Discussion Between Zelensky and Trump Encompassed Topics of Sanctions against Moscow and Air Defense
In a significant development, the Ukraine Contact Group, comprising of European leaders and allies, held a summit in Paris today to discuss security guarantees for Ukrainian authorities. The E5 format, which includes Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, and Poland, was the primary force driving these discussions. The United States also expressed its willingness to participate in supporting the decisions taken by the group.
The discussions focused on various options, with the most important being pressure, including energetic and economic measures, to prevent a new Moscow aggression. The security guarantees, if agreed upon, would be present on land, at sea, or in the air, with a particular emphasis on strengthening Ukraine's defense, especially its air defense, amid ongoing Russian attacks.
The group also emphasised the maximum protection of Ukrainian skies. French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the group offered security guarantees to Ukrainian authorities. However, these conditions, which include Kyiv renouncing Western support and NATO membership, have been met with criticism from Ukrainian President, Zelensky, who considers them unacceptable.
Kyiv, instead, claims an immediate ceasefire as a starting point for a peace agreement. Macron, in response, stated that the force has no intention or objective of starting any war against Russia. The discussions come more than three years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and proposals for a peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv have failed.
Elsewhere, the leaders of Russia, China, and North Korea were received with full honors in China during a grand military parade to commemorate the end of World War II. Donald Trump, during the same period, urged European leaders to exert economic pressure on China due to its support for Russia's war effort. Trump also stated that Europe should stop buying Russian oil.
However, the United States has not taken similar measures against China, which also imports large quantities of Russian oil. Trump has accused Chinese leader Xi Jinping of conspiring with Russian and North Korean leaders, but he has yet to reveal his next decisions regarding his mediation attempts between Ukraine and Russia.
For more information about the security guarantees for Ukraine, please refer to our article titled "Ukraine: Here's what we know about security guarantees."
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