Trump's first foreign trip hinges on ukraine ceasefire talks
The President of the USA, Donald Trump, plans to visit Saudi Arabia in mid-May. This will be the first foreign trip of the American president since he took office in January this year, as highlighted by the Axios portal.
The potential trip of the US president has been the subject of discussions between senior US officials and their Saudi counterparts, also on the sidelines of US-Russian and US-Ukrainian talks about the ceasefire in the war in Ukraine, which are taking place in Saudi Arabia, claims Axios.
According to the portal, the Saudis want the trip of the US president to take place after a truce is agreed between Russia and Ukraine. The White House and the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Washington have not commented on the information about the planned visit.
In early February, Donald Trump declared at a press conference after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House that he intends to visit Saudi Arabia, as well as Israel and the Gaza Strip.
Talks are taking place in Saudi Arabia regarding the war in Ukraine and a potential truce. Their outcome could significantly impact the further course of events in the region. Expectations are high, especially in the context of achieving a lasting ceasefire and resolving technical issues related to the ongoing war.
- For too long now, America's proposal for an unconditional ceasefire has been on the table without an adequate response from Russia - stated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday. According to him, this is due to insufficient pressure on Russia. He added that if it were not for Russia's delay, an agreement on a truce could already be in effect.
The United States proposed an initial 30-day ceasefire, which would apply in the air, at sea, and on land. Ukraine accepted the proposal, but Russia did not agree to it.
Ceasefire talks. Putin is not backing down
Last week, Russian-American and Ukrainian-American talks took place in Saudi Arabia. The result was an agreement by both sides of the war on a ceasefire in the Black Sea; however, over time, Russia declared that it would not join this agreement if the West did not lift some of the sanctions imposed on it.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin suggested on Friday that Ukraine be put under temporary administration before peace talks. Putin said that temporary administration could be introduced in Ukraine "under the auspices of the United Nations, with the United States, even with European countries, and, of course, with our partners and friends." This would lead to elections and the formation of a government, to then "discuss the possibility of introduction of temporary governance in Ukraine." The American side rejected this Kremlin plan.
Despite the declarations of the Trump administration and attempts to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine, no breakthrough has been achieved so far.
