In an interview with state Russian television on Friday, President Vladimir Putin says he is “ready” for talks with US President Donald Trump about Ukraine.
– On the issue of negotiations, we have always said – and I want to emphasize this again – that we are ready for negotiations on the Ukrainian issue.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismisses Putin’s overtures as an attempt to manipulate Trump’s efforts to achieve peace. He says that on Friday in his daily video speech. Zelensky recently praised Trump for his willingness to “bring a just end to the war.”
Andriy Jermak, chief of staff at the Ukrainian presidential office, also opposes Putin’s idea of negotiations with the United States:
“He wants to negotiate the fate of Europe – without Europe. And he tries to talk about Ukraine – without Ukraine. It won’t happen. Putin himself must return to reality,” writes Jermak on Telegram.
The expert: Wants to come in from the cold
Fredrik Löjdquist, director of the Center for Eastern European Studies at the Foreign Policy Institute, sees several reasons behind Putin’s tribute to Trump.
– Putin sees Trump as an opportunity he can use to come back in from the cold and be accepted as an equal partner, to be seen as part of the solution rather than the problem, says Löjdquist in Current.
He believes that Putin now sees opportunities to enforce his goals to subjugate Ukraine and redraw the security policy map in Europe. He also believes that Putin is striving to bring about direct talks between Russia and the United States over Ukraine and Europe.
– But the question is what could actually be agreed upon. Putin has clear goals and knows what he wants. I don’t think Trump knows what he wants in substance either with Ukraine or the ramifications of it. The question for us in Europe is whether we know what we want.
Löjdquist fears that Trump may agree to speak directly with Putin.
– Trump is very determined that he a settlement of some kind. I think they will meet but that does not mean that it will quickly lead to negotiations on the substance or that negotiations will get anywhere.