Trump, Zelensky and Putin: White House meeting aims for peace talks and security guarantees for Ukraine
While the mooted meetings between Putin and Zelensky could be beneficial, it seems clear they will not take place in the context of a ceasefire. That surely makes their success more difficult. But we know Putin doesn't want a ceasefire, and Trump indicated today (as he did in Alaska) that he is unwilling to pressure the Russian leader into it.
Some European leaders, including Merz and Macron, were uneasy about the lack of action on a ceasefire. Credit: Getty Images
Some European leaders were uneasy about the lack of action on a ceasefire. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pushed the point, saying it was essential that the next meeting, whatever that may be, yielded a truce. French President Emmanuel Macron called it a necessity.
Michael McFaul, a former US ambassador to Russia, said on X: 'A temporary ceasefire, even if just a commitment not to attack civilian targets using rockets and drones, would create a better atmosphere for direct talks between Zelensky and Putin.'
Moscow welcomed the absence of any hardcore push toward a ceasefire. 'An important day of diplomacy today with the focus on Lasting Peace not a Temporary Ceasefire,' Putin envoy Kirill A. Dmitriev, also said on X.
But overall, if you were Putin, fresh off the red carpet in Anchorage, you would probably look at today's meeting in Washington with some concern. The images of Trump hosting an array of European leaders, all singing from roughly the same song sheet, would worry the Kremlin, as would the revelation Zelensky has learnt to flatter Trump. The fresh focus on security guarantees, possibly with the US, speaks to a unity of purpose. And the Europeans can offer Trump something Putin cannot: $US100 billion in arms sales.
As a much-maligned NSW Labor campaign slogan once went: there's more work to do, but we're heading in the right direction.
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