On February 8th of this year, after the phone conversation between the US and Russian presidents was revealed, and following Trump's conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Foreign Ministers of the leading member states of the European Union issued an urgent statement. They were astonished by Trump's peace proposal.
According to the administration of Volodymyr Zelensky, the conversation with Trump was very difficult. Trump told the Ukrainian government to abandon hope of reclaiming the lands occupied by Russia, stating it was far from reality.
Nevertheless, Zelensky expressed his readiness for negotiations. The agreement on natural resources with the US might be signed during the Munich conference on February 14-16, or even earlier, as announced by the President of Ukraine.
The Foreign Ministers of the European Union responded superficially to Trump's proposal for establishing peace in Ukraine, criticizing his suggestion. The chief diplomats expressed their support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and readiness to continue assistance for Kyiv to restore its sovereignty.
«We are ready to increase our support for Ukraine. We declare our support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity against Russia's military aggression. Our common goal is to support Ukraine in achieving a just, comprehensive, and durable peace,” stated the announcement made after consultations by the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, Poland, Italy, Spain, and Great Britain.
The consultation also involved Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga, and the defense ministers of the European Union member states.
«We intend to discuss the next steps with our American allies. Our common goal is to ensure that Ukraine can speak from a position of strength and that Europe can be a participant in these negotiations,” the statement said.
In turn, the US considers the return to Ukraine's borders prior to 2014 as unrealistic, as stated by Pentagon chief Pete Hegset.
Hegset remarked, “Ukraine's membership in NATO cannot be seen as a real outcome of resolving the conflict with Russia through diplomatic means,” according to him. He stated that Europe and other countries should provide security guarantees for Ukraine, the US will not send troops to Europe.
Abdulloh Sayyid
