The newly elected President of the United States, Donald Trump, has postponed his campaign promise to "end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours" by several months. European partners have interpreted this as a sign that his administration will not immediately withdraw support for Kyiv.
This was reported to Financial Times by two European officials.
According to them, the Trump team has not yet decided how to conclude the war in Ukraine. They emphasized that it is likely that support for Ukraine will continue after the inauguration of the U.S. president on January 20.
"The entire Trump team is obsessed with strength and looking strong, so they are reassessing their approach to Ukraine," one of the officials told reporters.
He stated that the future Trump administration is also concerned that resolving the conflict in Ukraine could be compared to the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan in 2021.
Meanwhile, European leaders and officials are trying to convince the newly elected U.S. president and his team that continuing military aid to Ukraine is essential to put Kyiv in a stronger position for peace negotiations and to compel Russia to come to the negotiating table, the official noted.
Additionally, the publication reminded that in December 2024, French officials spoke about how strengthening Ukraine's positions on the battlefield would lead to a halt in Russia's advance in the eastern part of the country. They added that negotiations are also unlikely if Russia continues to seize new territories.
Furthermore, the publication highlighted that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with Trump at his private residence in Florida last week. She mentioned that the Republican would not abandon Ukraine.
"I do not foresee a division in the U.S. On the issue of peace, Trump could be the one moving towards a solution, but I don't think that means abandoning Ukraine," she said at one of her recent press conferences.
Meloni also stated that Ukraine should receive concrete security guarantees as part of any potential diplomatic deal, the publication noted.
"Security guarantees are fundamental if we truly aspire to peace in Ukraine. We all know that in the past, Russia has violated agreements it signed. Without security guarantees, we cannot be confident that this will not happen again," she said.
A former high-ranking Kremlin official told reporters that the main goal of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in the negotiations was to secure new security agreements that would guarantee Ukraine would never join NATO and that the U.S.-led military alliance would withdraw from some of its eastern deployments.
"He wants to change the rules of the international order so that there are no threats to Russia. He is very concerned about what the world will look like after the war. Trump wants to roll back NATO in any case. The world is changing, anything can happen," he said.
Trump and Ukraine - Important News
Earlier, newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the war between Russia and Ukraine may escalate further. He hopes that it can be finished within six months.
Additionally, The Telegraph reported that Trump cannot concede to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which could prolong the war in Ukraine. It is noted that concessions to the Russian dictator would automatically weaken NATO and serve as a "invitation" for Russia to attack other countries, including those belonging to the Alliance.