Der Spiegel: European leaders urged Zelenskyy to be cautious with Trump
Some European leaders advised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of his meeting with US President Donald Trump to exercise caution and "not go too far."
Source: European Pravda, citing German newspaper Der Spiegel
Details: Der Spiegel reported that it had obtained an English-language transcript of a video conference held on Saturday between Zelenskyy and European leaders, ahead of the Ukrainian president's visit to the US.
The newspaper reports that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who organised the conference, said it was important for Zelenskyy to find ways to reach agreements with the US on territorial issues, security guarantees and reconstruction. Merz asked the Ukrainian president "not to go too far" while also being "careful".
A German government spokesperson told Der Spiegel that the federal government does not comment on the details of confidential discussions. Meanwhile, another participant confirmed that the content of the conference had been accurately reflected but did not wish to confirm individual quotes, citing the confidential nature of the conversation.
The transcript shows that French President Emmanuel Macron urged European leaders to accelerate work on security guarantees and to finalise their commitments as quickly as possible.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte reportedly made a similar point, stressing that Europeans should not appear to be slowing down the process. However, several heads of government noted that parliamentary approval would be required for security guarantees or even the deployment of troops.
During the Saturday video conference, the prime ministers of Denmark, Sweden and Norway – Mette Frederiksen, Ulf Kristersson, and Jonas Gahr Støre – asked Zelenskyy to report in detail on any US commitments regarding potential security guarantees after his meeting with Trump.
It was repeatedly stressed that these guarantees should be "on paper" and Zelenskyy was advised not to make any official concessions on territorial issues without firm commitments on security.
Merz also emphasised that European leaders were willing to be part of a peace agreement but needed to know its content before signing.
The transcript also shows that many heads of state and government advised Zelenskyy to ask Trump about Russia's position on the current version of the peace plan.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, along with Macron and Merz, also urged Zelenskyy to ask what action the US would take if Russia rejected the peace plan that European leaders, Ukraine and the Americans had discussed in recent weeks. This 20-point plan differs significantly from the previous 28-point document, which had been heavily influenced by Russia and served as the starting point for the new talks.
Even after the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting, European diplomats said it remained unclear what stance Russia would take on territorial issues.
Background:
- On 30 December, Zelenskyy stated that some of the documents aimed at settling the war, developed during the negotiation process, will be ready to sign in January.
- He also discussed with the US the potential deployment of American troops in Ukraine as part of security guarantees.
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