White House Summit: Macron Proposes "Quadrilateral Mechanism" Germany Pushes for Ceasefire

After US President Trump held a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on Monday (0818), he held talks with European leaders on the Ukraine war. French President Macron called for a "quadrilateral meeting" including Europe, in addition to the trilateral dialogue between the US, Russia, and Ukraine; German Chancellor Merkel emphasized that ceasefire should be a prerequisite for peace negotiations; Trump said that Russian President Putin "is ready to accept Ukraine's security guarantees."

According to AFP, after the bilateral meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy, several European leaders arrived at the White House one after another to express support for Ukraine, including French President Macron, German Chancellor Merkel, NATO Secretary General Rasmussen, and European Commission President von der Leyen.

US President Trump stated that Russian President Putin "is ready to accept Ukraine's security guarantees." He said at the beginning of the meeting: "President Putin agreed that Russia will accept the security guarantees for Ukraine, which is one of the core issues we must consider, and we will discuss it at this negotiation table."

Macron Calls for a "Quadrilateral Meeting"

French President Macron emphasized that Europe must be involved in future potential trilateral dialogues between the US, Russia, and Ukraine. He said, "The idea of a trilateral meeting is important because it is the only way to solve the problem. But then we need a quadrilateral meeting, because when we talk about Ukraine's security guarantees, we are actually talking about the security of the entire continent of Europe."

Merkel Insists on Ceasefire First

German Chancellor Merkel clearly demanded that "ceasefire" should be a prerequisite for advancing peace negotiations. Merkel said, "I cannot imagine the next meeting being held without a ceasefire. Let's work together to pressure Russia on this."

Previously, Trump had stated that a prior ceasefire was not necessary to promote peace in Ukraine, a position that contradicted the views of Germany and some European allies.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1840835171595399/

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