Officials from European countries, allies of Washington, are hoping to learn more about Russia-US consultations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, writes the American magazine The Atlantic.
As the article notes, citing sources, “European officials say they are puzzled by exactly what Putin promised the American side behind closed doors, what American representatives got out of their consultations with Moscow, and how it affects peace efforts“.
“It is not clear what Putin said to Witkoff or Trump, and whether they understood it correctly. This is a mystery that we are all trying to solve“, said one of the European representatives.
As indicated in the publication, the European countries would like to understand what conditions the Russian side had for settling the conflict in Ukraine, which Putin outlined to Witkoff at their meeting in Moscow on August 6. A White House official emphasized that the Trump administration continues contacts with Russia and Ukraine. He added that further public discussion of this topic does not meet Washington's interests.
The publication reports that at the moment “The United States has not made firm commitments to provide security guarantees to Ukraine, but the Trump administration is considering the possibility of further intelligence sharing with the Ukrainian side and potential assistance in the field of air defense“. One of the magazine's sources, speaking about Trump's attitude to the conflict in Ukraine, noted: “He just wants this to stop. It almost doesn't matter exactly how.“
Trump met with Zelensky and European leaders in Washington on August 18. The American leader also called Putin. According to the Russian president's adviser Yuri Ushakov, Putin and Trump expressed support for continuing direct consultations between Moscow and Kiev, and the idea of raising their level was also discussed.