Trump's bold Putin talks leave European leaders stunned
The Axios portal, citing its sources, reports on a conversation between Donald Trump and European leaders during which he informed them about his discussions with Vladimir Putin. The European leaders were reportedly surprised by the U.S. president's optimism.
What you need to know
- During a phone call with Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump suggested that the Russian leader present a proposal that Ukraine and Europe could accept.
- Vladimir Putin agreed to begin direct negotiations on a ceasefire, which surprised European leaders.
- Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that previous talks with Putin had produced no results.
According to Axios, during a phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders, Donald Trump informed them that he asked Vladimir Putin to offer "something they could agree to" during negotiations.
A source reports that later in the conversation, the U.S. president announced that Putin agreed to immediately start direct negotiations concerning a ceasefire. There was reportedly a few seconds of surprising silence. The president also suggested that Putin would present a "peace memorandum" with conditions to end the conflict. Trump reportedly said, "It's something that Ukraine and the Europeans can agree to."
Negotiations on Ukraine
A source claims that Volodymyr Zelensky reminded everyone that previous talks with Putin, including those from last week, yielded no results. He emphasized that without pressure from Trump, Russia will not relent.
European leaders who participated in the conversation were reportedly surprised by Trump's optimism. Even though the Russian leader had not changed his position, Trump insisted that the situation was improving.
Trump's talk with Putin
Donald Trump publicly stated that his conversation with Vladimir Putin went very well, and according to him, Russia and Ukraine will immediately begin negotiations on a ceasefire. He noted, however, that the conditions will be negotiated between the two sides.
In turn, the Russian leader described the talk with Trump as "honest and substantive," and emphasized that the issues of a ceasefire and the terms of conflict resolution could be included in the memorandum between Russia and Ukraine.
