Putin’s offer of talks without preconditions – made late Sunday – came as Britain, France, Germany and Poland jointly visited Kyiv to demand a 30‑day ceasefire that was to serve as a yardstick for tougher U.S. measures against Russia.
Their aim, officials said, was to show Trump that Moscow was “stalling” and leave him no political alternative but to back Senator Lindsey Graham’s bipartisan sanctions package.
Trump’s online intervention
Instead, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that Kyiv should sit down with Putin “right away” and that he was “starting to doubt that Ukraine will make a deal.”
European foreign‑policy chiefs meeting in London on Monday publicly repeated that no real negotiations are possible without a verified ceasefire, but privately conceded Trump’s statement removed the leverage they hoped to build over the White House, three diplomats told Reuters.
Sanctions timetable slips
- United Kingdom – had drafted additional measures against Russia’s so‑called “shadow fleet” but postponed an announcement “until the diplomatic picture clears,” a British official said.
- European Union – will press ahead with a 14th package later this month unless a ceasefire is in place by day‑end, a German government spokesman said.
- United States – fresh sanctions seen as the “game‑changer” remain on hold; U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be in Turkey for a NATO meeting that coincides with the mooted talks.
Will Putin show up?
The Kremlin has not confirmed the Russian leader’s attendance. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said only that Moscow is engaged in a “serious search” for a lasting settlement and rejected EU “ultimatums.”
Trump told reporters he might “detour” to Istanbul “if I believe my presence could help.”
What each side wants
Russia’s public demands still include a bar on NATO membership for Ukraine and recognition of its annexation of four south‑eastern regions, while Kyiv insists on the restoration of its 1991 borders and legal security guarantees.
The two delegations last met in Istanbul in March 2022, when a draft deal collapsed amid mutual accusations of back‑tracking.
EU officials said if Thursday’s talks fail or Putin refuses the 30‑day truce, they will renew pressure on Washington to conclude that Moscow—not Kyiv—is blocking a deal, clearing the way for the harsher U.S. sanctions they believe are needed to shift the Kremlin’s calculus.
(jh)
Source: The Guardian, Financial Times