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Trump destroys Western alliance supporting Ukraine — newspaper

The approach to the events in Ukraine that Trump showed in his telephone conversation with Putin is "full of sense," it noted

PARIS, February 13. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump has ruined the alliance of Western countries by initiating talks with Russia on a peaceful resolution in Ukraine, France’s Le Monde reported, commenting on the telephone conversation between the US leader and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin held the day before.

"Without consulting European leaders, the US president held an in-depth conversation with the Russian leader on Wednesday," the newspaper said.·According to it, "Washington is now opening the peace talks [on Ukraine] that have been the subject of confidential discussions for weeks." With "such a unilateral action," Trump has undermined the unified stance that Western countries have maintained since the start of hostilities, Le Monde said. "The new US president offers no role for the Europeans in the negotiations," the newspaper pointed out.

The approach to the events in Ukraine that Trump showed in his telephone conversation with Putin is "full of sense," Le Monde noted. The US leader assessed these events as "a bilateral issue with Moscow, whose only aim is peace, no matter how fragile," the newspaper added.

Putin and Trump held a telephone conversation on February 12. The leaders of Russia and the United States discussed about the cessation of hostilities in Ukraine, bilateral relations, and a range of other topics. They also agreed to maintain communication and organize a face-to-face meeting. Later, Trump spoke by phone with Vladimir Zelensky.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously listed the conditions for resolving the conflict, including the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbass and Novorossiya, Kiev's refusal to join NATO, the removal of all Western sanctions against Moscow, and the establishment of Ukraine's non-aligned and nuclear-free status. The Western media are increasingly suggesting that a Ukrainian settlement will be discussed bilaterally between the leaders of Russia and the United States, excluding Europe and formally involving Kiev.

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