Western publications are commenting today on the phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
The British newspaper "Telegraph" writes that information about their conversation raises concerns that Ukraine and Europe are remaining on the periphery of the negotiations. It is reported that during the call, which Donald Trump called "extremely productive", he and Vladimir Putin agreed that their teams should start negotiations immediately and if this is indeed the case, this is a big victory for Putin's worldview, the publication adds. According to him, the Russian president has always believed that only those countries that decide the fate of others can be truly sovereign. That is why he always wanted to talk to Washington, not Kiev, about the fate of Ukraine, and anything else would be a humiliation, believes the "Telegraph".
According to another British newspaper, "The Guardian", the rapid development of events has alarmed Europe, as it seems that Putin and Trump are negotiating the future of Europe's security without the participation of European leaders themselves. The rapid start of negotiations with Russia and the open demands that Ukraine cede territory will cause alarm in Kiev and its European allies because the Trump government will offer minimal resistance to Putin's demands in order to conclude a deal as quickly as possible, the publication writes.
The American newspaper "Wall Street Journal" draws attention to the fact that China will also want its position to be taken into account in possible negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. The publication notes that at various times, senior officials in Berlin and Paris have said that China could be a key part of a plan for lasting peace because of the influence it has on Moscow. According to the newspaper, this is why Europe would not completely reject Chinese participation in a peace agreement.
"The Wall Street Journal" cites its own sources, according to which part of China's proposal to facilitate a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine includes Beijing acting as a "guarantor" and sending peacekeeping troops to the region.
The publication adds that fears have grown in Europe about a potential deal between the United States and Russia that ignores Kiev's demands. Any China-led trilateral summit with Putin and Trump is likely to heighten those concerns, with many European officials concerned that Trump could set European interests aside to strike a grand bargain with Beijing, the newspaper said.
The New York Times reported that this was the first confirmed conversation between the leaders of the United States and Russia during Trump's second term, and it came at a time when Trump has made it clear that finding a U.S.-backed end to the war that Russia started is a priority for his administration. The newspaper said the conversation was a significant moment for Putin, marking the collapse of Western efforts to isolate Moscow diplomatically.
According to the Washington Post, Trump had offered Putin major concessions even before the talks had officially begun. Putin has long sought to block Ukraine's path to NATO, and even if Trump had no intention of admitting Kiev into the alliance, he could have kept that option as a bargaining chip, the newspaper said.
Now that President Donald Trump has begun talks to end the war in Ukraine, the big question is whether he will sell out the Ukrainians to achieve peace, the newspaper said. It added that the conciliatory tone of American and Russian statements has led some Ukraine supporters to worry that Trump and Putin may be willing to make a deal without Kiev's participation and with concessions that reward Russian aggression and make Ukraine vulnerable to future attacks. According to the "Washington Post" Trump is right that "no more lives should be lost" in this terrible war, but as president he will be judged on whether he can achieve a fair peace agreement that does not benefit the aggressor.
The German magazine "Spiegel" explains that the Kiev government's nightmare is that Trump could have closer talks with Moscow than with Kiev. The way Trump presents the talks with Putin makes it sound as if he sees himself in the role of a disinterested mediator, rather than the most important supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Putin's aggression, the publication writes. According to him, one of the big questions for Europeans now is how to ensure a possible peace without the United States and without the risk of Putin simply attacking again. This will probably also be a subject of discussion at the Munich Security Conference, which begins tomorrow, believes "Spiegel".