Trump says he will speak with Putin soon
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There is growing concern that Mr Vladimir Putin (left) has no interest in ending the conflict.
PHOTO: DOUG MILLS/NYTIMES
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WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump said on Sept 4 he would speak soon with Mr Vladimir Putin, after his call earlier in the day with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders.
“I will be, yeah,” he told a reporter asking if he would speak with the Russian leader in the near future, on the sidelines of a dinner with prominent US tech executives at the White House.
Mr Trump’s call with European leaders
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sept 5 that talks with Mr Trump “can be organised very quickly if necessary” but rejected out of hand the idea of Western security guarantees for Kyiv.
“Can foreign, especially European and American military contingents, provide and guarantee security for Ukraine? Definitely not, they cannot,” Mr Peskov told state news agency RIA Novosti.
“This cannot be a guarantee of security for Ukraine that would suit our country.”
More than two dozen countries have pledged to join a “reassurance” force to deploy in Ukraine after any eventual peace deal, aiming to deter Moscow from again attacking its neighbour, leaders announced on Sept 4 after the Paris summit.
However, there is growing concern that Mr Putin has no interest in ending the conflict, with alarm intensifying after a visit to Beijing this week
