After that, it’s up to the Ukrainians to negotiate with Russia,” Macron told the FT. Trump said on Thursday that US and Russian officials would meet on Friday in Munich, where a major security conference is being held, and that Ukraine was also invited.
The French president said only the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, could negotiate on behalf of his country with Russia to end the war, warning in an interview with the Financial Times that a “peace that is a capitulation” would be “bad news for everyone”, including the US.
However, Zelenskyy’s communications adviser, Dmytro Lytvyn, said: “Talks with Russians in Munich are not expected.” Ukraine believed the US, Europe and Ukraine needed a common position before holding talks with Moscow, he said.
Mike Rounds was quoted as saying: “There are concerns I think all of us have that Russia be recognised for the aggressor that they are.” Susan Collins said: “I appreciate that the president is trying to achieve peace, but we have to make sure that Ukraine does not get the short end of a deal.”.
He added: “Now Russia has taken over a pretty big chunk of territory and they also have said from day one, long before President Putin, they’ve said they cannot have Ukraine be in Nato.
