Keystone-SDA
Donald Trump said Wednesday that he wanted to organize a three meeting between Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky and himself “almost immediately” after the Alaska summit with his Russian counterpart. He thus wants to put an end to the war in Ukraine.
(Keystone-ATS) The American president spoke to the press in Washington following what he described as “very good call” with European leaders, against the backdrop of rapid increase in Russian forces in Ukraine.
“We will quickly have a second meeting between President Putin, President Zelensky and myself, if they want me to be there,” he said.
The American president said, however, that he could give up organizing this meeting, depending on the content of his tête-à-tête with Vladimir Putin on Friday on an American military base in Alaska.
“If I feel that it is not appropriate to organize it because we have not obtained the answers that we must obtain, then there will be no second meeting,” he said.
Neutral country
“We hope that the central theme of the meeting” between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska will be “an immediate cease-fire,” said Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Ukrainian president was speaking from Berlin, where he was received by the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, for a videoconferencing with Donald Trump and the main European leaders, those of the EU and NATO.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke of a “real” chance of ceasefire, and this “thanks to the American work”.
“I think that is a very important point in this regard, and we want it to be held in Europe, in a neutral country that is accepted by all parties,” added the French president.
Referring to this trilateral meeting, Emmanuelle Macron added that “we want it to be held in Europe, in a neutral country that is accepted by all parties”.
Evacuations
These exchanges took place the day after the greatest increase in 24 hours of the Russian forces in Ukrainian territory for more than a year, according to AFP analysis of the data provided by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The Russian troops, whose advance is accelerating, said they had won over more than 110 km2 additional on August 12 compared to the day before, which had not arrived since the end of May 2024.
A sign of the degradation of the situation, Ukraine ordered the evacuation of families on Wednesday in a dozen localities in the East, where Russian soldiers have quickly gained ground in recent days.
At least three people were killed in artillery fire and Russian drone raids in the Kherson region (South) early Wednesday, according to regional authorities.
Meanwhile, diplomatic activity has been in full swing since the announcement of the summit in Anchorage, Alaska, which Europeans fear that the outcome is not unfavorable to Ukraine, after three and a half years of conflict.
Ukraine “must be at the table” during the next meetings, claimed Friedrich Merz, recalling the position of Europeans according to which the “front line” (front line) had to “be the starting point” of possible territorial negotiations.
Russia claims that Ukraine gives it four partially occupied regions (Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporijjia and Kherson), in addition to the Crimea annexed in 2014, and that it renounces Western arms deliveries and any membership in NATO.
“Very serious consequences”
Donald Trump predicted “territorial exchanges”, at a time when Russian soldiers occupy about 20% of Ukraine.
But he also remained vague on his expectations vis-à-vis Vladimir Putin, saying that he wanted to “try the field” on Friday.
Volodymyr Zelensky has excluded any withdrawal from east areas of Ukraine as part of a peace agreement.
For Friedrich Merz, Ukraine “is ready to discuss territorial questions” but not “legal recognition” of the occupation by Russia of certain parts of its territory.
“Territorial questions (…) will only be negotiated by the Ukrainian President,” said Emmanuel Macron, for whom “there is not seriously, in a serious way, territorial exchange patterns that are on the table”.
According to NATO chief, Mark Rutte, “the ball is now in Putin camp”.
Moscow, for his part, deemed “insignificant”, these consultations between Americans and Europeans.
In front of the press on Wednesday, Donald Trump warned that Russia would face “very serious consequences” if it did not agree to end the war, without going into details.
For Volodymyr Zelensly, “sanctions must be implemented and reinforced if Russia” refuses a truce.
In Kramatorsk, a city in eastern Ukraine located about 20 km from the front, Ukrainian soldiers seemed resigned to diplomatic emulation.
“There have already been so many negotiations between heads of state, but nothing changes,” said Dmytro, 21.