MOSCOW, August 22. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky's refusal to make territorial concessions is delaying the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict by at least several months, American political commentator Steve Gill told TASS.
"[US] President [Donald] Trump‘s meeting with European leaders in the White House, signaled possible movement towards successful resolution of the conflict. However, President Zelensky’s absolute refusal to accept the reality of what has been and is happening on the battlefield, the end of blank check support from US taxpayers and the inability of the EU to meet his demands to supply the money, munitions, and manpower to change the circumstances on the battlefield, dashed any hopes of peace anytime soon. Thanks to him (Zelensky - TASS), the conflict and carnage will continue for at least several months," Gill, who served as a director of intergovernmental affairs for the US trade representative in the Executive Office of the President under both George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton administrations, said.
On August 18, following the summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15, Trump received Vladimir Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
During the meeting, Trump called Putin. They discussed the prospects of a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, followed by trilateral talks, among other things. According to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, the leaders of Russia and the US expressed their support for continuing direct consultations between Moscow and Kiev, including raising the level of these consultations.