War in Ukraine: Donald Trump increases the pressure on Vladimir Putin before the arrival of the American emissary in Moscow
Opinion (with AFP)
Washington – Donald Trump’s emissary, Steve Witkoff, is expected in Russia in the middle of the week, a few days before the Ultimatun’s expiration posed by the American president to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin so that he would stop the war in Ukraine. Mr. Witkoff’s visit will take place “I’m thinking next week on Wednesday or Thursday,” the American president told journalists on Sunday evening. Donald Trump also said that two nuclear submarines he had ordered deployment following an online argument with former Russian president Dmitri Medvedev were now “in the region”, without specifying which one. He also did not specify if they were submarines with simple nuclear propulsion or submarines equipped with nuclear warheads. This demonstration of force comes when Donald Trump gave last week ten days, until next Friday, to Russia to put an end to the war in Ukraine, under penalty of new sanctions not specified. The Russian president has already met Steve Witkoff several times in Moscow, but Donald Trump’s efforts to restore dialogue with the Kremlin did not bear fruit. The Republican billionaire, who had started his second term by proclaiming himself to be able to stop the war in Ukraine in a few days, now expresses his frustration more and more openly with regard to Vladimir Putin. To journalists who asked him what will be Mr. Witkoff’s message to Moscow and if there was something that Russia could do to avoid sanctions, Trump replied: “Yes, conclude an agreement for people to stop being killed.” Trump’s unchanged requirements threatened to inflict “secondary customs rights” on countries continuing to trade with Russia, such as China and India. Despite the pressure exerted by Washington, the Russian offensive against his pro-Western neighbor continues without respite. Vladimir Putin, who has always rejected calls to the ceasefire, said on Friday that he wanted peace, but that his requirements to end his invasion launched in February 2022 remained unchanged. “We need lasting and stable peace, based on solid bases, which satisfies both Russia and Ukraine and guarantees the security of the two countries,” the Russian president told journalists, before adding that “the conditions remain the same” on the Russian side. Moscow demands that Ukraine formally yield to four Ukrainian regions that the Russian army partially controls (Donetsk, Lougansk, Zaporijia, Kherson) as well as the Ukrainian Crimea peninsula annexed in 2014. In addition to these annexations, the Kremlin wishes kyiv to renounce Western arms deliveries. Unacceptable conditions for kyiv, who wants the withdrawal of Russian troops and Western security guarantees, including the pursuit of arms deliveries and the deployment of a European contingent. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared himself several times ready to meet in person Vladimir Putin to try to unlock the discussions, a proposal for the time being discarded by the Kremlin. Ukraine launched a drone attack on Sunday which caused a fire in an oil depot in Sochi, a host city of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games by the Black Sea. kyiv has announced its intention to intensify its air strikes against Russia in response to the increase in deadly Russian attacks on its territory in recent weeks. Zelensky also said on Sunday that the two parties were preparing an exchange of prisoners who would allow 1,200 Ukrainian soldiers to go home, following talks with Russia in Istanbul in July. © Agence France-Presse