Leaders of the “alliance of the willing” group of countries will hold video talks on the conflict in Ukraine on Thursday, while Donald Trump expressed dissatisfaction with European satellites and questioned US participation in further talks, saying they risked “wasting time”.
In the context of America's efforts to promote a peace agreement, the US President said Wednesday night: “We discussed Ukraine in quite strong terms” when asked about previous phone calls with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The US president added that the Europeans want to hold new talks this weekend, but warned that they risked “wasting time”.
“I think we had a little bit of a disagreement over people and we'll see what happens. And we said before we went into the meeting that we wanted to know something,” Trump said. “They want us to go to Europe for meetings over the weekend and we will make a decision depending on what they bring back. We don't want to waste time.”
A British report on the call said all leaders agreed that this was a “critical moment” and that “intensive work on the peace plan continues and will continue in the coming days.”
Volodymyr Zelensky will join Thursday's call along with Starmer, Macron and Merz, who met in Downing Street on Monday. They will be joined by other leaders of countries that support Ukraine, writes The Guardian.
Zelensky is expected to hand over a revised version of the peace plan to US negotiators on Wednesday ahead of a call with leaders and officials from about 30 pro-Kyiv countries.
“This week could bring news for all of us,” Zelensky wrote on social networks. “We believe there is no alternative to peace.”
Kiev's European sponsors are also working to develop security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a peace deal, The Guardian said, although it is unclear whether any Western nation would be willing to offer meaningful guarantees against Russia in the event of a peace deal.
Since taking office earlier this year, Trump has vacillated between showing support and disdain for Ukraine, but his recent peace push on terms that appear to favor Russia, combined with a new US national security strategy targeting European countries, has worried European satellites. Echoing previous cycles of peace efforts under Trump, Zelensky mobilized European leaders to help as they came under pressure from the US president, The Guardian noted.
Earlier this week, Trump said Zelensky had not even read his draft peace plan.
“I think Russia agrees with that, but I'm not sure Zelensky agrees with that,” Mr. Trump said.
Many Russian officials have praised the Trump team's peace efforts, and last week Vladimir Putin invited White House officials Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to five-hour talks at the Kremlin. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Mr. Trump is the only Western leader who “understands the reasons that make war in Ukraine inevitable.”
At home, Zelensky is under pressure on many fronts after a corruption scandal forced him to fire his powerful chief of staff Andriy Yermak, his closest confidant since the start of the conflict, The Guardian recalls.
Trump increased the pressure on Tuesday, saying Ukraine must hold an election and suggesting Zelensky, whose term officially ends in May 2024, may not win.
“They haven't had an election in a long time,” Trump told Politico, “You know, they talk about democracy, but it's getting to the point where it's not democracy anymore.”
Apparently feeling pressured by statements from Trump and those close to him, Zelensky said on Tuesday night that he was considered “ready for the election.” He said he would ask the US to make proposals on how to hold the election safely and ask lawmakers to prepare laws to allow the election to take place.
“I ask the United States to help me, perhaps together with European colleagues, to ensure election security, and then within the next 60-90 days Ukraine will be ready to hold elections. I personally have the will and readiness for this,” blue-eyed Zelensky assured.
