Quotes
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Our idea of peace is clear and obvious: Everything will happen the way we see fit,
the Kremlin-aligned talk show host Vladimir Solovyov said
Well done, Trump. Let him at least glue them both [Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine] to the negotiating table while he gobbles up their dinners.”
Elena, also from St Petersburg, saidSince Trump was elected president of the United States and to this day, I try not to indulge in excessive optimism about a peaceful settlement thanks to his efforts,
Alexey Malinin, founder of the Moscow-based Center for International Interaction and Cooperation and a member of the Digoriya expert club, told Al JazeeraThey should do something, but what? Trump says one thing today and practically the opposite tomorrow,
said Evgeniya, who works as a translator and hails from St PetersburgI think there is a window of opportunity that can be lost,
senior Russian analyst Oleg Ignatov of the International Crisis Group told Al Jazeera.jpg)
Zelenskyy has insecurities, ambitions, … and Putin has a huge country with resources, an idiotic vision of history and crazy friend Medvedev,
she added, referring to former President Dmitry Medvedev, who presented himself as a liberal while in office but is now more hawkish than Putin himself
Pay attention that Trump didn’t say anything about Russia’s aggression, didn’t condemn [us], none of the Biden-style insults about Putin – not even close. By the way, I also didn’t hear ‘We’ll stand with you for as long as it takes,'
he said, referring to the former US president who once called Putin a “killer”..jpg)
The new [US] administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations. This largely coincides with our vision,
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov recently told Russian reportersA stable peace is possible under the following conditions: Ukraine officially abandons its desire to take Russian territories, refuses to join NATO and ensures incomplete demilitarisation: reduces its army, including heavy weapons,
he continuedTrump is colluding with what Russia has done to its own homeland, its own people, its own economy,
she saidMy clients happily say, ‘Well, the Americans are on our side again. That’s good because America is a great country after all,
she saidEver since the Oval Office catastrophe, the aim has been to put Putin in the spotlight, and to make Trump realise Putin is not his ally, but instead is who we say he is.”
One European diplomat said
Ukraine should be first to commit to a ceasefire and defy the Russians to follow
Critically
This was the wrong approach, wrong time in history, and definitely the wrong president to try to do this. What we need to hear from President Zelenskyy is that he regrets what happened, that he’s ready to sign this minerals deal, and that he’s ready to engage in peace talks.”
The national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said of the Oval Office showdownAll I can say is this: he might have broken deals with Obama and Bush, and he might have broken them with Biden … but he didn‘t break them with me, ... He wants to make a deal.”
But he also spelled out his trust in Putin, a judgment of the man’s character that few in western Europe share ... Trump said, adding
Such a truce on air, sea and energy infrastructure would allow us to determine whether Vladimir Putin is acting in good faith when he commits to a truce. And that’s when real peace negotiations could start.”
In a separate interview, the French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, for the first time laid out the strategic thinkingIn the event of a ceasefire, it would be very difficult to verify [a truce] along the front was being respected
he saidYou are not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now. With us you start to have cards. You are gambling with the lives of millions of people.”
Those thatAfter what happened [in the Oval Office] it is clear we need to bring the US and Ukraine back together again. The first thing Zelenskyy needs to do is give his unequivocal backing to the initiative President Trump is taking to end the war and bring a just and lasting peace to Ukraine, and the Europeans too need to back the call for a ceasefire.”
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How to solve this conundrum? Just as we did after World War II … reconstruction of Ukraine must include economic reconciliation with Russia,
Ryan said