German, French, UK leaders yet to take decision on their trip to US for meeting with Zelensky

Berlin, Aug 17 (IANS) The governments of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer plan to decide on Sunday whether their leaders would be travelling to the US for a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, media reported.

According to Germany's Bild daily, the governments of Merz, Starmer and Macron intend on Sunday to coordinate their actions and jointly decide whether who would exactly be travelling to the US on August 18 from Trump's meeting with Zelensky, Russian news agency Tass reported.

However, such a decision requires an official invitation on behalf of the US, according to Bild.

The daily reported that US President Trump offered Zelensky to invite European politicians to the US, however, there were no official invitations extended as of yet.

Bild added that European leaders seek to avoid a meeting intended solely for publicity.

A US daily reported earlier citing the Elysee Palace that the 'coalition of the willing' will convene a meeting via video link on Sunday.

Starmer, Merz, and Macron, who earlier announced that the members of the coalition will hold a conversation soon without disclosing the date, will get together for an online conversation at 3:00 p.m. local time (1:00 p.m. GMT) on Sunday, Tass reported.

The three leaders will discuss "next steps as part of the discussion on peace in Ukraine".

Another US newspaper reported earlier, citing sources, that following his meeting with Putin, the US leader proposed negotiating a peace deal under which Ukraine would give up the rest of the Donbass region to Russia, including areas not liberated by Russian troops, in a phone call with European leaders.

A ceasefire in the rest of Ukraine at present-day battlefronts and security guarantees, both for Kyiv and Europe, would be offered in return.

On Friday, Putin and Trump met at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Alaska.

Their talks lasted nearly three hours, including a one-on-one conversation in the American leader's limousine en route to the main negotiation venue, as well as a subsequent small-group discussion involving three participants on either side.

The Russian delegation included Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, while the American side was represented by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff.

In a statement to the media following the talks, Russian President Vladimir Putin said they mostly focused on resolving the Ukraine conflict.

Trump described his summit with Putin as "very productive".

Later, he called Zelensky, EU leaders, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

After the summit and the phone calls, Trump said that Ukraine and Russia should go straight to agreeing on a final peace deal as he dropped his demand for a ceasefire.

Trump and Zelensky are due to have a meeting in the White House on Monday.

The US leader said that if talks with Zelensky are a success, another meeting with Putin will be scheduled.

--IANS

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