Hope from Russia-US Conference, Ukraine shows softer stance

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov. (Photo: IRNA/VNA)

TASS news agency quoted Mr. Ryabkov as emphasizing: "We hope that the upcoming summit will promote the normalization of bilateral relations, allowing to resolve certain issues."

Previously, on August 8, President Trump announced plans to meet with his Russian counterpart in the US state of Alaska on August 15.

On August 11, the US leader once again mentioned this meeting when he said that the Alaska conference would be an “exploratory meeting” and full of challenges to urge Russia to end the conflict in Ukraine.

Mr. Trump also hinted that the meeting could include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“Eventually, I will put the two of them in the same room,” he said. He also expressed confidence that the problems between Russia and Ukraine “will be resolved.”

In a statement confirming the meeting, Russian Presidential Assistant Yury Ushakov said the two leaders would focus on discussing options for a long-term solution to the conflict in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Zelensky has not said whether he will attend the meeting but has expressed a softer stance ahead of the Russia-US summit in Alaska.

According to The Daily Telegraph, the Ukrainian government is ready to "freeze" the conflict along the current lines of battle, and may agree to a peaceful solution in order to obtain "solid security guarantees in the form of being provided with weapons and joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)."

Meanwhile, European countries are racing against time to agree on a common approach between the European Union (EU) and NATO due to concerns that Washington could impose unfavorable peace terms on Ukraine.

Germany said it would convene a series of online summits on August 13, including meetings between European leaders, the Ukrainian president, and the US president and vice president.

This will be the first time President Zelensky and President Trump have spoken since the announcement of plans to hold the Alaska summit.

In a joint statement on August 11, the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finland and European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen reaffirmed the principle that international borders cannot be changed by force, and affirmed that the path to peace in Ukraine must be decided with the participation of Kiev.

This is also the view of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

A spokesman for the British Prime Minister's Office said the two leaders welcomed the continued international diplomacy led by President Trump to bring peace to Ukraine and that Ukraine's future must be one of freedom, sovereignty and self-determination.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala expressed hope that peace talks for Ukraine will yield results, stressing that for a sustainable and fair agreement, Ukraine's consent is required.

“I hope that peace talks, or at least a ceasefire, will succeed. But for them to be truly lasting and fair, Ukraine must agree. This is the basic principle,” Mr. Fiala was quoted as saying by a reporter in Prague.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, who is on a visit to Ukraine, said that by providing the majority of military aid to Kiev, European countries should play a significant role in the peace negotiations./.

According to VNA

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/hy-vong-tu-hoi-nghi-nga-my-ukraine-the-hien-lap-truong-mem-mong-hon-257778.htm