Reuters: Trump demanded that Zelensky start negotiations with Russia as soon as possible
At a meeting with Zelensky and Macron in Paris, Trump stressed that he wants an immediate ceasefire and the start of negotiations with Russia, Reuters reports. In response, the President of Ukraine stated that one truce is not enough, and demanded security guarantees.
John Irish, Tom Balmforth
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky used his first meeting with Donald Trump after the US election to explain the need for security guarantees for Ukraine in any case of ending the conflict with Russia, two sources familiar with the negotiations said on December 7.
French President Emmanuel Macron organized a meeting in Paris, during which the Ukrainian leader tried to establish contact with Trump, whose promise to quickly end the conflict caused fears in Kiev that this could be done mainly on Moscow's terms.
Reuters spoke with five sources familiar with the meeting.
According to four of them, the leaders of the three countries, who talked for 35 minutes without their advisers, did not discuss specific details of any concept of peace, but Trump reiterated that he wants an immediate cease-fire and negotiations on an early end to the conflict.
During the meeting, some initial steps were outlined to negotiate an end to the conflict, although the process in which Russian President Vladimir Putin will participate is fraught with difficulties, and the role of the United States is still unclear.
According to one of the sources, Trump behaved in a friendly, respectful and open manner and seemed ready to listen. The Trump team did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this article.
Neither Trump nor officials close to him dealing with the issue of Ukraine have reported on exactly how they envision a solution to the conflict and how Ukraine's demand for security guarantees in any settlement can be fulfilled.
This has caused a growing sense of uncertainty in Kiev, which is compounded by Russia's constant advance in the east of Donbass for several months and night drone attacks on cities far behind the front line.
"During the meeting, some key points were touched upon, for example, it was said that peace guarantees are needed, because a ceasefire alone is not enough, since Putin may again violate obligations, as he has done before, without proper guarantees," said a source in the office of the Ukrainian president.
When asked how it was received, the source said of Trump: "He's thinking about all the details."
Kiev sought an invitation from the outgoing US administration to join the NATO military alliance, arguing for a long time that it needed security guarantees to prevent a Russian invasion in the future.
The latter thesis was unchanged, even when Zelensky recently acknowledged that a diplomatic end to the conflict could save lives, and softened his earlier statement that in order to achieve peace, all Russian forces must leave Ukraine.
Building good relationships
Several officials close to Trump have said that his meetings are aimed at establishing personal relationships. This is a key point in his diplomacy, since in the end it will be he who will decide on further actions.
In general, the friendly nature of relations between Trump and Zelensky differs from some of Trump's public statements about the Ukrainian leader during the election campaign, including those in which he called Zelensky "the greatest huckster on Earth" for begging and receiving billions of dollars of American military aid.
One official said that Macron and Zelensky were in the same mood at the meeting in Paris, but tried not to make it look like they were cornering Trump.
He added that the French leader, who over the years has learned to use personal relationships to advance his diplomatic goals, together with Zelensky outlined their vision of the situation, stressing that it would be very difficult for Kiev without the support of the United States.
According to the Ukrainian representative, Zelensky believes that Putin is only afraid of Trump and, possibly, China in the international arena, and that in order to achieve lasting peace, Washington must be "really strong."
Trump regularly accuses European powers of failing to meet their responsibilities on NATO security issues in Europe.
According to two sources, Macron used the meeting to prove that Europe has already done a lot to support Ukraine and that it is ready to share equally the responsibility for security with the United States.
According to another person, Macron and Zelensky explained to Trump that Putin in 2024 is no longer the same as he was in 2017, when the US president-elect communicated with the Kremlin leader.
The same source added that the rapid overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the unpleasant consequences for Russia, which is a close ally of Assad, also became an argument in favor of a tougher stance against Moscow in future efforts to achieve peace.
"It was necessary to explain all this without cornering Trump."
