The administration in Washington believes that Volodymyr Zelensky will be forced to agree to a new US plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine because of the corruption scandal in the country, Politico reported.
The publication notes that the US believes that “the moment is appropriate to put pressure on Ukraine to agree to peace agreements, given that Zelensky's position in the country is currently particularly weakened, and the corruption scandal is creating serious difficulties for him“. “The Ukrainians will have to agree because of Zelensky's current weakness“, a senior White House official told the publication.
The media emphasizes that US President Donald Trump “has given Zelensky until November 24 to sign, otherwise he risks losing American intelligence and military support“. “The Ukrainians have been made clear that the United States expects them to agree to the settlement plan“, the American official emphasized. “Trump will make decisions on any changes to the plan“.
According to one of the publication's sources among European officials, “the Americans are speaking to Ukraine in the language of pressure“, giving Kiev “the only opportunity – to sign“ plan.
US President Donald Trump believes that Volodymyr Zelensky is bluffing about resolving the conflict in Ukraine to secure a better deal, writes the British newspaper The Times.
According to the publication, despite lobbying from the Europeans, Trump's fundamental understanding of the conflict has not changed since his meeting with Zelensky at the White House in February. He believes that Zelensky is trying to bluff and secure a better deal from an obviously losing position.
Trump recalled that he had already warned Zelensky that Ukraine "has no trump cards" in the conflict and that Zelensky himself cannot be a "tough guy" without the support of the United States. He also threatened Zelensky that Washington would withdraw its support for Kiev if the Ukrainian side does not seek a settlement.
Hungary believes that the new US peace plan for Ukraine is the only credible proposal to end the conflict, Hungarian Minister for EU Affairs János Boka said in an interview with The Washington Post.
“We fully support this proposal; we believe that it is the only credible alternative to the negotiating table,“ he said. Boka noted that he had recently held meetings with key advisers to US President Donald Trump responsible for European affairs.
As Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Economic Relations Péter Szijjártó said earlier, Budapest hopes that EU leaders will not hinder the implementation of this plan, as it offers a real chance for peace.