U.S. Offers More Concessions To Russia Ahead Of Ukraine "Peace Talks"

The Trump administration has ended Russian President Vladimir Putin’s international isolation, fractured Western unity on Ukraine, and raised doubts about how far the U.S. will go to defend Europe, signaling a stunning shift in U.S. foreign policy, wrote Stephen Collinson in an analysis for CNN.

Trump has fueled concerns that he may be willing to strike any deal with Putin, even if it means undermining Europe, a supposed ally. I Photo: www.shopcatalog.com Flickr

With a series of contradictory statements from his advisers, Trump has fueled concerns that he may be willing to strike any deal with Putin—even one that undermines Ukraine and Europe’s security.

Reports that the U.S. is excluding European allies from peace talks—while simultaneously demanding European security guarantees and troop commitments—have alarmed European leaders, prompting France to call an emergency meeting in Paris.

Adding to concerns, Trump has not guaranteed that Ukraine itself will be included in negotiations, despite the fact that its sovereignty is at stake.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press”, warned that he would “never accept any decisions between the U.S. and Russia about Ukraine”. Trump, for his part, offered only a vague response, saying he would “be involved”—a statement that did little to reassure Ukraine or its European allies.

Meanwhile, reports have surfaced that the U.S. is demanding half of Ukraine’s estimated $500 billion rare earth metal deposits as part of a potential deal—raising further questions about America’s motives.