Zelensky ready to meet Trump at the Vatican – Liberation

A outstretched hand? Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this Tuesday, April 22, leaving for meeting his counterpart Donald Trump at the Vatican this week. Both are expected there on Saturday April 26 to attend the funeral of Pope Francis. « Yes, I would like, I am ready. We are always ready to meet our American partners ”, assured Zelensky at a press conference in Kyiv.

The last meeting between Trump and Zelensky, in February, was marked by a largely publicized verbal game. The Ukrainian president had even ended up leaving the White House prematurely. Since then, his relations with the Trump administration have been tense. Under Joe Biden, American military aid had been granted to Ukraine, without being renewed by Trump when he came to power.

« We have not yet had the opportunity to find an agreement with the United States on a new help or to discuss details », also recalled Zelensky on Tuesday, adding that Kyiv had not yet received the answer to his proposal to buy in the United States ten Patriot air defense systems.

Volodymyr Zelensky also stressed that Ukraine was open to direct negotiations with Moscow, but only After the entry into force of a « Ceasefire ». If this condition is respected, « We are ready to sit down (to discuss, Editor’s note) in any format ».

In this context, Trump’s emissary Steve Witkoff is planning a new visit to Russia this week, the Kremlin said on Tuesday. It is expected in Moscow in the coming days. An announcement that comes on the eve of a new meeting between Americans, Ukrainians and Europeans scheduled for Wednesday in London, to obtain a cease-fire.

If Witkoff’s visit is confirmed, it would be his fourth come to Russia since the revival of the Russian-American relations initiated, in mid-February, by Donald Trump. The American president, who wants to end the conflict as soon as possible, said last Sunday hoping for an agreement « In the week » Between Moscow and Kyiv, without revealing the contours of this hypothetical commitment.

But Trump seems to get impatient and his secretary of state, Marco Rubio, put pressure on the two belligerents last week, assuring that Washington could « Getting to something else » and withdraw negotiations for lack of result.

But the United States has not used All the means available to them to put pressure on Russia in the current negotiations for a ceasefire, the head of European diplomacy Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday. « They have tools in their hands to truly put pressure on Russia », She said in an interview with AFP. « Why don’t they use all the tools to really put an end to this war? »

According to Kaja Kallas, Easter trucedecreed by Moscow but which did not give rise to a cessation of hostilities in Ukraine, was only a cunning to prevent Donald Trump from not « Lose patience ». “They did not respect the truce. It is clear that Russia is engaging in games, trying to save time and does not really want peace. ”