4 days ago
10
United States President Donald Trump has confirmed helium volition conscionable with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin connected August 15 successful Alaska to sermon efforts to extremity the warfare successful Ukraine
But, Trump added, immoderate bid woody would impact “some swapping” of territory, a arguable prospect.
“We are going to person a gathering with Russia. We’ll commencement disconnected with Russia,” helium said connected Friday, arsenic helium hosted leaders from Armenia and Azerbaijan astatine the White House.
Trump offered fewer details connected what, if anything, had changed successful his months-long effort to bring astir a woody to extremity Russia’s invasion.
Still, helium suggested immoderate breakthrough would necessitate the speech of territory.
“It’s precise complicated. But we’re going to get immoderate back, and we’re going to get immoderate switched. There’ll beryllium immoderate swapping of territories to the betterment of both, but we’ll beryllium talking astir that either later, oregon tomorrow,” helium said.
Ukraine and its European allies person agelong opposed immoderate statement that involves ceding occupied territory — including Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — to Russia.
But Putin has repeatedly said that immoderate woody indispensable necessitate Ukraine to relinquish immoderate of the territories Russia has seized since 2014.
He has besides called for a intermission to Western assistance for Ukraine and an extremity to Kyiv’s efforts to articulation the NATO subject alliance.
Questions astir the meeting’s location
Still, the imaginable of Trump gathering Putin has raised logistical questions successful caller days, peculiarly since the Russian person faces an apprehension warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Prosecutors person sought his apprehension for alleged warfare crimes perpetrated successful Ukraine, and Putin’s question done immoderate ICC subordinate countries could effect successful his detention.
The US, however, is not an ICC subordinate and does not recognise the court’s authority.
While the Kremlin had antecedently floated the anticipation of gathering successful the United Arab Emirates, different non-member, Trump announced connected Friday successful a Truth Social post that helium would invited Putin to the US northernmost state, Alaska.
The state’s mainland sits astir 88 kilometers — oregon 55 miles — distant from Russia crossed the Bering Strait, and immoderate smaller islands are adjacent closer.
Friday’s announcement came connected the aforesaid time arsenic a deadline that Trump had imposed connected Russia to scope a ceasefire passed without immoderate caller agreement.
In caller weeks, Trump had grown progressively frustrated with Russia implicit the country’s continued attacks connected Ukraine and its evident unwillingness to travel to an accord.
The August 15 gathering is slated to be the archetypal tete-a-tete betwixt the 2 leaders since 2019, during Trump’s archetypal term.
‘Great progress’
Trump had broken with decades of diplomatic precedent by seeming to clasp Putin during overmuch of his clip successful the White House.
Earlier this year, for instance, Trump appeared to cull Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy successful favour of Putin. He besides blamed Ukraine’s ambitions of joining NATO for provoking Russia’s full-scale penetration of its territory successful February 2022.
“Putin went done a hellhole of a batch with me,” Trump yelled astatine 1 constituent during a confrontational gathering with Zelenskyy broadcast from the White House successful February.
But Trump has positioned himself arsenic a self-described “peacemaker”, and his inability to bring the Ukraine warfare to a adjacent has go a root of resentment betwixt him and Putin.
At the aforesaid time, helium took an initially permissive attack to Putin, but has since expressed increasing vexation with the Russian person amid Russia’s continued attacks.
Last week, Trump denounced Russia’s renewed attacks connected Kyiv. “I deliberation it’s disgusting what they’re doing. I deliberation it’s disgusting,” helium said.
He besides demanded that Russia intermission its attacks oregon look caller sanctions and secondary tariffs connected cardinal trading partners.
On Wednesday, Trump appeared to statesman to marque bully connected that threat, raising tariffs connected Indian goods to 50 percent successful effect to its acquisition of Russian oil.
Still, this week, Trump hailed “great progress” successful the bid negotiations arsenic his peculiar envoy, Steve Witkoff, visited Putin successful Moscow.
But arsenic of Friday, the day of the caller deadline, nary caller US actions oregon Russian capitulations had been announced.
Some analysts person argued that Putin is intentionally teasing retired talks to widen the war.
It remains unclear if Trump’s mercurial attack has meaningfully changed the ceasefire equation since helium took office.
Source:
Al Jazeera and quality agencies
English (US) ·