In a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, Mertz explained that the issue must be discussed again. This comes in light of the absence of a meeting between President Putin and Zelensky, contrary to what was previously agreed upon with former U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump noted that there would be no U.S. military presence in Ukraine during his presidency.
After concluding his talks at the White House, Trump reported that he had called Russian President Vladimir Putin and that preparations were being made for a meeting between the Russian President and Zelensky, which could be followed by a trilateral meeting involving him.
Russian President’s Assistant for International Affairs, Yuri Ushakov, confirmed that during the phone call, Putin and Trump expressed their support for continuing direct negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations. The possibility of elevating the level of representation on both sides was discussed.
