Trump is losing interest in talks on Ukraine, with US attention focused on Middle East, — FT
U.S. President Donald Trump is losing interest in negotiations to end Russia's war against Ukraine. The United States is currently focusing its attention on the Middle East.
This is reported in an article by the Financial Times, according to Censor.NET
The United States has turned its attention to the Middle East
According to four EU diplomats involved in the negotiations with Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East has diverted Washington’s attention from the peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
Diplomats believe that this benefits Russia due to higher oil prices, the suspension of U.S. sanctions, and the rapid depletion of U.S. weapons stocks needed by the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
Negotiations between Ukrainian and Russian officials, in which the U.S. is acting as a mediator, "are indeed at risk," a senior European official said.
The publication noted that the most recent trilateral peace talks took place in Geneva on February 17–18. A new round, which was scheduled to take place on March 5 in Abu Dhabi, was postponed due to U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. At this time, the date and location of the next round of talks have not yet been announced.
"The Middle East has significantly shifted political attention away from Ukraine. For us and for Ukraine, this is a disaster," said one of the EU diplomats.
Problems with weapons supplies
According to diplomats, EU countries have been informed that deliveries of U.S. weapons, particularly air defense systems, will be delayed because Washington is prioritizing customers in the Middle East, which has serious consequences for Kyiv.
"This is certainly a problem, because there is competition for the same weapons, both in the Middle East and in Ukraine. It is clear that America's attention is currently focused on the Middle East," said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas in comments to the FT.
EU leaders have tried to keep Ukraine in the spotlight
It is noted that EU leaders are skeptical about the success of peace talks without continued pressure on Moscow. However, they view this process as a way to maintain U.S. interest in the situation in Ukraine.
European leaders have been trying to keep Ukraine in the spotlight since the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran began two weeks ago.
Specifically, on March 13, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris to counter what a representative of the Élysée Palace called the "eclipse effect" of the war in Iran.
For his part, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited the White House three days after the U.S. and Israel launched an attack on Iran. Merz brought maps and charts with him to justify the need to increase pressure on Russia.
But Trump was not inclined to engage in a detailed discussion and remains convinced that Russia is strong and Ukraine is weak, according to sources familiar with the discussion.
In addition, U.S. officials informed their European counterparts that there would be no further sanctions against the Russian oil industry.
Trump still hopes that the negotiations will lead to peace
A White House official stated that Trump continues to "hope" that the negotiations will lead to an end to the war, and that U.S. negotiators have made "tremendous progress" in recent months.
"I don't think the Russians will want to resume negotiations anytime soon. Because there's nothing to talk about," the FT quotes one of the participants in the private talks as saying.
