"UK Urges EU to Refrain from Remarks Unhelpful to Peace Talks"
Concerns Grow Over Ukraine's Exclusion from Trump-Putin Negotiations
Fears Mount That Outcome May Favor Russia
Reports have emerged that the UK government is urging the European Union (EU) to refrain from making comments about the Ukraine war that could provoke US President Donald Trump. According to Yonhap News on August 12 (local time), the British newspaper The Telegraph reported that a source familiar with UK and EU affairs claimed, "The UK side is encouraging EU leaders to avoid making remarks that would not help peace negotiations."
According to Yonhap News, the source also stated, "Unlike other European countries, (the UK) does not make demands of the United States publicly," adding, "Many of the ways Europeans act can irritate the US, and if they cross the red line, it will annoy Trump." In other words, the UK is advising against making any public statements that could upset President Trump. The Telegraph assessed that this approach is consistent with the stance UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has maintained so far.
In fact, at the end of February, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was involved in a diplomatic incident at the White House after clashing with President Trump, EU leaders rushed to express their support for President Zelensky on social media. At the time, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas criticized on social media, saying, "The free world needs a new leader (other than the United States)." Former French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin remarked, "We can no longer consider the United States as Europe's ally," and pointed out, "Now we have three non-liberal superpowers: Russia, China, and the United States."
However, Prime Minister Starmer did not make any public statements of support. Instead, he made a series of phone calls in an attempt to mediate between President Trump and President Zelensky, and this effort has been positively evaluated as having some effect on subsequent conversations between the two leaders.
President Trump is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 15 to discuss a plan to end the war in Ukraine. Although Ukraine itself has not been invited to the meeting, which has sparked controversy, President Trump has stated that he will meet with President Zelensky after his talks with Russia. Some observers are skeptical about the prospects for Ukraine and the EU to achieve their goals of territorial integrity, postwar security guarantees, and NATO membership.
In response, senior EU officials are publicly pressuring the United States during the talks to consider Ukraine's position. On this day, 26 out of 27 EU member states, excluding Hungary, issued a "Statement by EU Leaders on Ukraine," urging respect for international law, including the principles of independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. High Representative Kallas emphasized, "As long as Russia does not agree to a complete and unconditional ceasefire, we must not discuss any concessions," adding, "It is important to maintain transatlantic unity."
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