The British government has warned US President Donald Trump not to trust Russian President Vladimir Putin to stick to a possible ceasefire agreement in Ukraine, as Western leaders race to help Kiev prepare for a summit on Friday, the Times newspaper reported, quoted by BNR.
A Downing Street statement said Putin could not be trusted and Britain demanded guarantees that any pause in fighting agreed at the meeting between the two presidents would not be used by Russia simply as a breath of fresh air to prepare for a new offensive.
When asked whether Prime Minister Keir Starmer believed Putin could be trusted, an official spokesman for the prime minister said in the negative, adding that the ceasefire "could not simply be an opportunity for President Putin to to leave, rearm, strengthen and then continue the war”.
European leaders urged Trump over the weekend to allow Ukraine to participate in the talks, uneasy about the possibility of making concessions to Putin at the summit, commented “The Times”.
The British government described the upcoming talks as “fluid” after Trump signaled that he might be willing to include Zelensky in the meeting, which will be held in Alaska.
Starmer suggested that the troops needed to observe the ceasefire should be deployed in Ukraine by the so-called “coalition of the willing”. His spokesman said any deal must take into account “lessons from the past, when the allies clearly did not have those meaningful security guarantees that allowed President Putin to rearm and act again“.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadeful dismissed suggestions of possible territorial concessions by Ukraine in exchange for peace with Russia after his consultations with his EU colleagues yesterday, DPA reported, quoted by BTA, referring to a post by the minister on the "Ex" platform.
""Force should not change borders", Wadeful wrote last night. He said Germany supports US President Donald Trump's goal of ending Russia's war against Ukraine. The result should be a just and lasting peace, said Vaddeful.
Trump said yesterday that both Ukraine and Russia would have to make territorial concessions to each other in order to end the war. Ukraine categorically rejects the possibility of territorial concessions, DPA notes.
Vaddeful told German public broadcaster ZDF that Ukraine knows that the negotiations will be difficult.
"They may have to make concessions. But that will be decided later. Today it is about creating fair conditions for these negotiations and they must start from where they are now," Vaddeful said.
Europe has clear ideas that "to a very large extent" coincide with those of Ukraine, he added. It is about European security. "We will not allow decisions to be made that are confusing for Europeans," the German foreign minister stressed.
The question is whether Putin is seriously ready to negotiate, said the German foreign minister. "It will be clear on Friday, and he must take this into account: the West is united in its support for Ukraine," Vaddeful emphasized.
The Chief of Staff of the Ukrainian President Andriy Yermak said that he discussed by phone with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ways to achieve a just peace in Ukraine.
The two coordinated their positions ahead of the diplomatic steps planned for this week, Ukrinform reported, citing a post by the head of Zelensky's office on the "Telegram" application.
""For Ukraine, the priority is a just and lasting peace, which requires an unconditional ceasefire as a prerequisite for substantive negotiations, as well as increased pressure on Russia to take real steps in this direction," Yermak wrote.
Yermak also thanked US President Donald Trump, Rubio and U.S. special envoy Keith Kellogg for their desire to end Russia's war against Ukraine and achieve a just peace, Ukrinform notes.
Trump plans to meet with Putin in Alaska on August 15.