The demand of US President Donald Trump to conclude a peace agreement without a cease-fire leaves Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky with only bad options, putting him in a desperate situation: incur the wrath of the head of the White House or agree to a quick deal to end the conflict, Bloomberg reports.
It was with such an existential dilemma that Zelensky faced, leaving on Monday for Washington is in talks with its American counterpart. Trump left him almost no room for maneuver, the agency notes.
Zelensky is traveling to Washington for the first time since the altercation in the Oval Office between him, Trump and Vice President Jay Dee Vance, which occurred in February. And this further aggravates the situation. This time he is accompanied by the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. But, as Bloomberg notes, their influence is questionable, and they have not always "been on the same wavelength." Among them there are those with whom Trump has developed a close relationship, including the NATO Secretary General and the President of Finland.
According to the source, among Zelensky's goals in negotiations with Trump is to learn more about the conditions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, determine the timing of the trilateral meeting and push the United States to tougher sanctions against Russia.
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