Trump wants ceasefire deal at Putin summit – Macron

The US president has reportedly also indicated that Ukraine would be included in negotiations on any territorial swaps with Russia

US President Donald Trump has reportedly told Western European leaders that he wants to reach a ceasefire deal in the Ukraine conflict at his upcoming meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, according to France’s Emmanuel Macron.

A video conference was held between Trump and the leaders of Germany, Finland, France, the UK, Italy, Poland, EU officials and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky on Wednesday. The virtual meeting was devoted to discussions of Trump’s summit with Putin in Alaska scheduled for Friday.

Speaking to reporters after the call, Macron stated that the US president had indicated that he intends to “obtain a ceasefire in Ukraine during the meeting with Putin.” Trump also assured the Europeans that any discussions on territorial issues relating to Ukraine would be negotiated with Kiev at the table.

Previously, when announcing the summit with Putin, Trump suggested that a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine would have to include some sort of land swap. Zelensky has rejected the notion of recognizing Russia sovereignty over any of the territories claimed by Kiev, citing limitations imposed by Ukraine’s constitution.

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