Trump works on a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelensky: ‘If needed, I’ll be there’

The US president cancels his holidays to push for peace talks. Meanwhile, new waves of Russian attacks in Ukraine.

The talks – Donald Trump has confirmed that Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky ‘are in the process’ of organising a bilateral meeting. ‘For now, I think it’s better if they meet without me, but if necessary, I’ll go,’ the US president said in a radio interview. The White House has announced that Trump has cancelled his August holiday in Bedminster, preferring to remain in Washington to follow the negotiations. ‘He’s a man on a mission, he wants to move quickly,’ said spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.

After his face-to-face meeting with Putin in Alaska and talks at the White House with Zelensky and various European leaders, Trump is now aiming for a bilateral meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents, which could be followed by a trilateral meeting with his participation.

Russian raids – While diplomacy is underway, the conflict remains heated. During the night, a drone attack hit the Izmail district in the Odessa region, causing fires and damage to port infrastructure. One person was injured. In the Sumy region, in Okhtyrka, a Russian raid left at least 14 people injured, including three young children. The regions of Donetsk, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Poltava were also hit, according to Zelensky, who reported the use of over 60 drones and a ballistic missile.

The Ukrainian president reiterated the need to keep up the pressure on Moscow: “New sanctions and tariffs are needed until diplomacy is fully effective”.

Reactions – On the possible location of the meeting between Putin and Zelensky, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk expressed his opposition in Budapest: “Perhaps not everyone remembers that in 1994 Ukraine already had guarantees of territorial integrity with the Budapest Memorandum. This time I would look for another place,” he commented.

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