"Double Putin Meeting" Content Accumulation: Does Trump Want to Give Ukraine "Security Assurance"?

On Friday, the "Double Putin Meeting" replaced the European long-cherished "ceasefire" demand with Putin's vague "peace agreement," and overshadowed Trump's threat to "sanction Russia." After a day and night of digestion and accumulation, the main results of this meeting have become clearer.

Last Wednesday, the German Chancellor convened a meeting of European and Ukrainian leaders hoping to persuade Trump to get a "ceasefire" commitment from Putin, as it was he who started the war against Ukraine that has lasted more than three years.

But on Friday, Trump returned to Washington and struck a pen, killing the most important "ceasefire" line among the five red lines of Europe. He wrote on his own social media: Everyone believes the best way to end the war is to directly reach a peace agreement, rather than a simple "ceasefire" agreement, because it is often not achievable.

This was certainly a big victory for Putin, whose army has recently made new advances in eastern Ukraine, so a "ceasefire" is not in Russia's interest. At the same time as the Double Putin Meeting on Friday night, Russia launched 85 drones and a missile at Ukraine. On Saturday, Russia proudly announced that they had captured two locations in eastern Ukraine during the night.

President Trump also told Fox News after meeting with Putin that the ultimatum to Russia that expired on Friday no longer counts. Meanwhile, European leaders announced on Saturday that they will continue to increase economic sanctions against Russia until a fair and lasting peace is achieved.

The current major issue for Ukraine is whether to make territorial concessions to Russia, either legally or factually. In addition to Crimea, which was occupied by Russian forces in 2014, 20% of the areas in four regions in the south and east (Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia) have also been occupied by Russian forces.

Putin and Trump did not explicitly mention Ukraine's "territorial concessions" in their statements to the press, but has the US President already acknowledged this? Is there a "territorial concession" in the few points of agreement between the US and Russia? In any case, the discussion on "territorial concessions" has become the focus of international media attention on Saturday.

Ukraine has requested "security guarantees" from Europeans after the hostilities cease, to prevent Russia from invading Ukraine again in the future. This is something Putin categorically refused, and was not directly mentioned in Trump's four-minute speech after the meeting on Friday. However, it is reported that on the plane back to Washington, Trump spoke with Zelenskyy and several European leaders about giving Ukraine "security guarantees." This is probably one of the few favorable points for Ukraine, and needs further discussion and clarification with Trump by Zelenskyy on Monday, because any promises Trump makes should be questioned.

German Chancellor Merkel expressed optimism on Saturday that the US is ready to be part of Ukraine's "security guarantee." He said, "The good news is that the US is ready to participate in such security guarantees for Ukraine, rather than leaving Europe to do it alone." He believed, "If successful, this will be more valuable than a ceasefire."

Merkel also suggested that the US-Russia-Ukraine trilateral summit proposal put forward by President Trump could be held in Europe, with the goal of reaching a peace agreement.

At the same time, the leaders of eight countries in the Nordic-Baltic region issued a joint statement on Saturday. The leaders of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden stated that for peace between Russia and Ukraine, a ceasefire and security guarantees for Ukraine are needed.

The statement reads: We welcome the statement by President Trump regarding the US's readiness to participate in security guarantees. The cooperation of the Ukrainian armed forces with other countries should not be restricted in any way.

Source: rfi

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1840650267421696/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.