Warns of “trap” after Trump’s words about elections in Ukraine

Ukraine
Foreign Minister: Putin wants to ruin Ukraine
 

Amanda Hällsten,
Fredrik Björkman
Updated 09.48 | Published 09.13

Russia and the US want to see new elections in Ukraine.

Something that is criticized by the Swedish government.

“You must not fall into that trap,” says Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard.

        

        Trump: “Ukraine should not have started the war”

        1:21

Donald Trump thinks that new elections should be held in Ukraine. Ukraine. The proposal came after the US and Russia's meeting on how to end the war in Ukraine.

Now Sweden’s Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M) is commenting on the move.

“Putin does not want elections in Ukraine because he protects Ukrainian democracy. He wants elections to weaken Ukraine during the current state of emergency. You can't fall into that trap," she tells Aftonbladet.

"It's Russia that started the war by attacking Ukraine, they can end this at any time."

Meeting without Ukraine

Top diplomats from the US and Russia met on Tuesday in the Saudi Arabian city of Riyadh to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.

No Ukrainian representative was invited to the meeting.

Present at the meeting in Riyadh were, among others, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M). Photo: Magnus Wennman

Trump: My proposal

Later on Tuesday evening,  Donald Trump announced at a press conference from Mar-a-Lago that the proposal for new elections in Ukraine came from him himself.

– I hate to say it, but his approval rating is down to four percent, Trump claimed, referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

In fact, the figures are at 52 percent according to the latest survey from the Kiev International Sociological Institute.

US President Donald Trump. Photo: AP

Trump denied reports that it was Russia that put the demand on the table.

– It's not a Russian thing, it's something that comes from me and from many other countries as well.

Kremlin: Trump and Putin may meet

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin may meet before the end of February. The Kremlin announced this, Reuters reports.

This means that the two leaders could meet as early as next week – previously it was believed that it would be too early to hold a meeting between them now.