Donald Trump. Photo: Getty Images

Senior officials from the United States, Ukraine and several European countries are planning to meet this weekend in the United Kingdom to coordinate their positions ahead of the scheduled meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Source: Axios, citing three informed sources

Details: The sources said the idea to hold an in-person meeting in the UK had arisen during a video conference between US, Ukrainian and European officials on Friday 8 August.

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Ukraine and some NATO allies are concerned that Trump might agree to Putin’s terms without taking their positions into account.

Trump held a phone conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several European leaders on Wednesday 6 August to update them on the outcome of his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff”s meeting with Putin.

Axios reported that Witkoff had told the participants that Putin is willing to end the war if Ukraine agrees to cede Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts as well as Crimea.

Sources said that at least some participants in the call had concluded that Putin is also willing to give up claims to the partially occupied territories in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. However, Witkoff clarified during another video conference with senior Ukrainian and European officials the next day that Putin had only agreed to freeze Russia’s current positions in those areas.

Ukrainian officials say they do not fully understand the details of the Russian proposal or the US position.

One Ukrainian representative told Axios that even if Zelenskyy agrees to Putin’s demands, he would be forced to announce a referendum since, under the Ukrainian constitution, he cannot cede territory.

Background:

  • The meeting between Trump and Putin is scheduled to take place on 15 August in Alaska, with both sides confirming the date and location.

  • On 8 August, Trump said during a White House briefing that a peace deal on the Russia-Ukraine war should be expected to include “some swapping of territories”.

  • Earlier, Axios reported that on 7 August Witkoff planned to inform representatives from Ukraine, Finland, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom about the results of his talks with Putin.

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