukraine must be made by Ukrainians [and] international borders cannot be changed by force, said a statement detailing the discussion that was released by the Prime Minister's Office. The statement also said Ukraine's allies must continue to keep pressure on Russia to end its aggression and that any peace deal must include a robust and credible security guarantee. Trump announced in a social media post on Friday that he would be meeting with Putin in Alaska on Aug. 15. Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, now holds nearly a fifth of the country. In addition to Crimea, which it seized in 2014, Russia has formally claimed the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as its own, although it controls only about 70 per cent of the last three. Russia also holds smaller pieces of territory in three other regions, while Ukraine says it holds a sliver of Russia's Kursk region. Zelenskyy could attend second meeting, says Trump I am grateful for Canada's support for Ukraine and our people, Zelenskyy said in a social media post after speaking with Carney. We agreed that no decisions concerning Ukraine's future and the security of our people can be made without Ukraine's participation. Zelenskyy expressed skepticism that Putin genuinely intends to end his invasion of Ukraine, saying it's obvious the Russians simply want to buy time. The Ukrainian president said that until his country is invited to the negotiating table and Kyiv is given security guarantees, sanctions against Russia must remain in force and be constantly strengthened. Trump told a White House news conference Monday that his Friday meeting with Putin will be a feel-out meeting to gauge whether the Russian president is really willing to make a deal. So I'm going in to speak to Vladimir Putin, and I'm going to be telling him; 'you've got to end this war. You've got to end it,' Trump told reporters. Trump also said a future meeting between himself and Putin could include Zelenskyy. He said he would speak to European leaders soon after his talks with Putin and that his goal was a speedy ceasefire in the bloody conflict. Peter Zimonjic (new window) · CBC News · Senior writer Peter Zimonjic is a senior writer for CBC News who reports for digital, radio and television. He has worked as a reporter and columnist in London, England, for the Telegraph, Times and Daily Mail, and in Canada for the Ottawa Citizen, Torstar and Sun Media. He is the author of Into The Darkness: An Account of 7/7, published by Vintage. With files from Reuters
Winnipeg Free Press
13 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
FACT FOCUS: Trump exaggerates, misstates facts on Washington crime
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Monday that his administration will take over policing the nation's capital city in what the Republican said is an effort to bring down rising crime rates in Washington, D.C. But Trump exaggerated or misstated many of the facts surrounding public safety in Washington, where the crime rate has fallen in recent years, while leaving out much of the context. Here's a closer look at the facts: Statistics rebut Trump's claims about violence crime in Washington TRUMP: 'It's getting worse, not getting better. It's getting worse.' THE FACTS: Statistics published by Washington's Metropolitan Police contradict the president and show violent crime has dropped in Washington since a post-Pandemic peak in 2023. According to the data, homicides, robberies and burglaries are down this year when compared with this time in 2024. Overall, violent crime is down 26% compared with this time a year ago. A recent Department of Justice report shows that violent crime is down 35% since 2023, returning to the previous trend of decreasing crime that puts the district's violent crime rate at its lowest in 30 years. That report shows that when compared to 2023 numbers, homicides are down 32%, armed carjackings are down 53% and assaults with a dangerous weapon are down 27%. The city's statistics have come into question, however, after authorities opened an investigation into allegations that officials altered some of the data to make it look better. But Mayor Muriel Bowser stands by the data and said Trump's portrait of lawlessness is inaccurate. 'We are not experiencing a spike in crime,' Bowser said on MSNBC Sunday. 'In fact, we're watching our crime numbers go down.' Murders in 2023 in Washington were high, but not the highest ever TRUMP: 'Murders in 2023 reached the highest rate, probably ever. They say 25 years, but they don't know what that means because it just goes back 25 years.' THE FACTS: In 2023, the District of Columbia recorded 274 murders in a city of about 700,000, its highest number in 20 years. But the city's own crime statistics from the 1970s, 80s and 90s, when the population was smaller, show much higher numbers of homicides. In 1990, for instance, the city reported 498 homicides. The next year saw 509, and 460 in 1992. Decades of statistics on crime in the city is available online. Washington murder rate compared to international capitals TRUMP: 'The murder rate in Washington today is higher than that of Bogota, Colombia, Mexico City. Some of the places that you hear about as being the worst places on Earth, much higher. This is much higher.' THE FACTS: It's true, but Trump isn't telling the whole story. Washington does have a higher homicide rate than many other global cities, including some that have historically been considered unsafe by many Americans. But Trump is leaving out important context: the U.S. in general sees higher violent crime rates than many other countries. While