Europe was confused after information that Trump planned to meet with Putin
European officials felt confused and perplexed after learning that US President Donald Trump plans to meet with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by The Washington Post with reference to an unnamed European official.
Despite all his bravado, Trump has not put any pressure on Putin – yet. Zero, nothing," the source said.
At the same time, an unnamed Ukrainian official told the publication that Kyiv is trying to remain optimistic about the meeting between Trump and Putin, hoping that the Kremlin leader is considering a partial ceasefire that would halt airstrikes on Ukraine.
"In general, we all understand that ending the war depends entirely on Trump. As a first step, it would be good if a partial ceasefire were announced – everything except the line of contact," the interlocutor noted.
According to him, there are signals from non-public sources that Russia is ready for an agreement.
"However, trust between the parties has been completely destroyed," the official added.
He noted that talks of a partial ceasefire may be nothing more than a tactical move by Russia to appease Trump and give him a political victory ahead of the midterm elections.
Such an agreement would not end the war, but it would give Trump the opportunity to say something like, "I stopped the daily killing of hundreds of innocent civilians," the source added.
Officially, representatives of the European Union have expressed skepticism about Putin's intentions.
"It is quite clear that Russia is not interested in peace as such, as we see this in its actions, not in its words," EU foreign affairs spokeswoman Anita Gipper said on Thursday.
