European countries are seeking to hold talks with US President Donald Trump before his meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, scheduled for Friday in the US state of Alaska, Bloomberg reported, reports News.bg.
According to the agency, European leaders want to talk with Trump before the end of the week to coordinate positions on key topics. This is the result of intensive diplomatic contacts between representatives of the United States, Ukraine and Europe over the weekend, including meetings in the UK on Saturday with Vice President J.D. Vance and British Foreign Secretary David Lamy.
EU ambassadors were briefed on these talks on Sunday, and the bloc's foreign ministers are planning a virtual meeting on Monday.
According to Bloomberg, Moscow is demanding that Ukraine cede all of eastern Donbas and Crimea, illegally annexed in 2014, to Russia as a condition for a ceasefire and the start of talks on a long-term peace settlement. Such a scenario would mean Kiev giving up parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions that are currently under its control.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told ABC that if the process moves forward, "territorial issues" would have to be discussed in parallel with security guarantees for Ukraine. According to him, this could mean a de facto recognition of the loss of control over part of the territory, without a legal renunciation of sovereignty.