The White House is desperate for a breakthrough.
Donald Trump vowed to end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours of assuming office.
This is day 94 of his second presidency.
Ukraine war latest: ‘We are very close to deal’, Trump claims
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Last Friday, US secretary of state Marco Rubio warned that America was ready to “move on” if there wasn’t a deal soon.
If that comment, reinforced by President Trump, was designed to put pressure on Ukraine, it didn’t have the desired effect.
That became clear when Rubio pulled out of peace negotiations in London, a summit downgraded to technical talks.
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It’s not that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy won’t back down, it’s that he can’t.
The US plan to recognise Russia‘s claim to Ukrainian territory it has seized effectively legitimises Moscow’s decision to invade.
To concede that would be a breach of Ukraine’s constitution.
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The country’s economy minister Yuliia Svyrydenko says they’re “ready to negotiate, not ready to surrender”.
US vice president JD Vance has now stepped into Marco Rubio’s shoes, warning that America will “walk away” if there isn’t a “yes” from both sides.
But President Trump is only talking about one side: Ukraine.
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The absence of any reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin in his lengthy post online will not have gone unnoticed.
He claimed no one was asking Zelenskyy to recognise Crimea as Russian, but contradicted that by asking why Ukraine hadn’t fought for Crimea 11 years ago.
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President Trump blamed the loss of Crimea on one of his predecessors, his reference to “President Barack Hussein Obama” revealing the depth of his frustration.
He claims he is “very close” to a deal, but the signals from Washington, London, Moscow and Kyiv suggest otherwise.
Right now, it feels like he’s much closer to throwing in the towel and throwing Zelenskyy under the bus. Again.