Washington is one of America's most dangerous big cities, others have higher crime rates. Trump blames cashless bail for crime without evidence TRUMP : 'This dire public safety crisis stems from a public safety crisis that is directly from the abject failures of the city's local leadership. The radical left City Council adopted no cash bail. By the way, every place in the country where you have no cash bail is a disaster.' THE FACTS: Data has not determined the impact of cashless bail on crime rates. Studies, many of which focus on recidivism of defendants rather than crime rates, have shown mixed results. A 2024 report published by the Brennan Center for Justice saw 'no statistically significant relationship' between bail reform and crime rates. The nonprofit looked at crime rate data from 2015 through 2021 for 33 cities across the U.S., 22 of which had instituted some type of bail reform. Researchers used a statistical method to determine if crime rates had diverged in those with reforms and those without. Ames Grawert, the report's co-author and senior counsel in the Brennan Center's Justice Program, said this conclusion 'holds true for trends in crime overall or specifically violent crime.' Similarly, a 2023 paper published in the American Economic Journal found no evidence that cash bail helps ensure defendants will show up in court or prevents crime among those who are released while awaiting trial. 'I don't know of any valid studies corroborating the President's claim and would love to know what the Administration offers in support,' Kellen Funk, a professor at Columbia Law School who studies pretrial procedure and bail bonding, told The Associated Press in a July 25 fact check. 'In my professional judgment I'd call the claim demonstrably false and inflammatory.' The Trump administration has cited a 2022 report from the district attorney's office in Yolo County, California, that looked at how a temporary cashless bail system implemented across the state to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks in courts and jails impacted recidivism. It found that out of 595 individuals released between April 2020 and May 2021 under this system, 70.6% were arrested again after they were released. Funk, contacted Monday, noted that Washington D.C. reformed its cash bail system in the 1990s. 'What the President is declaring to be an 'emergency' is a system that has functioned much better than cash-based bail systems for nearly thirty years now, including during the recent historic lows in reported crime in the District,' he said, adding that 'the D.C. bail system has served as a model for bipartisan bail reform efforts in New Jersey and New Mexico over the past decade.' ___ Associated Press writer Melissa Goldin in New York contributed reporting. ___ Find AP Fact Checks here:
Winnipeg Free Press
13 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Trump's tax law will mostly benefit the rich, while leaving poorer Americans with less, CBO says
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump'stax and spending law will result in less income for the poorest Americans while sending money to the richest, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office reported Monday. The CBO estimates that the 10% of poorest Americans will lose roughly $1,200 a year as they experience restrictions on government programs like Medicaid and food assistance, while the richest 10% of Americans will see their income increase by $13,600 from tax cuts. Overall, American households will see more income from the tax cuts in the legislation, including middle income households, but the largest benefit will go to the top 10% of earners. The CBO's report comes as lawmakers are away from Washington, many taking their messages about the bill to voters. Republicans muscled the legislation — deemed 'the big, beautiful bill' by Trump — through Congress in July. Democrats all vehemently opposed the legislation, warning that its tax cuts and spending priorities would come at the expense of vital government aid programs and a ballooning national debt. 'This really is a big, beautiful bill for billionaires, but for the poor and the working class in this country, you are actually poorer,' said Rep. Brendan Boyle, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, in an MSNBC interview on Monday. Changes to eligibility for government food assistance under the law will impact millions of Americans, the CBO found. Roughly 2.4 million people won't be eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program under new work requirements for many recipients. Low-income Americans could also see their income reduced through further restrictions on food aid and other types of assistance included in the law. Already, more than 10 million Americans are expected to be without health insurance by 2034 due to changes to Medicaid under the law. Republicans were eager to sell the upsides of the legislation — arguing that the tax cuts will spur economic growth — while they are on a monthlong summer break from Washington. But those who have held townhalls in their home districts have often been greeted by an earful from voters and activists. 'Tax the rich,' the crowd in Lincoln, Neb. chanted last week as Republican Rep. Michael Flood attempted to defend the bill. Still, Trump has been undeterred. 'President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill is putting America First like never before, delivering huge savings for hardworking families, boosting our economy, and securing our borders,' said White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson in a statement last week.
