In the interview recorded on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference and broadcast on Sunday, Selenskyj continued that US President Donald Trump, in his opinion, influenced Russian President Vladimir Putin for negotiations on an armistice in Ukraine. However, Putin should never be familiar. A Russia encouraged by weakening NATO would quickly pass into a territorial expansion mode.
Already at his official appearance at the security conference on Saturday, Selenskyj warned the European allies of possible Russian attacks. In view of the policy of the new US government, Europe must become “independent” of Washington. The time for the common “armed forces of Europe” came, said the Ukrainian president.
US President Donald Trump had made a one-half hour phone call to the Russian head of state Vladimir Putin on Wednesday without coordinating with the Europeans in advance. Afterwards, Trump said that he had agreed with the Kremlin boss an “immediate” start of negotiations on the future of Ukraine.
In Western allies, this aroused fear that Ukraine and European partners were excluded from the Ukraine talks. The US government later made it clear that Kiev should be involved in the talks.
At the Munich Security Conference, US Vice President JD Vance then spoke out in favor of participating the Europeans in the negotiations. Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, said that the Europeans would not sit with the negotiating table – but they could make a “contribution”.
