As the date of his inauguration approached, US President-elect Donald Trump repeated his previous promises that he would put an end to the Ukrainian war, which is nearing its fourth year, saying that he would meet with his Russian counterpart, Russian President Vladimir Putin, “very quickly” after his inauguration next week, while NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned that Ukraine is currently not in a position of strength to start peace negotiations with Russia.
Trump has not set a date for a meeting with Putin
Trump has not set a date for the meeting, which will be the first between the presidents of the two countries since the beginning of Russia’s war with Ukraine in February 2022.
When asked about the strategy to end the war, Trump told News Max,”there is only one strategy, and the decision is in Putin’s hands, and I don’t think he is very happy with the way things turned out, because it wasn’t good for him either”.
He added: I know that he wants us to meet, and the meeting will be very fast. I would have liked to do this sooner… But I have to take over the presidency to get some things done.
Mike Waltz, a member of the US House of Representatives who will take over as national security adviser at the White House, said on Sunday that he expects a call between Trump and Putin in the coming days and weeks.
NATO warns
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned that Ukraine is currently not ready and strong on the ground to start negotiations with Russia.
“Ukraine has not reached this stage yet, because at the moment they (Ukrainians) cannot negotiate from a position of strength,”the Dutch official said in a speech to the European Parliament in Brussels.
“We have to do more to ensure that, by changing the course of this conflict, they will be able to reach this position of power,”he added.
In his speech in Brussels, Rutte called on European deputies to spend more on defense in the face of the Russian threat, beyond the current level, including by reducing a “small part” of social spending in Europe.
“We are safe now, but we will not be safe in 4 or 5 years,”Rutte warned the deputies. In a tone filled with sarcasm, Rutte told the MEPs: “so, if you don’t, start learning Russian, or go to New Zealand”.
Macron, Zelensky and defense support
On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Monday that he discussed with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron the support of Ukraine and the possibility of “deploying units” of foreign military personnel in the country, an idea proposed by Kiev’s allies in recent months.
Zelensky said in his daily speech on social networks: “the conversation was long and very detailed . We discussed defense support, various types of defense, weapons packages for Ukraine,”he said.
He also confirmed that they discussed ” investments in the purchase of missiles for Ukraine, “he said,”We also discussed the deployment of partner units and the training of our army.
Russian refusal
The idea of deploying European troops to Ukraine has been raised several times in recent months, against the background of speculation about the possibility of future peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
The deployment of these units is aimed at ensuring the maintenance of the ceasefire in the event of its occurrence. Zelensky promised last week that the deployment of Western troops in Ukraine “is one of the best tools” to”force Russia to peace”.
Russia rejected this hypothesis, raised by French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish prime minister Donald Tusk in mid-December, calling it “premature”.
Zelensky and Macron discussed on Monday the training of Ukrainian soldiers in France, while the scandal of the “Anne of Kiev” battalion has been rocking since its return to Ukraine last month, after France partially trained and equipped it.
This battalion is witnessing desertions from service, faces suspicions of abuse of authority by its commander, and is currently under investigation by Ukrainian investigators. Zelensky announced in December that a second battalion would be trained in France soon.
Support of Germany
The German defense minister, Boris Pistorius, warned against a retreat in the provision of military support to Ukraine.
At the beginning of talks with 4 of his European counterparts in a suburb of the Polish capital Warsaw, Pistorius said : “We will continue to support Ukraine, as long as it is necessary. This is still valid”.
The minister, who belongs to Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party, added: “the goal is to achieve a just and lasting peace in the end. A peace that will not be negotiated with any party at the expense of the Ukrainians, but will be a just and sustainable peace, and it can be guaranteed,”he said.
Pistorius arrived in the capital Kiev on Tuesday for talks with the Ukrainian government, in a visit that was not announced in advance for security reasons. Upon his arrival, Pistorius told the” DPA ” in Kiev that during the visit he wanted to discuss the strengthening of aid and see the situation of the army.
“It is important for me to show through this visit that we continue to actively support Ukraine, “Pistorius added. “It is a signal that Germany, as the largest NATO member state in Europe, supports Ukraine, “Pistorius said.
