A “act” meeting according to Emmanuel Macron. At the end of the meeting between several European leaders, Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump in the White House this Monday, August 18, the contours of a summit among the Ukrainian and Russian presidents are emerging to discuss the end of the war in Ukraine. According to the American leader, Vladimir Putin agreed to meet his Ukrainian counterpart, a feeling shared by Volodymyr Zelensky.
A face to face before a meeting with Donald Trump?
However, the details of this historical summit are still lazy. The US president announced that “preparations began” to determine the date, place, participants and discussion issues.
According to Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump supported a “tripartite between the United States, Ukraine and Russia” during his phone call to the Russian leader during the summit with Europeans.
“Vladimir Putin first proposed a bilateral meeting, only between Ukraine and Russia, and then a trilateral meeting, the United States of Ukraine-Russia detailed,” said the Ukrainian president of journalists.
For his part, Emmanuel Macron asked during the meeting at the summit in the White House that Europeans are associated with the discussions between the United States, Russia. “When we talk about security guarantees (for Ukraine), we are talking about the security of the entire European continent,” he said before Donald Trump and the main European leaders.
Finally, this Tuesday, the president said in an interview given to TF1/LCI. which was “determined to a bilateral meeting [Poutine/Zelensky]Then a trilateral and finally a multilateral where Europeans must be around the table. We have acted that we are launching the work process on security guarantees. “
A meeting in two weeks?
It remains to be seen when and where the meeting between the leaders of the two nations in the war will be organized. Donald Trump said he approached “starting the preparations”, but nothing is defined at the moment.
“Donald Trump proposes to organize this meeting as quickly as possible, but for that he takes everyone’s agreement,” said Volodymyr Zelensky at the end of the meeting at the White House.
Faced with journalists, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz explained that a meeting between Russian and Ukrainian presidents “would be held in the next two weeks.” He added in X that “such a summit must be carefully prepared.”
Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, spoke of a trilateral summit “in early September”, with TF1/LCI.
Switzerland, Austria, United States …
As for the place, the question is still thorn. Emmanuel Macron spoke of TF1/LCI the hypothesis of seeing that the summit takes place in neutral territory, such as Switzerland or other country. “I beg for Geneva,” he said.
“The last time there have been bilateral discussions was in Istanbul,” said the French head of state. Austria, due to its constitutional neutrality, is also mentioned by certain geopolitical specialists.
However, difficult for Vladimir Putin to go to Europe due to an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court. Switzerland and Austria are one of the 125 states that recognize the ICC, unlike the United States and Donald Trump, who have always separated from the independent institution. Therefore, an American territory could be chosen for the tripartite meeting, as was the case during the last meeting between Russian and American presidents in Alaska.
The fear of a Russian promise broken
Also in the background, the contours of the summit remain vague. While Russia wants Ukraine to adhere to each of her requests and file the weapons, this solution is unthinkable for kyiv and her European allies.
Volodymyr Zelensky, however, announced that the issue of the territorial concessions required by Russia to Ukraine is “a question that we will leave between Putin and me”, which suggests that this Russian request will be one of the great themes discussed during its head.
After the Trump-Putine summit, the special emissary of the US president, Steve Witkoff, had assured that Russia had made “territorial concessions” with respect to “the five regions” in the eastern country.
In spite of everything, in Ukraine and Europe, many are still cautious. If Vladimir Putin seems to have first accepted to meet his Ukrainian counterpart, he had always rejected the idea categorically, judging Volodymyr illegitimate.
In addition, some remember the promises of the Kremlin head that was never celebrated, as a summit that should take place in 2022 with the French and American presidents, in vain.
Especially because in parallel with diplomatic discussions, Russia continues with force its offensive in Ukraine and nibbles the front line.
Ukraine allies are actively reflecting on their sides to provide “security guarantees” in kyiv, within ten days. Security guarantees that its allies of the former continent would provide Ukraine, in “coordination” with the United States.
According to Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin is ready to accept such security guarantees.
Source: BFM TV
