US President Donald Trump says no ceasefire will be agreed in Ukraine until he, Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin meet directly for trilateral talks.
Trump confirmed the US would play a role in offering security guarantees for Ukraine but ruled out sending troops.
He also suggested Ukraine and Russia must “discuss the possible exchanges of territory” as part of any deal.
So, did Trump just hand Ukraine to Putin?
The US President spoke to Putin by phone for 40 minutes before meeting Zelensky at the White House, alongside key European leaders.
On Tuesday afternoon’s episode of The Briefing, we talked to International Conflict Expert Dr Jessica Genauer, who is concerned about what conditions Russia wants in any breakthrough, and what’s next if Putin wins this latest war.
Dr Genauer said the gathering was significant.
“We haven’t seen this kind of meeting for many decades…key leaders coming together to try to see whether they can nudge towards a ceasefire in a state-to-state large-scale war is not something we’ve seen in recent years,” she said.
She highlighted that the presence of European leaders was crucial.
“President Zelensky really needs all the allies and partners that he can get..countries like France and the UK that are also nuclear armed nations are going to be particularly important when it comes to things like security guarantees for Ukraine.”
However, Dr Genauer warned Trump’s shift away from an immediate ceasefire could play into Russia’s hands.
“Saying we’re going to focus on a peace settlement first before a ceasefire is actually code for saying we’re going to try to give Russia a big chunk of what they want before we actually stop the fighting.”
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