Foreign ministry official: Putin showed no signs of backing down
Since the summit in Alaska gave no impression that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is willing to make even the slightest concessions, Ukraine's allies must continue to apply pressure on Russia as the aggressor, Foreign Ministry Secretary General Jonatan Vseviov said on ETV's "Aktuaalne kaamera."
Can Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin be satisfied with themselves after the meeting?
No, I don't think they can. The only measure that really matters is how the war ends. It's far too early to throw in the towel or pop open the champagne — even for Putin, I believe — though of course, our main concern is how Ukraine and Europe have reason to see this.
We've been in close consultation with our allies around the clock, reviewing what leaders have said publicly, and to be frank, I see no sign that Putin has made any concessions. So we repeat our position as well: the path to a just and lasting peace runs through pressuring the aggressor and supporting the victim.
European leaders have spoken with both Trump and Zelenskyy. What is being proposed to Zelenskyy, what has been agreed upon and what will be done on Monday (at the meeting with Trump in Washington)?
The main focus for Europeans has been to make sure the pressure doesn't shift from the aggressor onto the victim. The pressure must remain on the aggressor. And it's not just about going to America to ask for support — we also need to take our own steps and quickly begin preparing the next packages of sanctions. That is within our power.
Second, Zelenskyy must be supported diplomatically so that it doesn't end up with him being forced into specific concessions in exchange for something vague and general. Because, as Putin made clear, he has not changed his goals, and there is no kind of trade — exchanging territory for peace — written in the stars or mapped out anywhere.
The Financial Times reports that Putin demanded Ukraine withdraw from Donetsk Oblast and in return he might agree to freeze the front line in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia counties.
We've heard such hints as well, but we also heard Putin himself talking about addressing so-called root causes, referring back to the proposals he made in early 2022 and late 2021. We remember those proposals very well and have always said the same thing: they have not changed. They amount to turning Europe's entire security architecture upside down and we have repeatedly responded that these are completely unacceptable. Just as it is unacceptable, for example, for Estonia to recognize border changes brought about by force of arms.
One interesting development over the past 24 hours — or at least a sign that something may be changing — has to do with security guarantees. It is crucial that allies, including the United States, offer Ukraine commitments in the clearest possible terms about what they are prepared to do the moment the guns fall silent.
What kind of guarantees are these — weapons?
In the long run, there's no doubt that the only real security guarantee in this part of the world is NATO membership. But NATO cannot be expanded overnight. So there has to be something as close to NATO membership as possible. Weapons — of course. Support for strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities as well. But also a promise to defend Ukraine if Russia were to break the agreements now being made, because let's not forget — there's hardly an agreement that Putin hasn't violated in the past few years.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski, Marko Tooming
