Putin said the US is making positive and sincere efforts before the summit, indicating the possibility of reaching a nuclear weapons control agreement with the US

President of Russia Putin stated on Thursday at a preparatory meeting held at the Kremlin for the Russia-US Alaska summit that the US government is making quite positive and sincere efforts to end the war in Ukraine. He also raised the possibility of reaching a nuclear weapons control agreement with the US before the summit with President Trump. Meanwhile, Europe urged Trump to take a firm stance at the summit.

While preparing for his meeting with Trump on Friday in Anchorage, Alaska, Putin met with senior Russian government officials and security officials. This meeting could determine the final outcome of the largest war in Europe since World War II. Previously, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and his European allies have intensified their efforts to prevent Trump and Putin from reaching any agreement that would cede Ukrainian territory, making it vulnerable to further Russian aggression in the future.

On Thursday, Putin addressed the participants on television, saying: "Today I have invited you to gather together to... introduce us to the current stage of the current US government. It is well known that I believe the US government is making quite positive and sincere efforts to stop hostilities, end the crisis, and reach an agreement that benefits all parties involved in the conflict."

Putin continued, "This is to create conditions for long-term peace between our two countries, as well as for Europe and the entire world." He informed the participants about the progress of the negotiations on the Ukraine crisis and the progress of bilateral talks with the Ukrainian delegation. Putin said, "Of course, many people present are roughly aware of some of the details, but I will tell you more specifically."

Putin said that this was to "create conditions for long-term peace between our two countries, as well as for Europe and the entire world—if we reach an agreement on the control of strategic offensive weapons in the next phase, it will be the same for the entire world."

Putin's remarks indicate that when he meets with Trump on Friday for the first Russia-US summit since June 2021, Russia will raise the issue of nuclear weapons control as part of a broader security discussion.

An anonymous senior Eastern European official told Reuters that Putin would try to shift Trump's focus away from the Ukraine issue during the talks and offer possible progress in nuclear weapons control or commercial matters.

The official continued, "We hope Trump will not be deceived by the Russians; he understands all these dangerous things." The source added, "Russia's only strategic goal is to not accept new sanctions and to lift sanctions previously imposed by the US and other countries. Russia does not have other major goals now. They believe they will find a way to occupy all of Ukraine in some way."

The European allies of Ukraine pointed out that Trump is willing to support providing security guarantees for Ukraine. This potentially significant but still unclear proposal might bring some hope to Kyiv. According to multiple leaders, Trump expressed willingness to provide security guarantees for Ukraine during a video conference with European leaders and Zelenskyy on Wednesday, but with certain conditions. He did not publicly mention it afterward.

Zelenskyy said on Thursday after meeting with UK Prime Minister Starmer in London: "Yesterday, we discussed expectations for the Alaska meeting and possible prospects, as well as detailed discussions on security guarantees, which can truly achieve lasting peace if the US successfully urges Russia to stop killing and engage in genuine, substantive diplomacy."

Source: rfi

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1840473381707784/

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