There have been growing fears in European capitals regarding the possibility that the American President, Donald Trump, will withdraw from the peace negotiations for Ukraine, due to the lack of progress, the international press reports, citing European officials.
US Ambassador to NATO that Trump may abandon peace efforts. PHOTO: AFP
According to them, the American leader could put the responsibility of the failure on the shoulders of Kiev and the European states.
“Endless war is becoming a growing political burden for him,” sources told CNN.
At the same time, the Wall Street Journal notes, based on information from inside the EU, that disagreements between the US, Ukraine and Russia may require “weeks or months” to be resolved, given the complexity of the points in the peace plan.
“We know that Americans want quick results. On the other hand, it's hard to imagine how, given the complexity of the issues being discussed, we could get quick results,” a European official told the quoted source.
At the same time, according to the Financial Times, Trump would have given Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “a few days” to accept the American peace plan, while the leader of the White House hopes to finalize an agreement by Christmas.
A source in Kiev, cited by RBC-Ukraine, confirmed the pressure exerted by Washington, but without setting a firm deadline.
Three key points are blocking the progress of the negotiations
The peace plan proposed by the US in mid-November contains 28 points and was discussed with Kiev and Moscow. Sources of the Wall Street Journal state that three aspects remain controversial: possible territorial concessions by Ukraine, the prospect of Kyiv joining NATO, but also the use of frozen Russian assets for the reconstruction of Ukraine.
According to Axios.com, the US would have increased the pressure on Zelenski, asking him to quickly accept the plan. In response, the Ukrainian president announced that he would submit an updated version of his own peace proposal — a 20-point document — to Washington on December 10 after consultations with European leaders.
In this tense context, the US ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, warned that Donald Trump could abandon mediation efforts if he concludes that an agreement between Kiev and Moscow is not possible at this time.
