Recent diplomatic and military developments surrounding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine show a complex scenario where the effort for peace coincides with tensions and aggressive actions.
Initially, US President Donald Trump had a telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, where he reportedly expressed his desire to end the “month-long” war and reach a peace agreement soon, in view of upcoming negotiations in Geneva, with the aim of even organizing a trilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky thanked for the support and argued that only Trump has the influence to convince Putin for a ceasefire, despite major disagreements on issues of territorial control between Kiev and Moscow. Despite US pressure, the Russian side, through Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, has rejected the idea of “deadlines” for ending the war, stating that Moscow is not bound by timetables but is continuing “its tasks”.
At the same time, military tensions have not subsided: according to reports, a Russian drone approached the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle while it was in Malmö, Sweden, which underlines the extent of the military movements and the concern in the West for the security of European forces.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said today that any deployment of British troops to Ukraine would prolong the war, not end it.
France and Britain have stated that they intend to send troops to Ukraine once a ceasefire in the war with Russia is reached.
