Trump briefs European leaders, Zelensky after meeting Putin

Washington, Aug 16 (IANS) US President Donald Trump on Saturday held a telephonic meeting with the European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to brief them on his discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.

Following the meeting, President Trump and his Russian counterpart said that they made progress in three hours of talks on Friday, moving closer to finding an end to the Ukraine War, but did not announce an immediate ceasefire.

Meanwhile, the US President took to his social media platform Truth Social on Saturday, calling the meeting with Putin in Alaska a successful one.

“A great and very successful day in Alaska! The meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia went very well, as did a late-night phone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, and various European Leaders, including the highly respected Secretary General of NATO. It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up," Trump posted on Truth Social.

“President Zelensky will be coming to DC, the Oval Office, on Monday afternoon. If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin. Potentially, millions of people’s lives will be saved. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” the post added.

The European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Portuguese President Antonio Costa, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen welcomed President Trump's efforts to “stop the killing in Ukraine, end Russia's war of aggression”, and achieve just and lasting peace.

“As President Trump said, ‘there’s no deal until there's a deal'. As envisioned by President Trump, the next step must now be further talks, including President Zelensky, whom he will meet soon. We are also ready to work with President Trump and President Zelensky towards a trilateral summit with European support," read a joint statement issued by the European leaders after Saturday's phone call.

“We are clear that Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We welcome President Trump’s statement that the US is prepared to give security guarantees. The Coalition of the Willing is ready to play an active role. No limitations should be placed on Ukraine’s armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries. Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine‘s pathway to EU and NATO,” the statement added.

The leaders said that it will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory, asserting that international borders must not be changed by force.

They reaffirmed their support for Ukraine, vowing to step up efforts to keep the country strong to achieve an end to the fighting and a just and lasting peace.

The leaders stressed that “as long as the killing in Ukraine continues”, they remain committed to “uphold the pressure on Russia”.

“We will continue to strengthen sanctions and wider economic measures to put pressure on Russia’s war economy until there is a just and lasting peace. Ukraine can count on our unwavering solidarity as we work towards a peace that safeguards Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests,” the statement concluded.

--IANS

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