【Text by Observer Net, Liu Bai】After U.S. President Trump met separately with the leaders of Ukraine and Russia, he was eager to push for a trilateral meeting. On August 19, the American "Politico" news website cited two informed sources saying that the White House is planning to hold a summit of the leaders of the United States, Ukraine, and Russia in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, to promote an end to the long-standing conflict.

According to AFP, citing informed sources, Russian President Putin mentioned holding a summit in Moscow during his call with Trump on the 18th, but Zelenskyy rejected the proposal.

A U.S. government official and a person close to the government revealed that the U.S. Secret Service has already begun preparations for the summit, and Trump has had close ties with Hungarian Prime Minister Orban since his first presidential term.

However, on the 19th briefing, White House Press Secretary Levitt did not confirm the matter. "I will not confirm or deny the location information."

She said that Putin has agreed to meet with Zelenskyy, and the White House is working with both Ukraine and Russia to facilitate this bilateral meeting.

She added that the bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy may expand into a trilateral meeting including Trump.

The Hungarian Parliament Building in Budapest

Although the Secret Service often examines multiple locations, the final location may change, but two informed sources said that Budapest is becoming the White House's preferred location.

The Russian Embassy in the United States did not immediately respond to the media's request for comment.

French President Macron recommended Geneva, Switzerland as the venue, and the Italian Foreign Minister also supported France's proposal. Putin is reportedly more inclined toward Moscow.

AFP reported on the 19th, citing informed sources, that Putin mentioned this during his call with Trump on the 18th, when Trump was holding talks at the White House with Zelenskyy and other European leaders.

The informed sources said that during the call on the 18th, "Putin mentioned Moscow," but Zelenskyy rejected the idea.

An diplomatic source familiar with the discussions said that European leaders told Trump that Putin's proposal "seemed not a good idea."

The report suggests that choosing Hungary could be an unsettling decision for Ukraine, as it brings back memories of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which failed to prevent the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and as signatories, the U.S. and the UK did not send troops to counter Russian forces.

In December 1994, Ukraine decided to abandon and destroy its nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia for its national security and independence. The four countries eventually reached an agreement and jointly signed the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances.

At present, the U.S.-Ukraine-Russia trilateral summit itself remains full of uncertainties. German Chancellor Merkel, after attending the U.S.-Ukraine summit held at the White House on the 18th, said that subsequent talks between Putin and Zelenskyy might take place within weeks. Subsequently, Trump announced on social media that he would join them to form a trilateral meeting, as the final step of peace negotiations.

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, in an interview program aired on the "Russia 24" television channel on the 19th, stated that one of the causes of the Ukrainian crisis is Russian security issues, which have been repeatedly violated over decades related to the promise of "NATO not expanding eastward." Lavrov said that the president has pointed out several times that after the commitment of "NATO not expanding eastward," the organization carried out five waves of expansion.

He said that any peace agreement regarding the Ukrainian crisis must ensure Russian security. "Without respecting Russian security interests and fully respecting the rights of Russians and Russian-speaking people living in Ukraine, a long-term agreement cannot be discussed."

Lavrov also pointed out that Russia does not reject any working model, whether bilateral or trilateral. It should start from the expert level, go through all necessary stages, and then prepare for high-level meetings.

On August 18, local time, U.S. President Trump met with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy. IC Photo

On the surface, the meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy seemed to "go smoothly," Trump expressed willingness to provide security guarantees for Ukraine, and he and Zelenskyy smiled in the photo, European leaders said this meeting "exceeded expectations," but the specific details of the key security guarantees remain unannounced, and there is great uncertainty.

A defense official and a person familiar with the situation revealed that the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Kelly, will meet with military officials from Germany, the UK, France, Finland, and Italy in Washington on the evening of the 20th to begin discussing security guarantees and how to implement them.

On the same day, the defense ministers of 32 NATO member states will also hold an online meeting.

The report said that these hastily convened meetings highlight the difficult task facing European allies: they must weigh whether to send peacekeeping forces to Ukraine and whether to purchase more U.S.-made weapons to aid Ukraine.

"Some other meetings will also be held in the coming days, but the details are still unclear," said a European diplomat. He added that officials are urgently convening diplomats and military officials from across Europe in a very short time.

"The positive aspect is that the U.S. has confirmed its role in the security guarantee," said a European official who attended the White House meeting. "But it is hard to know how far they are willing to go before all specific methods are determined."

"Trump said it was nothing complicated, but things will only get harder from now on."

This article is an exclusive contribution by Observer Net. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7540576358738723343/

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