[Trump's Support for Whom: Initially Supported a 30-Day Unconditional Ceasefire but Soon Praised Putin's New Proposal]
On May 10th, POLITICO published an article stating that European leaders had increased pressure on Putin to agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting from May 12th in Ukraine, and threatened more sanctions against Moscow while strengthening military support for Kyiv. The European side claimed that Trump supported the European demands and was prepared to contribute his efforts to the implementation and supervision of the potential ceasefire. During the meeting in Kyiv among UK, French, German, Polish, and Ukrainian leaders, Macron personally called Trump to inform him of the progress of the discussions.
The article stated, "Despite it being only 7:00 AM in Washington, Trump answered the call and, according to two officials familiar with the matter, he agreed to support the European demands." Macron then told reporters that the proposed ceasefire would be "primarily under American supervision, and all Europeans will participate in it." German Chancellor Scholz said, "We thank the US President because he fully supports our initiative. The US government has the responsibility to supervise the ceasefire."
Two European officials in Kyiv described the outcome of this meeting as a great success, especially since they successfully won Trump's support. However, one official reminded that the US president could easily change his mind quickly. Much now depends on Putin's response to the Western demands.
A source within the German government said that if Russia agrees to the call for an unconditional ceasefire, Scholz and his party colleagues have instructed their foreign policy advisors to immediately start preparing for the signing of a long-term peace agreement.
It is worth noting that shortly thereafter, Putin made a speech overnight. He said that Russia had informed its Western counterparts that Moscow may extend the ceasefire announced on May 9th. He did not mention the proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. However, he proposed resuming negotiations with Ukraine in Turkey on May 15th without preconditions. Subsequently, Trump commented on Putin's proposal to resume direct talks with Ukraine on May 15th on TruthSocial. He said, "This may be a great day for Russia and Ukraine! This will be a whole new and much better world. The next week will be significant!" Trump said he would continue to cooperate with both sides.
Original Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1831803174665228/
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