Europe will eventually need to participate in Ukraine’s peace talks, but Moscow wants to build trust with Washington first Vladimir Putin The agreement that also suggests an end to the conflict may still be far away, said Monday.
Just as Ukraine commemorated its third anniversary on Monday Russian invasion U.S. President Donald Trump believes that the war may end within weeks. But he did not elaborate.
Putin told Russian state television that Trump is approaching the Russian-Ukrainian conflict rationally rather than emotionally, but the impression may not end immediately as Trump wants.
Putin added that his phone conversations with Trump and the latest negotiations between the United States and Russia are all about resolving the Ukrainian conflict.
“But there is no detailed discussion,” he said in an interview. “We only agree that we will move in this direction. In this case, of course, we are not rejecting the participation of European countries.”
Both Ukraine and Kiev’s European allies opposed not being invited to attend the initial talks on Ukraine held by the United States and Russia in Saudi Arabia last week.
Putin said Europe had “nothing” in Riyadh because they focused on building trust between Moscow and Washington, which he said was key.
“To address complex and urgent issues related to Ukraine, both Russia and the United States must take the first step,” Putin said.
He added: “What is it composed? The first step should be specifically designed to increase the level of trust between the two states.”
“But what does Europeans have to do with it?”
He said the next few rounds of talks and high-level links will be dedicated to building this trust, but once negotiations turn to conflict resolution, it will be logical for the existence of European partners to exist.
“They need to be involved in the negotiation process. We never rejected that, we had constant discussions with them.”
Michael Froman, chairman of the U.S. Foreign Relations Commission, said the ceasefire deal was a mistake at the expense of the transatlantic alliance.
“It will be in Trump’s interest to ensure peace through the strength to work with our European partners, who will bear the burden of Ukraine’s financial and economic survival,” he wrote in a note last week.
Cut defense budget in half
Putin also said he approved a suggestion that Russia and the United States can discuss half of the depth cuts in military spending.
“We can reach an agreement with the United States. We don’t object to this,” Putin said.
“To me, this idea seems like a good idea. The United States has reduced their ideas by 50%, and we have reduced our ideas by 50%. China may join us if we want.”
Putin dismissed any notion about Trump’s sharp changes in Washington’s policy toward Ukraine, including criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and suggested that Kiev may not be able to restore all lost territory Suggestions, this is based on emotion.
He said Trump logically showed no restrictions on European leaders’ commitment to Ukraine.
“Unlike them, the new president of the United States is free from the shackles that don’t allow you to move forward,” he said.
“He moves in a straightforward way without special constraints. He is in a unique position: he says not only what he thinks, but what he wants. It’s a privilege for leaders of one of the main forces.”
