Trump says Ukraine will enter talks with Russia under pressure from Kiev and EU

(CLO) US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Ukraine will join peace talks with Russia, after Kiev and the European Union said they could not be excluded from the process.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Mr Trump said Ukraine would have a seat at any peace talks with Russia on ending the war.

“They are part of it. We will have Ukraine, we will have Russia, and we will have others involved, a lot of others,” the US president said.

Ukraine and the EU have urged not to be excluded from any peace talks on the conflict, after Mr Trump spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and announced the start of the negotiation process.

In an interview published on February 13, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stressed: "It is impossible to discuss anything about Ukraine without Ukraine, or about Europe without Europe."

He affirmed that Ukraine is steadfast in its path to joining NATO, considering this the most effective security guarantee option and does not accept any compromise that affects the country's territorial integrity or sovereignty.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha‎. Photo: Facebook/andrij.sybiha

After a more than hour-long phone call between Trump and Putin on February 12, the US president announced that he would start negotiations immediately, while rejecting the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO, a stance that shocked European leaders, who fear that any agreement on Ukraine would directly affect their security.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned: "Peace in Europe is under threat, that's why we, Europeans, need to step in." Sharing the same view, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu stressed that Europe's motto of "peace through strength" cannot be replaced by "peace through weakness."

The foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany issued a joint statement after a meeting in Paris, also insisting that Europe must be involved in any negotiations regarding Ukraine.

A European diplomatic source said that ministers would engage in “frank and challenging dialogue” with US officials in Munich. Europe is also particularly concerned about the US’s expectation that Europe will provide security guarantees for any deal, which could mean deploying European troops to Ukraine.

"There is no other choice but for us to be at the negotiating table, because Europe plays a key role in implementing those security guarantees," said Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans.

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte tried to downplay disagreements within the alliance, stressing that all sides wanted peace in Ukraine as soon as possible and a lasting peace agreement.

Hoai Phuong (according to Reuters, Politico, Sky News)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/ong-donald-trump-noi-ukraine-se-tham-gia-dam-phan-voi-nga-truoc-suc-ep-tu-kiev-va-eu-post334409.html