Zelenskyy, Macron and Putin, December 2019
Macron also confident. Russia says contacts between Europeans and Trump are insignificant – while intensifying attacks.
Friday’s summit among US presidents, Donald Trump, and Russia, Vladimir Putin, will be held in military base From Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, the White House announced.
The military enclave located in northern Anchorage is considered the only place in Alaska that meets the security requirements for a meeting of the magnitude of the one on Friday.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy Espera that this meeting leads to a ceasefire in the war between Russia and Ukraine. “We talked about the meeting at Alaska and hoped there will be a ceasefire,” said Zelenskyy, after the video conferencing with German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and Trump, a dialogue that occurred after European leaders also attended a virtual meeting.
Those European leaders are “wonderful people,” said the US president. “I will talk to European leaders in a moment. They are wonderful people who want to reach an agreement,” Trump wrote on social networks.
In addition to Zelensky and Trump, the president of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, European Council Chairman António Costa, and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte will also participate.
Emmanuel Macron is also confident. The president of France has already spoken to Donald Trump and, after this conversation, said that The will of the United States “is to get a ceasefire” in Ukraine.
“Territorial issues that fall on the jurisdiction of Ukraine cannot be negotiated; they will be negotiated only by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy,” the French head of state added.
“There are no serious territorial exchange plans on the table today,” said Macron.
“Insignificant”
Russia has devalued these consultations from European leaders with Donald Trump to try to convince the president of the United States to defend Ukraine’s interests during the meeting with Vladimir Putin.
“We consider that the consultations requested by Europeans are a political action and practically insignificant ”, Said Russian Foreign Ministry Deputy Director of Information Director Alexei Fadeyev.
Alexei Fadeyev accused the European Union of sabotaging Russian and United States efforts to resolve the Ukraine crisis, invaded by Russian troops in February 2022.
“Verbally, Europeans support the diplomatic efforts of Washington and Moscow to solve the Ukrainian crisis, but in reality the European Union is the sabotá-los ”, He said, without having to.
According to Fadeyev, the Alaska meeting “should allow leaders to focus on solving all accumulated problems, starting with the Ukrainian crisis and ending the obstacles that prevent the normal functioning of bilateral dialogue.”
As for a possible “Exchange of territories” With Ukraine in peace negotiations, Fadeyev stated that “the territorial structure of the Russian Federation is consecrated in the Constitution”, in a clear refusal of Moscow to discuss the issue.
“Therefore, the objectives of the Russian delegation in the negotiations in Alasca will be dictated exclusively by national interests“He said.
Fadeyev also announced that Russian diplomacy chief Serguei Lavrov will attend the meeting between Putin and Trump at Alaska.
Biggest advance in more than a year
However, the Russia intensified operations in Ukraine, where Record advance in more than a year.
The Russian forces captured two locations northeast of the city of Pokrovsk, An important logistics center for Donetsk, announced the Russian Ministry of Defense.
According to an analysis by the France-Presse news agency (AFP) to data from the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the Russian forces made the greater advance in 24 hours for over a year.
Russia claimed to have won more 110 square kilometers Until Tuesday than the day before, something that has not happened since the end of May 2024.
In recent weeks, it was usually necessary six days to make such progress, according to AFP.
