Latest news with #UkraineIndependence
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Why Zelensky cannot do what Trump asks
It has been rightly said that what President Trump wants President Zelensky to do would be very bad for Ukraine. Less has been said about how Zelensky could not do the sort of thing Trump put to him on Monday in Washington, even if he wanted to. An independent modern Ukraine was formed in the 1990s by the break-up of the Soviet Union. The framers of its constitution therefore had the threat of Russia always in mind. They had not thrown off the Soviet yoke only to have it reimposed by a successor regime in Moscow. Thus Article 2 of the constitution begins 'The sovereignty of Ukraine shall extend throughout its entire territory.' In most countries, such a fact could reasonably be assumed; but, in the case of Ukraine, it needed explicit reference because of possible Russian claims, even though Russia had agreed to Ukrainian independence at the time. Sure enough, in 2014, Russia violated Ukrainian sovereignty by invading and annexing Crimea. Anonymous Russian and Russian-backed forces also began fighting in eastern Ukraine. In response, Ukraine deposed Russian-backed politicians, but the Western powers were too feeble to forestall Putin's advance on the ground. On February 21, 2022, Vladimir Putin recognised the existence of the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic in Eastern Ukraine as independent states. These puppets were, of course, entirely his own invention. Three days later, his army invaded the main territory of Ukraine and headed, with spectacular incompetence, for Kyiv, retreating well before the tanks could reach the city gates. In 2023, I visited a Ukrainian army camp in Kramatorsk which, in Putin's theory, is part of the Donetsk People's Republic. Its flag lay pinned on the floor; I was invited to stamp on it.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Sergei Lavrov appears to troll Kyiv and the West by wearing Soviet CCCP top as he arrives for Putin-Trump meeting in Alaska - prompting fury from Ukrainians
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov appeared to troll Kyiv and the West by wearing a Soviet CCCP top as he arrived for the Putin-Trump meeting in Alaska, sparking fury from Ukrainians. The shirt, purportedly emblazoned with the letters, has been seen as an inflammatory and offensive gesture towards Ukraine because CCCP is a Russian abbreviation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Until Ukraine declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the country endured hardship under Russian rule for 69 years, from the pogroms and political repression of the Lenin era to the Holodomor genocide of the 1930s and the covered-up Chernobyl disaster of 1986 which predated the collapse of the USSR. Lavrov, 75, was one of several politicians from the Moscow delegation to arrive at the highly anticipated meeting between the U.S. and Russian leaders. A video shows him exiting a car outside the summit - seemingly wearing the provocative shirt beneath a gilet - as a reporter hounds him with questions. When asked what his predications for the meeting, Lavrov refused to speculate, saying: 'We never try to anticipate the outcome or make any guesses. What we do know, however, is that we have arguments we can contribute to the discussion and that our position is clear. We will present it.' Other members of the delegation on the Russian side include foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, defence minister Andrei Belousov, and Russian Direct Investment Fund chief Kirill Dmitriev - a key figure in negotiations with the White House. Russian President Vladimir Putin is travelling to the Pacific Coast in an armoured limo ahead of his highly anticipated summit with Donald Trump in Alaska, with a massive convoy sweeping through sealed-off roads. Footage shows a long line of black vehicles speeding along a road in Magadan, flanked by flashing police cars and trailed by what appears to be an ambulance. The tight security comes as Putin prepares to sit down with Trump on Friday for their first face-to-face meeting since 2018. The talks will begin at 11am Alaska time (19:00 BST) and is set against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine, with a focus on finding a path toward a ceasefire. Lavrov, 75, was one of several politicians from the Russian delegation to arrive at the highly anticipated meeting between the U.S. and Russian leaders. Trump extended the invitation at the Russian leader's suggestion, but the US president has since been defensive and warned that the meeting could be over within minutes if Putin does not compromise. Every word and gesture will be closely watched by European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was not included and has publicly refused pressure from Trump to surrender territory seized by Russia. Trump, usually fond of boasting of his deal-making skills, has called the summit a 'feel-out meeting' to test Putin, whom he last saw in 2019. 'I am president, and he's not going to mess around with me,' Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday. 'If it's a bad meeting, it'll end very quickly, and if it's a good meeting, we're going to end up getting peace in the pretty near future,' said Trump, who gave the summit a one in four chance of failure. Trump has promised to consult with European leaders and Zelensky, saying that any final agreement would come in a three-way meeting with Trump and the Ukrainian president to 'divvy up' territory. Trump has voiced admiration for Putin in the past and faced some of the most intense criticism of his political career after a 2018 summit in which he appeared cowed and accepted Putin's denials of US intelligence findings that Russia interfered in the 2016 US election. Before his return to the White House, Trump boasted of his relationship with Putin, blamed predecessor Joe Biden for the war and vowed to bring peace within 24 hours. But despite repeated calls to Putin, and a stunning February 28 White House meeting in which Trump publicly berated Zelensky, the Russian leader has shown no signs of compromise. Trump has acknowledged his frustration with Putin and warned of 'very severe consequences' if he does not accept a ceasefire - but also agreed to see him in Alaska. The talks are set to begin at 11:30 am (1900 GMT) Friday at the Elmendorf Air Force Base, the largest US military installation in Alaska and a Cold War base for surveillance of the Soviet Union. Adding to the historical significance, the United States bought Alaska in 1867 from Russia - a deal Moscow has cited to show the legitimacy of land swaps. The Kremlin said it expected Putin and Trump to meet alone with interpreters before a working lunch with aides. Neither leader is expected to step off the base into Alaska's largest city of Anchorage, where protesters have put up signs of solidarity with Ukraine. Putin faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court, leading him to curtail travel sharply since the war. But the United States is not party to the Hague tribunal, and Trump's Treasury Department temporarily eased sanctions on top Russian officials to allow them to travel and use bank cards in Alaska. The summit comes amid escalating military activity in eastern Ukraine, particularly in the Donetsk region, where Russian forces have launched a rapid offensive. Zelensky has firmly rejected any agreement that involves giving up more territory, citing constitutional and security concerns. President Trump has indicated that any potential peace deal may involve territorial adjustments, suggesting 'some swapping' of territories. However, Ukrainian officials have expressed concerns that such proposals could undermine Ukraine's sovereignty. The summit is seen as a critical moment in the ongoing conflict, with the potential to either pave the way for a ceasefire or deepen divisions. Trump has hinted that a peace deal could involve 'some swapping of territories to the betterment of both', though details remain vague and controversial. Last Friday, he said: 'We are looking to actually get some back and some swapping. It is complicated, actually nothing easy. We are going to get some back, some switched.' Meanwhile, Russia is believed to present sweeping demands - Ukraine's withdrawal from regions like Donbas and Crimea, neutrality, and a rejection of NATO, conditions that Ukraine and its allies have long rejected. However, many analysts warn that without coordinated Western pressure and Ukraine's central role, the outcome remains uncertain. They also fear the talks could produce a victory for Putin without any guarantees of lasting peace. It comes as Putin is gearing up to test its nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed cruise missile after the US president warned him of 'severe consequences' if the war continues. Experts say recent satellite images show intense preparations at the Pankovo test site on Novaya Zemlya, a remote archipelago in the Barents Sea. The pictures, taken in recent weeks by commercial satellite firm Planet Labs, reveal a surge in personnel, equipment, ships and aircraft linked to earlier tests of the 9M730 Burevestnik, known to NATO as the SSC-X-9 Skyfall.
