Trump and Zelensky have productive conversations with the Papal Business

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The US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj had a "productive" conversation during the funeral of Pope Francis, while the White House increases its efforts to achieve a peace treaty to terminate the Ukraine War.

productive conversation between Trump and Selenskyj

The communication director of the White House, Steven Cheung, confirmed on Saturday morning in a statement that Trump and Selenskyj had met before the Pope was buried. Cheung said: "Trump and Selenskyj met privately today and had a very productive conversation. Further details about the meeting will follow."

past and tensions between the presidents

Trump and Selenskyj have had since a February, in which the US President sharply criticized the Ukrainian President, no longer spoken personally to each other personally for the American support in his country towards Russia. At this meeting, both Trump and Vice President JD Vance raised the voice and accused Selenskyj to stand in the way of a peace agreement with Russia.

urgency of peace negotiations

The meeting on Saturday took place against the background of increased efforts by the White House to conclude a peace treaty. After his arrival in Rome, Trump expressed that Russia and Ukraine were "very close" in an agreement on the end of the Three Years' War after his special envoy on Friday with President Vladimir Putin, which was described by Moscow as "constructive".

content of the peace negotiations

Kyjiw and Moscow have not directly negotiated with each other since the first few weeks of the Russian invasion in February 2022. Any direct discussions would probably require further discussions and delay diplomacy that Trump administration hoped for. The special envoy Trump, Steve Witkoff, met Putin in Kremlin for three hours on Friday, with the Russian presidential adjutant Yuri Uschakow informed the journalists that the conversations were "constructive and very useful".

different peace suggestions

Witkoff's visit to Russia, his fourth since Trump took office in January, came at a crucial time. The self-imposed time frame of the US President to end the war within the first 100 days of his term. CNN reported that two divergent ideas of a peace agreement are the focus of the latest negotiations: a proposal, supported by Ukraine and its European allies, and another who is advocated by the Trump administration.

Ukrainian and European proposals

A European civil servant who is familiar with the various designs said that the Ukrainian and European proposal provides for an armistice and subsequent discussions about territories, whereby Kiev should receive defense commitments from his allies based on Article 5 of NATO. Witkoff's version, on the other hand, proposed the recognition of the Crimea as Russian by the United States, "robust security guarantees" for Ukraine, the waiver of NATO joining Kiev and the abolition of sanctions against Russia.

reactions to the peace suggestions

The recognition of Russian control over the Crimea, which is the South Ukrainian Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, would exceed a decisive red line for Ukraine and its European allies and reverse around a decade of US foreign policy. Selenskyj rejected the proposal at the beginning of this week and said that there was "nothing to discuss" because such recognition would violate the constitution of Ukraine. After the White House threatened to stop the conversations "within days", if it becomes clear that no agreement can be achieved, the pressure on Ukraine is increasingly greater.

For more information about the attitude of the USA and the future development of peace negotiations, it remains exciting.