Negotiators say about 90 per cent of a US-drafted peace plan for Ukraine has been agreed.
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said that a deal to end the Ukraine war is closer than ever as he cited progress in Berlin talks and strong European support after discussions with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russia's Vladimir Putin.
Trump said after a series of calls with European allies that discussions on Ukraine were going well, even as he acknowledged the conflict remains difficult and unpredictable. “We’re closer now than we have ever been,” he said, adding that his administration has held numerous conversations with both Zelenskyy and Putin.
European leaders are aligned in wanting the conflict stopped, calling the level of cooperation tremendous, Trump said as he cited staggering battlefield losses to underline the urgency of a deal. “It should have never started,” Trump said, blaming his predecessor, Joe Biden, for the conflict.
Ukraine drops NATO membership bidUkraine has agreed to set aside its bid to join NATO in exchange for binding Western security guarantees, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, adding that security guarantees from the United States, Europe, and other allies could serve as an alternative to NATO membership Further, US officials said that Russia has signalled it would not block Ukraine from joining the European Union, as negotiators say about 90 per cent of a US-drafted peace plan has been agreed. |
