Europe will use G7 to press Trump on its plan for talks with Russia – Bloomberg

European leaders plan to use the G7 summit for talks with US President Donald Trump in an effort to secure his support for a plan to restart negotiations between Ukraine and Russia with European participation.

Source: European Pravda, citing Bloomberg

Details: Sources familiar with the matter said European leaders intend to use talks with Trump during next week's G7 summit to push their plans for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

The UK, France and Germany believe the situation in the war has shifted in Ukraine's favour, creating an opportunity for talks that would go beyond the conditions that emerged after Trump's summit with Putin in Alaska last year, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The leaders of the so-called E3 countries want Russia to agree to an immediate ceasefire based on the current front line as a "starting point for negotiations", as well as to credible security guarantees for Ukraine, including the deployment of a multinational force. They set out the proposals in a joint statement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after talks in London on 7 June.

Putin has previously rejected a peace talks ceasefire, arguing that it would allow Kyiv to rearm and strengthen its defences, and has also rejected the presence of European troops in Ukraine.

He wants Ukraine to hand over the parts of Donetsk Oblast it still controls as part of any peace deal. Critics of the idea of talks with Russia now, including some officials from E3 countries, say this is unlikely to change soon.

The E3 countries see an opportunity for Europe to play a greater role in shaping the negotiating process, as US-led talks have reached a deadlock while Washington focuses on the conflict with Iran.

They want Trump to support their proposals to increase pressure on Russia to bring it to the negotiating table with representatives of Europe, the US, Ukraine and Russia as early as next month, sources familiar with the matter said.

As part of these efforts, the UK and the European Union are working on new sanctions to be imposed on Russia in the coming weeks, the sources added. They cautioned that the plans were preliminary and could change. Europe also wants to avoid a repeat of last winter, when Ukrainians endured freezing temperatures without electricity or heating.

French President Emmanuel Macron invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the G7 summit, where Donald Trump will also be present.

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