The key facts

  • Trump: the settlement will be «very big» and will affect all of Europe
  • Telephone contacts on November 6 and 7 and meetings on November 9–10 announced
  • Trilateral talks between Russia, the US and Ukraine scheduled in Abu Dhabi for November 10–11

Trump's statement and schedule of contacts

US President Donald Trump told journalists in Florida that future agreements with Russia on settling the Ukrainian conflict would be large-scale. «I think it will be a very big settlement. I think it will affect all of Europe,» he said Gazeta.Ru, citing TASS; the same quote is cited by Life.ru. Earlier, Trump had already said that the agreement could go beyond the Ukrainian conflict and cover European security issues, and that its results would satisfy all interested parties.

Context: negotiations and the reaction in the EU

According to Life.ru, Trump announced telephone contacts on the Ukrainian settlement on November 6 and 7, as well as meetings on Monday and Tuesday, November 9 and 10; he did not name his interlocutors. The contacts are being prepared against the backdrop of trilateral talks between Russia, the US and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11. The US administration is discussing with European partners a broader security system — mechanisms of regular consultations, crisis prevention and reduction of the risk of escalation. According to Gazeta.Ru, US Special Envoy Jared Kushner stated the goal of creating a security architecture in Europe that would guarantee the absence of a new crisis after the settlement.

Disagreements with the Europeans

Washington's position is causing concern in European capitals. According to Politico, cited by Life.ru, US NATO allies were not aware of Trump's plans to conclude a large-scale agreement with Russia on European security. Financial Times, citing sources, reported that Kushner's words surprised the European Union: EU governments oppose linking the settlement of the conflict to a new security architecture and fear that Washington and Moscow could agree on terms that would «undermine NATO's position and restore a Russian sphere of influence.» Thus, Trump's statement about a «big settlement» came amid open disagreements over who, and in what format, will determine European security.