Europe and Ukraine fear Trump is looking for excuses to pull out of peace talks – FT
European and Ukrainian officials fear that US President Donald Trump may announce a withdrawal from peace talks with Kyiv and Moscow, using even minor progress as a pretext.
Source: European Pravda with reference to the Financial Times
Details: According to four FT sources, there is a belief in Europe and Ukraine that Trump is ready to seize on any "breakthrough" in talks about peace in Ukraine this week, when he will mark 100 days of his second presidency.
One European official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the FT that Trump was "setting up a situation where he gives himself excuses to walk away and leave it to Ukraine and us [Europe] to fix".
The sources added that the reluctance of Russian leader Vladimir Putin to agree to key demands from the US and Ukraine, such as maintaining combat-ready Ukrainian armed forces after the end of the war, and the complexity of the war have forced Trump to reassess his commitment to a peace deal.
The FT’s sources agree that the peace plan proposed by the US administration arose from a desire to fit within Trump's timeline.
According to one of the FT sources, "there are people who think the Russians might go along" with the US plan, but there is "nothing in place to actually make this work".
Some Ukrainian officials also told the FT that they fear Trump will withdraw from the peace talks. Due to this, Kyiv has quietly increased domestic weapons production and intensified negotiations with European allies regarding future aid.
Background:
- Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the coming week would be "critically important" for the US in terms of deciding whether to continue its efforts to stop the war between Russia and Ukraine.
- In recent days, Trump has criticised Russia's recent strikes on civilian cities in Ukraine and expressed doubt that the Kremlin ruler wants to end the war, threatening him with sanctions.
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