Trump reports phone calls on settling the conflict in Ukraine

Phone calls and meetings at Mar-a-Lago

US President Donald Trump told journalists that he held phone conversations on settling the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and intends to continue them over the coming weekend. “We have meetings underway. I have phone calls today, and more are scheduled for tomorrow,” he said, as quoted by Gazeta.Ru citing RIA Novosti. According to the American leader, Moscow and Kyiv want to settle the conflict for the first time. In addition, Trump said that meetings are scheduled at his Mar-a-Lago residence “with many people, concerning Russia and other things.”

Dispute over the security architecture

Trump's statements were preceded by remarks by US presidential envoy Jared Kushner, who said that Washington aims to build a security architecture in Europe capable of guaranteeing that a new crisis will not begin after the conflict is settled. As Financial Times reported, citing sources, these words caused surprise in the European Union: EU governments opposed linking the Ukraine negotiations with building a new security architecture. According to the outlet's sources, Brussels fears that Washington and Moscow may agree on terms that would “undermine NATO's position and restore a Russian sphere of influence.” Thus, against the backdrop of reports about intensified contacts, a divergence remains between Washington's approach and the position of its European allies — the question of what format the settlement will take remains open.