Photo: Abaca Press
European and Ukrainian officials are concerned that US President Donald Trump may soon withdraw from the peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow, using the lack of significant progress as a reason to end his involvement. This was reported by the Financial Times, citing several informed sources.
According to sources, Trump is ready to declare that “his mission is accomplished”, citing minimal achievements in his first 100 days in office. The US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire has not yet found support, and the Kremlin has rejected the idea of a full truce, demanding international recognition of its control over five regions of Ukraine.
Brussels fears that Trump is “creating the conditions for a withdrawal from the negotiations”, leaving Europe to face the consequences alone. American officials are already “worried that they may return from Moscow empty-handed” and are considering compromises to fit in with the president’s fast political pace.
Official Kyiv, for its part, is preparing for a potential curtailment of American involvement in the negotiations by increasing arms production and intensifying contacts with European allies regarding future assistance.
As a reminder, Donald Trump has repeatedly promised to “end the war in 24 hours”, but no real breakthrough has been achieved. According to Oleksandr Merezhko, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on International Affairs, “a loss of interest on the part of the United States is the worst-case scenario”, which Putin could perceive as tacit consent to further escalation.
