Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
WASHINGTON, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could quickly end the conflict with Russia by abandoning efforts to retake Crimea and NATO membership.
"Ukrainian President Zelensky can end the war with Russia almost immediately if he chooses, or he can continue to fight…. No return of Crimea to Obama… and no Ukraine joining NATO. Some things never change," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Also on Sunday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told ABC News that both Russian President Vladimir Putin and V. Zelensky must make concessions to reach a peace agreement.
In a separate interview with Fox News, M. Rubio said that for European leaders involved in negotiations with Ukraine, “it is sometimes very useful to be in the room,” especially when it comes to providing long-term security guarantees for Ukraine.
M. Rubio expressed hope that the Europeans will also help advance the process of concluding a potential deal by helping Kyiv understand what concessions it is willing to make.
Meanwhile, the US Secretary of State did not rule out the introduction of additional sanctions against Russia by the US. Speaking on NBC, he said that new sanctions would mean the failure of D. Trump's efforts to achieve a ceasefire or lasting peace in Ukraine.
US Presidential Special Envoy Steven Witkoff said the White House achieved important victories at D. Trump's meeting with V. Putin in Alaska on Friday.
Security guarantees that offer Ukraine "protection similar to that found in Article 5" are the real prize, Witkoff told CNN on Sunday.
“We have reached an agreement that the United States and European countries will be able to propose a text similar to Article 5 to cover the security guarantee,” the special envoy said.
Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty of NATO enshrines the principle of collective defense of the alliance, according to which an attack on one ally is considered an attack on all allies.
On Friday, D. Trump and V. Putin met in Anchorage, Alaska, but no agreements were reached. V. Zelensky, along with several major European leaders, will travel to Washington to meet with D. Trump on Monday.
“At the request of President Zelenskyy, I will join the meeting with President Trump and other European leaders at the White House tomorrow,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on her X social media page on Sunday.
At a later press conference with V. Zelensky in Brussels, U. von der Leyen said the EU welcomes D. Trump’s willingness to facilitate the provision of security guarantees similar to those specified in Article 5, adding that it is necessary to hold a trilateral meeting between the presidents of Russia, Ukraine and the United States “as soon as possible.” –0–
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