Russian invasion Negotiations

Kremlin: We and the US do not think a ceasefire would be best

Russia and the US agree that a long-term peace agreement is better than a ceasefire. This is what Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov claims, according to AFP.

- Russia and the US share the same position, namely that the Ukrainian and European proposal for a temporary ceasefire [...] would only prolong the conflict and lead to renewed fighting, he says.

The American side has not commented on the claim. Trump and Putin held an hour-long phone call on Sunday ahead of Trump's meeting with Zelensky, and will hold another one when the meeting is over.

Ushakov also says that Ukraine must make the "courageous decision" to withdraw its troops from the partially Russian-occupied Donbas. 

Trump and Zelensky meet: “We are in the final stages of talks”

The meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky has begun at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. At a brief press conference before the meeting, Trump says that Ukraine will receive “strong security guarantees,” writes Reuters.

– We are in the final stages of talks, he adds.

He also says that he believes that both Ukraine and Russia are serious about wanting to conclude a peace agreement. Trump also praises the European countries, whom he calls “fantastic people.”

After the press conference, the two delegations sat down at a table inside Mar-a-Lago. Ukrainian Finance Minister Oleksiy Sobolev is present – ​​a sign that business will be discussed. Trump also hinted at this before the meeting.

– There is a lot of money to be made, he said. 

Lavrov: “Europe is the biggest obstacle to peace”

Russia will not accept European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine in the event of a peace agreement, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the state-run Tass news agency, according to the New York Times.

These would constitute a “legitimate target” for the Russian military, he said, but added that “there is no reason to fear” Russian attacks on other countries.

Lavrov also reiterated the Kremlin’s line that Europe is Russia’s new main enemy. It has been adopted after Donald Trump returned to the White House and adopted a friendlier stance towards Russia.

– After the change of power in the United States, Europe and the EU have become the main obstacle to peace, the Foreign Minister claims.