US President Donald Trump on Sunday hailed “big progress” on Russia, days after meeting his counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska for a high-stakes summit aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
“BIG PROGRESS ON RUSSIA. STAY TUNED!” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, without elaborating.
ZELENSKY ISN’T HOPEFUL
But in Brussels, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said there is “no sign” Russia is agreeing to a three-way summit with Ukraine and the United States floated by Trump.
“So far, Russia gives no sign that the trilateral will happen and if Russia refuses, then new sanctions must follow,” Zelensky said at a joint press conference with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.
Zelensky also rejected the idea of Russia offering his country security guarantees, after US and EU officials promoted the possibility.
On the other hand, von der Leyen hailed the proposal as an offer of NATO-style security guarantees from the United States.
“We welcome President Trump’s willingness to contribute to (NATO) Article 5-like security guarantees for Ukraine, and the coalition of the willing, including the European Union, is ready to do its share,” she said.
Zelensky also welcomed the idea of US security guarantees – but was less positive about Russia’s intentions.
“What President Trump said about security guarantees is much more important to me than Putin’s thoughts, because Putin will not give any security guarantees,” he told the press conference.
“Security means a strong army, which only Ukraine can provide. I believe that only Europe can finance this army.”
Von der Leyen and Zelensky also shared their thoughts on a possible meeting between Trump, Putin and the Ukrainian leader.
“So far, Russia gives no sign that the trilateral will happen and if Russia refuses, then new sanctions must follow,” Zelensky said.
Von der Leyen had said she wanted to see the three-way meeting happen “as soon as possible”.
PUTIN DOESN’T WANT PEACE
On the other hand, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday that the Europeans were going to ask Trump how far he would back Ukraine security guarantees.
The goal for Monday’s talks in Washington was to present a united front between Ukraine and its European allies, he said.
“If we show weakness today in front of Russia, we are laying the ground for future conflicts,” Macron warned.
He said Kyiv’s allies in Sunday’s “coalition of the willing” meeting wanted strong and lasting peace in Ukraine and for Ukraine’s territorial integrity to be respected.
Macron added that he did not think Putin wanted peace.
Macron was speaking from his summer residence after joining a video-conference with other European leaders to coordinate their joint position before several of them join Zelensky for Monday’s meeting with Trump in Washington.
RUSSIAN ‘CONCESSIONS’
Meanwhile, Trump made his latest comments as a top White House envoy said Sunday that Russia has made “some concessions” with regard to five Ukrainian regions central to Moscow’s war against that country during the high-stakes Alaska summit between Trump and Vladimir Putin, .
“The Russians made some concessions at the table with regard to all five of those regions,” Steve Witkoff said on CNN, in an apparent reference to the Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea.
At same time, he also went on to say that Trump and Putin agreed to “robust security guarantees” for Ukraine during their high-stakes summit in Alaska.
“We agreed to robust security guarantees that I would describe as game-changing,” Witkoff said.
CONSEQUENCES IF NO PEACE DEAL
Also on Sunday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday warned of “consequences,” including the potential imposition of new sanctions on Russia, if no peace deal is reached on Ukraine, ahead of a key meeting at the White House.
“If we’re not going to be able to reach an agreement here at any point, then there are going to be consequences,” he told US broadcaster NBC. “Not only the consequences of the war continuing but the consequences of all those sanctions continuing and potentially new sanctions on top of it as well.”
