As Washington takes steps to bring the war in Ukraine to a close, European leaders have grown increasingly frustrated at being pushed to the periphery of negotiations.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has hinted at the possibility of troop deployments, writing in The Telegraph that he is “ready and willing” to send UK forces to Ukraine to help guarantee its security as part of a potential peace deal.
On Monday—Presidents’ Day in the United States—Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone for around 30 minutes. According to a White House readout, the conversation was “friendly” and touched on the war in Ukraine, a key meeting of European leaders scheduled for Tuesday, and the first direct talks between US and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia.
U.S. officials have indicated that while European nations will be consulted on peace talks with Russia, they will not be directly involved—raising concerns in European capitals that Washington and Moscow could shape the future of Ukraine without meaningful European input.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pushed back strongly against any decision made without Ukraine’s involvement.
Meanwhile, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations has reinforced Moscow’s stance, stating that the UK and the European Union cannot be part of the negotiations—further limiting Europe’s influence over the final outcome.
Tomorrow, delegations from the U.S. and Russia will begin talks in what will be the highest-level in-person discussions between the two nations in years. The negotiations are widely seen as a precursor to a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Vladimir Putin, which could take place in a matter of weeks.
READ ALSO
Trump Is the Rainmaker Now. The Ukraine Peace Deal Will Be His.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy stood at Lafayette Park, framed by cameras and fatigue. His day had begun behind the colonnades of the White House with Donald Trump, stretched into meetings with Europeans. He was supposed to brief the press at the Hay-Adams hotel, but the Secret Service closed it off. “Not enough room,” they told us. Zelenskyy…
Keep reading
Zelenskyy Rejects Trump Territorial Swap Ahead of Putin Alaska Talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has drawn a red line: Ukraine will not give up land to Russia, not now, not ever. His declaration came just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump floated the idea that ending the war could involve a “swapping of territories” — a notion that would mark a dramatic departure from the…
Keep reading
Trump-Zelenskyy Call: Putin Wants to Keep Killing, Says Trump
Trump-Zelenskyy call details emerged Saturday, with President Donald Trump describing his conversation with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy as “very strategic.” The remarks came as Trump offered a grim update on his separate call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “We had a good call. We talked about different things,” Trump said in a gaggle with the press on…
Keep reading
Inside the High-Stakes Talks Between Trump and Zelenskyy
The morning after Donald Trump spent two hours on the phone with Vladimir Putin, securing a partial ceasefire agreement, it was Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s turn to speak with the American president. The call, the first direct conversation between the two leaders since the diplomatic fireworks at the White House—which ended with Senators Marco Rubio and Michael…
Keep reading