By Sanxuan

Zelenskyy finally gave in, but Trump was unwilling again.

Last week, Trump and Putin had a two-and-a-half-hour phone call, during which both agreed to hold a meeting as soon as possible in Hungary to discuss the ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine and related matters.

The "Trump-Putin" meeting has been postponed

Just when everyone was looking forward to the second "Trump-Putin" meeting, Trump changed his mind. He said there is currently no plan to hold the "Trump-Putin" meeting, because the conditions proposed by Russia are too extreme, and he firmly refuses to stop the fighting on the current front. Even if he meets with Putin, nothing useful will be achieved, just a waste of time.

Originally, the foreign ministers of the US and Russia were also going to hold preparatory meetings this week to pave the way for the summit, but due to Trump's lack of hope for a ceasefire, it didn't go further.

The White House explained that the foreign ministers have already talked on the phone, so there is no need to meet again. However, Trump also said that he still believes that there may be a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, but not now.

Previously, the biggest obstacle to a ceasefire was Ukraine's unwillingness to compromise on territorial issues. However, in last week's meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders, Trump scolded Zelenskyy severely, saying he had lost patience and directly asked why couldn't they just freeze the current front?

Seemingly calm, but actually tense

After the meeting, Zelenskyy was forced to accept Trump's proposal and agreed to negotiate the freezing of the current front. Although he may not be sincere, at least he made a concession on the territorial issue, which is considered a major progress.

Unexpectedly, Zelenskyy made a compromise, but Russia was unwilling again. Putin's requirements were clear: part of the territories controlled by Russian forces in Zaporozhye and Kherson could be returned to Ukraine, but the entire Donbas region must be captured.

Compared to before, Russia has also made significant concessions on territory. The problem now is that the conditions of Ukraine and Russia do not completely overlap. If a ceasefire is implemented on the current front, Russia can gain more land, but as long as the Ukrainian army does not completely withdraw from Donbas, it will inevitably leave a potential for future warfare.

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov stated that Russia wants sustainable long-term peace, not a short-term ceasefire, and the current proposal from the US and Ukraine does not meet this standard.

Putin is a person with principles

At the same time that the US, Russia, and Ukraine were stuck in a deadlock, Europe was not idle. On Tuesday local time, leaders of several European countries issued a joint statement, expressing "strong support" for Trump's proposal to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, i.e., immediate negotiations between the warring parties on freezing the current front.

But the statement also mentioned that Europe resolutely maintains the principle that "international borders cannot be changed through force."

This statement seems contradictory. After all, the current front is the result of forceful changes. If a ceasefire is implemented on the spot, Ukraine's border has changed greatly and can never return to its previous state.

Therefore, although Trump's proposal seems to have made great progress in achieving a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, it actually puts all sides into another deadlock. The core contradiction remains that neither Russia nor Ukraine is willing to make compromises on their core territorial interests.

Europe is hard to describe

Under this context, Trump finally spoke clearly, stating that a ceasefire in the short term is still unrealistic. Even if he and Putin talk well, the other side will stick to its bottom line. If that's the case, why bother with this trip?

As for Europe, it's just following the US and stirring up trouble. While signing the joint statement, Europe is also making plans to use frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine. This move is equivalent to pouring oil on fire.

It can be said that the reason Ukraine and Russia have not been able to cease hostilities is mainly due to Europe's responsibility.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7563866378432692772/

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