Europe does not believe in Trump's success. However, he needs it to tighten sanctions

European leaders do not believe in the success of the US President Donald Trump's peace mission in the case of Ukraine, but they hope that the talks will show him that the Russian leader Vladimir Putin does not want peace, which will make Washington to exacerbate sanctions – said Politico.

“European leaders believe that they cannot lose on it. They will be delighted if it turns out that they are wrong and the US president will manage to negotiate the end of the war in Ukraine with strong security guarantees, but, basically, they mean to expose the dualness of the Russian leader and lobby for exacerbation of sanctions,” reads Politico.

The portal emphasized that the world leader, who put the most effort in preventing the war in Ukraine through a diplomatic dialogue with Putin, was French President Emmanuel Macron. The website pointed out that it is Macron that now is the loudest that Putin does not care about peace, but about the destruction of independent, democratic Ukraine.

According to five diplomats, which the portal talked to the Tuesday consultations of European leaders, “Presidents, prime ministers and ambassadors generally agree with Macron”: with deep skepticism they look at Putin's negotiations in good faith, but they think that Washington decides to punish Russia, if he comes out, if ” Putin is an obstacle on the road to the room. “

According to European leaders, American sanctions are crucial for the peace process. Many of them emphasize that Putin prompted to talk to Trump in Alaska just incurring duties of Indy for the import of Russian oil. “A radical next step would be to exacerbate the sanctions to suppress Russia's key trade with China,” says Politico.

One of the diplomats told the portal that Europeans support the American peace initiative, “because it will be a clear test of Russian intentions.” Another estimated that security guarantees would help Ukraine “negotiate from the position of strength”, and thanks to the sanctions “we will have a pressure on Putin.”

Another diplomat, however, noticed that the problem is that nobody knows how Putin imagines the final game. “What will make Putin to make concessions?” He admitted.

Politico emphasized that the Kremlin's reaction to the next round of negotiations was “evasive”. The head of Russian diplomacy Sergei Ławrow said that he did not reject talks with Ukraine, but such a peak would have to be prepared “step by step, gradually, starting from the expert level.” Putin proposed a peak in Russia. (PAP)

MW/ Szm/