Why are Europe and Ukraine afraid of the Trump-Putin phone call?
Europe and Ukraine seem to be in a state of suspense every time there is a phone call between leaders Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
According to RT, citing the Washington Post, there is "growing concern" among Ukrainian leaders regarding upcoming meetings between the Russian and American leaders.
"President Trump has made clear that he will discuss with President Putin the terms of ending the conflict in Ukraine, but Kiev and Moscow's positions remain far apart on what constitutes a fair deal," the Washington Post noted.
According to this source, Mr. Zelensky and his team are concerned that the outcome of the negotiations may not be in their favor.
"President Zelensky and his aides want to ensure that the negotiations between Putin and Trump do not put Ukraine in a fait accompli situation that they cannot accept," the newspaper's source stressed.
Sky News reported that Ukraine is concerned that any peace deal proposed by Moscow and Washington will essentially be a "take it or leave it" deal.
“In that case, Kiev may give up. The conflict will continue, the Americans will stop participating, and the situation in Ukraine will become extremely difficult,” the TV channel said.
Against this backdrop, Ukraine’s European allies are trying to put pressure on President Trump. According to the Financial Times, they are concerned that the US President may reach a deal with the Kremlin that does not take into account Ukraine’s interests. On this issue, the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Italy have called Mr. Trump to exchange opinions.
A British government spokesman told Reuters that the talks included discussions about new sanctions, "if Russia is not serious about a ceasefire and peace talks".
"President Putin must show his desire for peace by accepting the unconditional 30-day ceasefire proposed by President Trump and supported by Ukraine and Europe," French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media.
Kiev and its European allies are also concerned that President Donald Trump will pull out of the process altogether if a quick solution cannot be reached.
“This would halt or reduce US military support for Ukraine, giving Moscow an even greater advantage on the battlefield,” the Financial Times noted.
“The current US administration does not want to take Europe and Ukraine into account, because they are losing. Moreover, President Trump understands that if he accepts the conditions of the European hawks, he will not be able to agree on anything with Russia and consider himself a peacekeeper,” Russian political scientist Malek Dudakov told RT.
Notably, the US is quite optimistic about the upcoming high-level contacts. Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, told ABC News in an interview: "I think President Trump thinks it's important to talk to President Putin on the phone, and believes that this will help change the situation in some way and achieve what we need to achieve."
Political scientist Vladimir Kornilov believes that the upcoming contacts between Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin are causing concern in Ukraine and Europe because of fears that the Russian leader will be able to convince the head of the White House of the futility of continuing to support the Zelensky administration.
