US President Donald Trump said he would send special envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss developing proposals to end the war in Ukraine, but despite the optimism of the White House, there are no signs of progress on the main contentious issues, the British newspaper "Guardian" wrote this morning. The publication adds that European leaders are struggling to have a say in the process, while American officials are taking the lead, BTA writes in the press review.
The "Financial Times" newspaper commented that the latest US peace proposal "is less favorable to Moscow and leaves the most sensitive issues to be resolved by Trump and Zelensky." Senior Ukrainian officials close to the president told the newspaper that these topics include territorial issues and security guarantees from the United States, but added that Kiev has agreed to limit its army to 800,000 people.
The publication notes that while Washington continues to insist on an end to the war, US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is holding talks in Abu Dhabi with the head of Ukraine's military intelligence and a Russian delegation. A senior French official told the "Financial Times" that the talks in Abu Dhabi are expected to focus on the terms of a ceasefire and creating conditions that will allow for a full peace agreement.
The American newspaper "Washington Post" writes that Trump's foreign policy is unconventional, but also becoming "predictably unpredictable". According to the publication, he sets bold deadlines, takes previously unthinkable positions and leaves options open. It seemed that with the plan favorable to Russia, Trump was ready to abandon Ukraine, but the Ukrainians understood his move and reacted, the newspaper adds. Ukraine may still emerge victorious at the end of "this nerve-wracking game", the publication concludes.
Another American newspaper – – – – – – – – The New York Times– commented that for European leaders, the weekend began with yet another threat to their influence in the peace process, thanks to President Trump. – – – – – and all this without even bothering to consult Europe?" the paper asks rhetorically.
Until yesterday, the latest diplomatic crisis seemed temporarily averted, if far from resolved, "thanks to the way European leaders have honed their skills with Trump over the past year of similar cases," the New York Times reported.
"The frenetic diplomatic activity behind the scenes seemed to have given impetus to Sunday's sudden peace efforts," the paper added. According to Mujataba Rahman, CEO of the political risk consulting firm Eurasia Group, the Europeans have already learned how to work with the Trump administration.
He says the goal is to "slowly bring Trump back to a position more favorable to Ukrainians and Europeans. That is the goal of the efforts in Geneva. And from what I can tell, the effort seems to be quite successful so far.”
"The New York Times" also wrote that "diplomatic strategy is being shaped in part by a changing vision of how to approach Trump. Praise for the president works. And always avoid personal conflicts, such as the one that erupted between the president and Zelensky in February."
The European version of "Politico" magazine points out that European countries are currently working on an emergency plan B to prevent Ukraine from running out of money early next year, in case they fail to reach an agreement on the seizure of frozen Russian assets to finance Kiev.
Now, with the intensification of peace talks and the depletion of Kiev's funds, the question of what to do with Russian assets is gaining new urgency, the magazine comments.
"If we do not take action, others will get ahead of us", an official of the European institutions told the publication. At the same time, Kiev warns that it could run out of money in the first months of next year, and the European Commission is fully aware of the need to urgently find a solution.