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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
REUTERSThe Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is not willing to negotiate acceptable terms to end the war, so Europe fears that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump will try to strike a deal with the Kremlin at Ukraine’s and other European states’ expense, according to Financial Times, citing informed sources.
The concern was sparked by Trump’s statements after his meeting at the White House with Kirill Dmitriev, the envoy of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin at the negotiations. The American leader said that the parties are working on a broad agreement that will pertain not only to Ukraine, but to all of Europe.
Later, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner clarified on X that the United States aims to develop practical mechanisms to account for the security interests of all sides. Among the possible outcomes, he named the creation of a long-term system of European security and stability.
However, such plans were met with little enthusiasm in the European Union. European officials fear that Russia will use the negotiations to revisit the existing security order and limit the sovereignty of neighboring NATO member states.
One European official called Kushner’s report entirely unexpected. According to him, talks about the future of European security should not run in parallel with discussions on ending the war against Ukraine.
FT sources also remain skeptical about the tripartite meeting of representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the United States next week in Abu Dhabi. They do not believe a real ceasefire can be reached, as Putin evidently intends to weaken Ukraine with winter strikes on energy infrastructure and other critically important facilities.
In the view of European diplomats, Moscow is shifting the negotiating focus from territorial questions to security guarantees to buy more time for prolonging the war.
According to one of the interviewees, the Russian dictator is considering airstrikes on Ukraine as revenge for Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries and commercial warehouses in Russia this summer.
“I will destroy all your infrastructure until you agree. By next year there will be no infrastructure left in Ukraine. All bridges, ports, railways, energy infrastructure, power plants… will be destroyed,” said an unnamed FT interlocutor describing Putin’s position.
According to sources, Moscow may use the issue of Western security guarantees for Kyiv as a pretext to demand additional territorial concessions from Ukraine beyond the Donbas.
War in Ukraine: The diplomatic dimension.
As UNIAN wrote, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Europe must participate in future negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine, especially when discussing security issues. At the same time, he asserts that European countries have not yet agreed on a common position and have not decided who will represent them at negotiations.
Meanwhile, former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin believes that even after Republicans lose control of Congress, Donald Trump will retain key influence on U.S. foreign policy and may increase pressure on Ukraine regarding peace talks. In his view, Trump understands the difficulty of pressuring Putin, so he will focus on Ukraine.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Путін руйнуватиме мости, порти та електростанції, доки Київ не здастся, - Financial Times". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: UNIAN.
