The political scene in Europe is once again filling with new developments, reports theguardian.com. According to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, new dynamics regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine may emerge soon — in his view, even if the war does not end completely, its freezing may occur sooner than expected.
In one of his recent interviews, Tusk emphasized that he had been in contact with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to him, although Zelensky approaches the situation cautiously, he still demonstrated optimism filled with hope. The head of the Polish government stressed that Ukraine sees great benefit in the active participation of European states in future agreements. Zelensky, for his part, wrote on his social media page about his conversation with Tusk but did not reveal the key details of the discussion.
This week, the President of Ukraine held telephone talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and several other European leaders. At the conclusion of these talks, most officials limited themselves to brief statements on social media, declaring continued support for Ukraine and paying attention to Donald Trump’s mediation efforts. Meanwhile, EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Anitta Hipper particularly noted that Russia is clearly not interested in genuine peace.
On August 6, Donald Trump held talks with European leaders, telling them about the results of his special envoy Stephen Witkoff’s visit to Moscow. Following this, The Washington Post, citing a high-ranking source in Europe, emphasized that news of preparations for a meeting between Trump and Putin had caused serious concern in Europe. Sources noted that although greater discipline and firmness were expected from Trump, he showed no desire to exert pressure on the Russian leader: “So far — zero, no action,” said the newspaper’s interlocutor.
However, one high-ranking Ukrainian official, speaking anonymously, expressed hope: if, as a first step, it is possible to achieve a halt to airstrikes, even without a ceasefire on land, that would already be a significant result. At the same time, he admitted that such agreements could simply be Russia’s tactic to calm Trump. “Today we are hearing signals through all unofficial channels that Russia is seeking an agreement. But trust between the sides has been completely lost,” noted the source of The Washington Post.
In this situation, both concern and hope are simultaneously emerging in Europe and Ukraine. How the situation in Ukraine will change in the coming weeks, and how the positions of European leaders and the United States will be formed — these questions are now at the center of attention. How close the real solution to freezing the conflict is will become clear in the coming days.
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