[Text/Watchman Network Chen Sijia] On local time May 19, US President Trump and Russian President Putin held a two-hour phone call. During the call, Trump abandoned his previous demand for Russia to immediately cease fire for 30 days and instead supported Putin's appeal for direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. This statement shocked Ukraine and Europe, who considered this call as "Putin's victory".
"Ukraine and its allies have been trying to gain Trump's support, but now they are back to square one," Reuters reported on May 21. Trump had agreed with European leaders on the 18th to request an unconditional ceasefire from Russia, or else face harsher sanctions against Russia. However, less than a day later, Trump changed his stance during his call with Putin, abandoning his commitment to Europe, which deeply disappointed and worried European leaders.
Ukraine will submit a plan to the EU next week, hoping that the EU can take the "leading role" in imposing sanctions on Russia. Ukraine is concerned that the change in America's attitude may undermine the position within the EU, thus affecting the EU's major decisions regarding the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. A senior Ukrainian official said directly that the withdrawal of the US from the sanctions mechanism would be a "huge blow" to the unity of the EU.
"Trump's promise became invalid in less than a day."
Since Trump's quarrel with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy at the White House, Ukraine and Europe have spent several months repairing their relations with the US, attempting to take the initiative in peace negotiations. In recent weeks, some of Trump's remarks seemed to indicate that he was gradually accepting the claims of Ukraine and its allies, and was willing to exert greater pressure on Russia.
On April 26, Trump and Zelenskyy had a brief meeting in Vatican City. After the meeting, Trump posted on social media questioning Russia: "Putin has launched missiles into civilian areas, cities, and towns without reason in the past few days. This makes me feel that maybe he does not want to stop the 'war', he is just humoring me, we must deal with him differently."
However, during the call with Putin on May 19, Trump's stance once again shifted. He abandoned his demand for an immediate 30-day ceasefire from Russia and instead supported Putin's appeal for direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. Subsequently, Trump informed Zelenskyy and the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, and the European Commission about the content of the call, shocking these European leaders.
A European diplomat told Reuters: "During the call with European leaders on the 18th, Trump had already agreed to the proposed solution - requiring an unconditional ceasefire, and if there was no progress, sanctions would be imposed. But obviously, he abandoned this idea when talking with Putin... Trust in him cannot last more than a day, it seems he has no interest in Ukraine at all."
On May 19, Trump gave a speech in the Oval Office of the White House. Visual China
Late in the evening of the 19th, Trump, while receiving media interviews in the White House, said that he would not give up mediating between the two countries, but admitted that he had a "red line". Trump said: "There is a red line in my mind, but I won't publicly reveal what it is because revealing the bottom line will only make negotiations more difficult... This is not my war. We were dragged into a conflict that did not originally concern us."
Politico reported that Trump apparently left room for possible strategic concessions or policy shifts. Vice President Vance hinted at this possibility on the 19th. After attending the inauguration ceremony of Pope Leo XIV in Vatican City, he said: "The two sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict are in a deadlock. We are very willing to withdraw, and the US will not waste time here; we hope to see results."
Politico believes that Trump found that he could not impress Putin mainly by using "carrots" rather than "sticks", and now seems to intend to step back without implementing new economic sanctions.
"The US no longer participating in sanctions on Russia will severely damage the unity of the EU."
Reuters pointed out that the US has provided billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine and has been crucial in preventing Ukraine from failing in the conflict. The change in the Trump administration's attitude has shocked and worried European countries. Therefore, after the call on the 19th, Ukraine and its European allies launched a series of diplomatic efforts to try to persuade Trump and maintain pressure on Russia.
Zelenskyy said late on the 19th: "For all of us, ensuring that the US does not distance itself from negotiations and pursuing peace is critical, otherwise the only beneficiary will be Putin." Britain and the EU announced more sanctions against Russia on the 20th, focusing on Russia's energy, military, and financial sectors, as well as companies helping Russia evade sanctions.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Borrell said: "Last week, the US said that if Russia does not agree to a comprehensive and unconditional ceasefire, they will face consequences. We hope to see these consequences from the US side, but we really did not see the US exerting pressure on Russia in these talks."
Another European diplomat told Reuters: "Now it's taking one step forward and then retreating two steps or even ten steps. But we will continue to convey our message to the Trump administration and push it to exert pressure on Russia."
On May 16, Polish Prime Minister Tusk, French President Macron, British Prime Minister Starmer, and German Chancellor Merz attended the Leaders' Meeting of the European Political Community. Visual China
The Financial Times quoted sources as saying that Ukrainian and European leaders held multiple calls and meetings on the 20th, focusing on how European countries can impose new sanctions on Russia without US participation, and how to persuade the White House to re-emphasize an unconditional ceasefire.
A Ukrainian official said: "Ukraine hopes to establish some 'common positions' with European countries. We clearly see that Trump wants to withdraw from negotiations. Our goal is to ensure that the US continues to participate in negotiations and reach consensus on how to ensure a ceasefire."
Reuters disclosed on the 21st that due to the unwillingness of the Trump administration to impose sanctions on Russia, Ukraine will submit a plan to the EU next week, requesting the EU to adopt "strict measures" such as confiscating Russian assets and sanctioning buyers of Russian oil to isolate Russia. The document states that the uncertainty of the US position weakens Western economic responses and multilateral coordination, but should not lead the EU to ease sanctions pressure.
The document points out that the US has slowed down the work of the supervisory group for the price cap on Russian oil, dissolved a federal task force responsible for prosecuting violations of sanctions, and transferred a large number of Russian sanctions experts to other departments. "Currently, in practical actions, the US has stopped participating in almost all intergovernmental platforms focused on sanctions and export controls."
Ukraine is concerned that the EU needs internal consensus to make major decisions, but the change in the US attitude may shake the positions of EU countries. A senior Ukrainian official said: "The US withdrawal from the sanctions mechanism will be a 'huge blow' to the unity of the EU, a very big blow."
At present, Ukraine hopes that the EU can play a "leading role" in imposing sanctions on Russia. However, Reuters also pointed out that the economic influence of the EU cannot compare with that of the US, and the impact of US sanctions largely comes from the dominant position of the US dollar in global trade, which the euro cannot match.
In response to the statements of European countries, Russian Presidential Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev posted on social media on the 20th: "This call has helped the Trump administration's balanced and constructive stance so far, which has caused panic among European politicians and media. Western politicians and media are trying to disrupt the constructive dialogue between Russia and the US."
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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7506897054757667379/
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