Trump Holds Series of Calls With European Leaders
Explains US-Russia Summit Results to Zelensky and Others
Trilateral Summit With Putin and Zelensky Urged Again
According to AFP on August 16 (local time), President Donald Trump of the United States explained the results of the US-Russia summit to European leaders, including President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, through a series of phone calls.
From the left, Donald Trump, President of the United States, and Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine. Photo by AFP Yonhap News
A spokesperson for the European Commission stated on the same day, "President Trump spoke with President Zelensky for over an hour," adding, "He also held calls with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen."
According to the Ukrainian presidential office, President Trump spoke with President Zelensky first, and then held conversations with other European leaders. The White House also confirmed that President Trump had conducted a series of calls.
AFP analyzed that these consecutive calls were intended for President Trump to directly explain the outcome of his summit with President Putin and to discuss future measures.
Bloomberg News, citing sources, reported that President Trump made the calls aboard Air Force One while returning from the summit in Alaska.
The sources said that while European leaders welcomed President Trump’s diplomatic efforts, they once again urged for a trilateral summit involving Trump, Putin, and Zelensky, with the participation of President Zelensky of Ukraine, a party directly involved in the war.
They also reaffirmed that decisions regarding Ukrainian territory should be left to Ukraine, and that the current "line of contact" (the present front line) should serve as the starting point for negotiations.
Furthermore, the European leaders emphasized the need for security guarantees for Ukraine and pledged to continue providing military support to Ukraine, according to the report.
However, Russian state TV channel Vesti, citing Yuri Ushakov, Kremlin foreign policy advisor, reported that the issue of holding a trilateral summit among Putin, Trump, and Zelensky was not discussed during the recent US-Russia summit.
Previously, President Trump held a summit with President Putin in Alaska, which lasted nearly three hours.
After the talks, the two leaders stated in a joint press conference that they had a "productive dialogue," but did not reach an immediate ceasefire agreement.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News immediately after the meeting with Putin, President Trump emphasized that whether a ceasefire in the Ukraine war would be achieved "depends on Zelensky," stating, "Ukraine must agree to the ceasefire terms discussed by the US and Russian leaders. President Zelensky must agree."
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