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Donald Trump appears to be at a difficult crossroads regarding Ukraine, as, on the one hand, Zelensky accuses Putin of "sabotaging" diplomatic efforts for an immediate ceasefire and, on the other, Putin appears to accept the ceasefire as an idea, but only if the agreement results in long-term peace.
According to Politico, the US president wants an immediate end to the war in Ukraine, while Putin seems to want a more detailed discussion. For now, the prospects for a ceasefire are uncertain.
How the US can put pressure on Russia
The US president has little chance of influencing Putin to accept the ceasefire proposal. He himself threatened this week to put economic pressure on Russia if Putin does not agree to a ceasefire:
"I could do things in the economic sector that would be very bad for Russia. I don't want to do that because I want to have peace. From an economic point of view we could do very bad things to Russia. It would be devastating," he stressed.
The point, however, is that Russia has already been punished in every way since it began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. One possible target could be the shadow fleet, which has helped Moscow evade existing sanctions on oil exports.
However, this measure will fail, as it will have a direct impact on American consumers, who are already facing high retail prices, causing another global increase in oil prices.
Washington could also try to extend the ban to Russian financial institutions that use the SWIFT financial transaction processing system, which so far only includes a few Russian banks. But that would be more of an inconvenience than a powerful blow.
The issue of territorial sovereignty is a "thorn"
Zelensky described the issue of territorial sovereignty as "complicated" and said it should be discussed in detail at the next meeting. This statement was made during a press conference in Kiev, where he said that Ukraine will never recognize the occupied territories as Russian.
Ukrainians appear to be on the same page, as a recent poll by the Ukrainian International Institute of Sociology showed that 50% of Ukrainians oppose giving up territory in exchange for peace, a percentage virtually unchanged since last December.
"Putin will prolong the war"
The Ukrainian president participated remotely in a summit of European allies, where he reiterated his belief that Russia's silence on the ceasefire shows that Putin wants to prolong the war.
He also accuses Putin of lying about the situation on the ground, including in the Kursk region, where Russia has said it has recaptured two villages and Ukrainian forces are surrounded.
Zelensky says the military is continuing its operations there and has "stabilized" the situation on the front line in Donetsk. "This is Russia's war - more than three years of fighting and complete destruction," the post on X reads. "To stop this, active pressure is needed, not just talks."
Security guarantees are "key to making peace credible and sustainable," he continues, and "peace will be more credible with European forces on the ground and the American side as a supporting vehicle."
Zelensky concluded his speech by calling not only on Europe and the G7 to unite, but on "countries around the world for the sake of peace," adding that "the world must understand that Russia is the only obstacle to peace."
A delegation was appointed for the negotiations.
Zelensky has formed a "delegation" with the aim of starting negotiations to achieve a "just peace" with Russia, according to a decree made public today.
According to this text, the head of the presidential administration Andriy Yermak, Foreign Minister Andriy Sibikha, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and deputy chief of staff of the presidency Pavlo Palisa will participate in this committee that will discuss with Ukraine's "international partners."
The four officials were part of the Ukrainian delegation to talks held in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday with the US, which resulted in a proposal for a 30-day ceasefire.
The main topic of discussion at the summit of European leaders was Putin's stance on the proposed ceasefire in Ukraine. The leaders believe they must pressure the Russian government to go further to end the war.
During the press conference, Starmer stressed that he "also relies on providing US guarantees so that the 'coalition of the willing' can also provide troops to Ukraine", while going on to say that "the US will not contribute to providing security guarantees".
This is a "big problem" for the prime minister, as is the question of the responsibilities of any potential peacekeeping force. The British prime minister said there would be an operational discussion on Thursday among the members who make up the "coalition of the willing." / Adapted Pamphlet/
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