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Ukraine-Russia summit: Trump pushes for a quick agreement

Bilateral meeting between Zelensky and Putin and trilateral meeting with Trump scheduled for mid-September

Following the summit at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders, Donald Trump outlines the next steps towards a possible end to the war in Ukraine. The goal, while ambitious, remains complex: difficult issues remain to be resolved, from security guarantees for Kiev to the deep differences between Moscow and Kiev.

According to reports, it was Vladimir Putin himself who proposed a meeting, preferring a face-to-face meeting “alone” and indicating Moscow as the venue. However, Zelensky rejected this proposal, accepting a bilateral or trilateral summit, but not on Russian territory. Among the options put forward, Geneva appears to be favored by France and Italy, while the White House is reportedly considering Budapest for a possible trilateral meeting with Trump’s participation.

Negotiations on the date are continuing: the summit could be held by the end of August, in about fifteen days. Trump is pushing to speed up negotiations and has made it clear that it will be ‘them’ who will have to make crucial decisions, with implicit reference to possible territorial exchanges. During the meeting in the Oval Office, Zelensky showed detailed maps to highlight the risks associated with Russian demands on Donetsk, comparing the concessions to a hypothetical cession of eastern Florida by the United States.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed the need for both sides to be willing to make concessions, while Trump opened up the possibility of providing aid in terms of air defense, but ruled out sending American troops to Ukraine. Kiev continues to demand a Western military presence and more solid binding guarantees than those provided in the past, avoiding an agreement similar to the 1994 Budapest agreement, which is considered insufficient.

According to Trump, the origins of the conflict date back to the transfer of Crimea to Putin under the Obama administration, described as “the worst real estate deal I’ve ever seen,” which led to Russia’s subsequent actions against Ukraine.

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