Europe demands seat at Ukraine peace talks
Europe insists that peace negotiations in Ukraine must not proceed without the participation of both Kyiv and European countries. In a related development, European diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas is convening a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday, August 11, to discuss the next steps regarding Ukraine.
European leaders are seeking to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump before his scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin takes place on August 15 in Alaska, according to dw.com, citing Bloomberg. The news agency highlights that the idea of a potential discussion between Trump and European leaders was preceded by an "intense diplomatic weekend involving officials from the U.S., Ukraine, and Europe."
This refers to meetings that took place in the UK between Ukrainian and European ministers and U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance. No details have been provided about the content of a potential discussion between EU leaders and Trump. The specifics of the meetings between politicians from the EU, Ukraine, and the U.S. in the UK are also unknown. However, Bloomberg speculates that the discussion could focus on Moscow's demands that Kyiv cede parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, which Russia has failed to conquer during the full-scale war.
Rutte: Territories must be on the negotiating table
Against the backdrop of these discussions, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated on ABC's This Week program that Kyiv must consider the possibility of making territorial concessions to Russia during peace negotiations.
According to him, the meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska will "test Putin's seriousness in his desire to end" Russia's war against Ukraine. At the summit, the NATO Secretary General believes that security guarantees will be discussed, and if this process moves forward, Ukrainian territories "must be on the negotiating table."
Rutte emphasized that, in fact, Russia already controls a part of Ukrainian territory, and Kyiv could acknowledge the direct loss of these areas. However, this would not involve the formal recognition of their annexation by Russia.
Additionally, European diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas is convening EU foreign ministers on Monday, August 11, to discuss the next steps for Ukraine in the context of the imminent summit between Russian and U.S. presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, as reported by eadaily.com.
Kallas stated that any agreement between Washington and Moscow to end the war in Ukraine must involve Ukraine and the European Union.
Putin and Trump will meet in Alaska this Friday, August 15.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
