Donald Trump took no apparent action at the passing of his latest deadline for Vladimir Putin to come to the negotiating table with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He was “very disappointed” in the Russian ruler, and was planning on “doing something to help people live”, said the US president, without any specifics. He was speaking on the radio show of Scott Jennings, a US conservative pundit.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that Russia was engaged in a new troop buildup in certain sectors of the frontline and still launching strikes on Ukrainian targets. “Now we see another buildup of Russian forces in certain sectors of the front. [Putin] refuses to be forced into peace … Russia continues to launch strikes. Of course, we will respond to this,” said the Ukrainian president in his nightly address.
European allies are ready to contribute to postwar security guarantees for Ukraine and waiting for tangible American support, Emmanuel Macron’s office said on Tuesday. The French president and the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, are due on Thursday to jointly chair a meeting of the “coalition of the willing”. The French foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, and his US counterpart, Marco Rubio, had a phone call on Tuesday. The US “backstop” sought by the coalition could involve intelligence, logistical support and communications.
