Trump interrupts talks with European leaders to call Putin: Report
US President Donald Trump interrupted a White House meeting with European leaders and Ukraine's Zelenskyy to call Russia's Vladimir Putin, Bild reported, highlighting his unpredictable style as allies pressed for security guarantees.
by India Today World Desk · India TodayIn Short
- Meeting included Zelenskyy and European leaders
- Trump aims for trilateral talks with US, Ukraine, Russia
- Europe seeks security guarantees for Ukraine
US President Donald Trump interrupted a high-stakes White House meeting with European leaders on Monday to place a call to Russian President Vladimir Putin, an EU diplomat told Reuters.
The talks are expected to resume afterward, the diplomat added, noting Trump had initially indicated the call would come only after consultations with his European counterparts.
The interruption occurred as Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alongside the leaders of Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Finland, the European Union, and the secretary-general of NATO. Germany’s Bild newspaper first reported the interruption.
“We’ll try to work out a trilateral with the US, Ukraine and Russia,” Trump had told reporters earlier in the day, adding, “Putin really would like to do something.”
The talks with Zelenskyy and European leaders were due to resume after the call. European officials are pushing Trump to secure binding security guarantees for Ukraine, while Zelenskyy has made clear that any peace deal must avoid territorial concessions.
Both Zelenskyy and Trump expressed optimism on Monday that high-stakes White House talks with European leaders could open the door to trilateral negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
The summit followed Trump’s recent meeting with Putin in Alaska, after which he suggested that the responsibility now rests with Zelenskyy to consider concessions that, in his view, could bring the conflict to an end.
Last week, Putin warned European leaders and Zelenskyy not to “throw a wrench” into efforts to reach a potential peace deal. Ahead of the Alaska meeting, Trump had threatened “very severe consequences” if Putin did not agree to end the Ukraine war.
In July, he said he would impose 100 per cent secondary tariffs on Russia’s remaining trade partners if a peace deal was not reached within 50 days.
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With inputs from Reuters