Russia's Lavrov holds talks with Ankara, Budapest on outcomes of Alaska summit
Turkey has consistently sought to maintain open diplomatic channels with both Russia and Ukraine during the war. As a NATO member and a partner to both sides, Ankara has positioned itself as a potential mediator, hosting and facilitating various dialogues aimed at easing tensions."The discussions focused on ways to preserve dialogue and continue communication channels between the sides," Turkish sources said as quoted by news agency Reuters.HUNGARY MAINTAINS CLOSE TIES WITH MOSCOWLavrov also spoke with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, discussing "issues related to the Ukrainian crisis in the context of the outcomes of the Russia-US summit," the Russian foreign ministry said.Hungary has maintained relatively close ties with Moscow throughout the war, frequently opposing European Union sanctions and continuing energy cooperation.Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban commented on Saturday following the Alaska meeting, saying, "The world is a safer place than it was yesterday."However, other European leaders issued a joint statement emphasising that "it will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory."The Alaska summit marked another high-stakes diplomatic attempt to address the war, yet no immediate breakthrough was reached.- EndsWith inputs from ReutersTune InMust Watch
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Hindustan Times
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- Hindustan Times
Five dangerous fault lines divide Trump and Zelensky
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But five critical issues for any peace deal are likely to be discussed: sequencing, territory, security guarantees, sanctions and recognition. In each case, America will struggle to bridge the demands of Mr Putin with those of Ukraine and Europe. Map Start with sequencing, where Mr Trump has already all but folded to Mr Putin, dropping his demand that Russia should agree to a ceasefire ahead of formal peace talks. The Kremlin is keen to negotiate while the fighting still rages. On Sunday Mr Zelensky insisted that Ukraine would not begin talks with Russia 'under the pressure of weapons'. But that position—already undercut by Mr Trump's cosy bilateral meeting with Mr Putin—can probably not withstand for long American pressure to force Ukraine to the table. If the discussion moves straight to 'final' peace talks, the second issue is terrain, or what Steve Witkoff, Mr Trump's envoy, calls 'land swaps'. Russia controls all of Crimea, which it seized and annexed in 2014. Mr Trump says that the peninsula will remain in Russian hands. But Russia also claims and has formally annexed four provinces in southern and eastern Ukraine which its troops do not entirely control (see map). One proposal, which Mr Witkoff hinted at on Sunday, is reportedly for Ukraine to cede Donetsk and Luhansk entirely to Russia, including the areas that it does not presently control—and which British defence intelligence suggests could require four-plus years and more than 1.9m casualties to take on present trends. In exchange Russia would freeze the front lines in Kherson and Zaporizhia. It would also withdraw from the pockets of territory that it controls in Sumy and Kharkhiv, two northern provinces. Much of this would be anathema to Ukraine. 'Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier,' Mr Zelensky has said. The terrain in question in Donetsk and to an extent in Luhansk, is especially important because it is heavily fortified by Ukraine's army. 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India Today
12 minutes ago
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Trump interrupts talks with European leaders to call Putin: Report
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Hindustan Times
12 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Well-mannered White House welcome for Ukraine leaves many questions
By Trevor Hunnicutt and Gram Slattery Well-mannered White House welcome for Ukraine leaves many questions WASHINGTON, - U.S. President Donald Trump gathered European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for a hastily arranged White House meeting on Monday to discuss a path to ending Russia's war in Ukraine. Here are takeaways from the talks: WARM TONE, LITTLE SUBSTANCE Seven European leaders, the Ukrainian president, their motorcades, dozens of Trump administration staff and more than 100 journalists swarmed the White House campus on Monday in anticipation of the unusual meeting. Would Trump and Zelenskiy agree on a path to peace? Or would their latest Oval Office session devolve into a bitter squabble as in February? Neither scenario occurred. Zelenskiy, chided for his appearance and manner in February, adjusted both. Wearing more formal clothing and repeatedly expressing his gratitude to Trump, he was greeted by a far more complimentary U.S. president than in the past. But, despite Trump's vow to assist in Ukraine's security after a hypothetical peace deal, there was no immediate sign that any party had substantially changed position on land swaps, security guarantees or sanctions. Instead, Trump ended with promises to host a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to address the many remaining issues. HEING PRAISE "Have you said 'thank you' once?" U.S. Vice President JD Vance asked Zelenskiy in February, accusing him of failing to show sufficient gratitude for U.S. support. On Monday, Zelenskiy made sure that was not an issue. His opening remarks in the Oval Office included eight thank-yous, mostly for Trump. "Thank you so much, Mr. President ... thank you for your attention. Thank you very much for your efforts, personal efforts to stop killings and stop this war. Thank you," Zelenskiy said. He included the U.S. first lady, who sent a letter to Putin about abducted children in Ukraine. "Using this opportunity, my thanks to your wife," the Ukrainian president said. "And thanks to all our partners and that you supported this format. And after our meeting, we're going to have leaders who are around us, the UK and France, Germany... all partners around Ukraine supporting us. Thanks them. Thank you very much for your invitation." Unlike in February, Vance this time sat largely silent. COMBAT FORMAL The stakes of the meeting could not have been higher. But one of the most-asked questions among diplomats in D.C. could not have been more frivolous: Would the Ukrainian president wear a suit? The answer: kind of. Zelenskiy showed up to the White House in what one European diplomat described as "almost a suit." His black jacket had tiny lapels and jetted chest pockets. He did not wear a tie. 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But he largely jettisoned that goal after meeting with Putin last week in Alaska, a shift that was widely seen as a diplomatic defeat for Ukraine. The U.S. president now says he is fine trying to move directly to a peace deal. "To be honest, we all would like to see a ceasefire," Merz said. "I can't imagine that the next meeting would take place without a ceasefire, so let's work on that." Trump pushed back, arguing he has solved many conflicts without first reaching a ceasefire. WHOSE BOOTS ON THE GROUND? One of the great mysteries that hung over the summit was what support the U.S. would give to secure any Russia-Ukraine deal long term. Trump hasn't offered U.S. troops' "boots on the ground" to guarantee Ukraine's security from Russia, reflecting American reticence to commit to military entanglements or a head-to-head confrontation with a nuclear power. Instead, he has offered weapons sales and promised that Americans will do business in Ukraine, assurances that Ukrainians see as far less than a security guarantee. Europeans are preparing for a peacekeeping mission backed by their forces. Yet, asked explicitly whether U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine could include U.S. troops in the country, Trump did not rule it out. Instead, he teased an announcement as soon as Monday on the topic. "We'll let you know that, maybe, later today," Trump said. He said Europe was the "first line of defense" but that "we'll be involved." WHAT'S NEXT Trump said he would call Putin and set up a trilateral meeting with Ukraine at a time and place to be determined. Despite some private misgivings, the assembled leaders agreed that such a meeting was a logical next step. Still, the path forward is more complex than Trump and his allies are letting on. For one, Russia has delayed and obstructed high-level meetings with Ukraine in the past, and it was not immediately clear that Putin would actually sit down with Zelenskiy, who he frequently describes as an illegitimate leader. Additionally, it is unclear how much a principal-level meeting would actually advance the cause of peace. The gulf between the Russian and Ukrainian positions is vast. The Kremlin said on Monday the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine is a non-starter, a stance that would be hard for Ukraine to swallow. Russia is also calling for Ukraine to fork over significant chunks of territory that Kyiv controls, another proposal that Ukraine's leaders are not entertaining. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
