WARSAW: The US and Russian presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are to fulfill at a US air base in Alaska on Friday (Aug 15) for talks on the Ukraine warfare.
Expectations are excessive for the primary summit between sitting US and Russian presidents in additional than 4 years, however Moscow and Kyiv stay far aside of their visions on easy methods to finish the battle.
It is going to be Putin’s first journey to a Western nation since launching his invasion in February 2022, in addition to his first US go to in 10 years.
Here’s a have a look at what all sides hopes to realize from the talks:
RUSSIA
For Putin, who has confronted years of isolation from the West for the reason that invasion, the summit is a chance to press Russia’s hardline calls for for ending the battle.
In a draft peace plan revealed in June, Russia known as on Ukraine to withdraw its forces from the Kherson, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk areas that Moscow claimed to annex in 2022. Ukraine has rejected the thought.
Russia has additionally known as on Ukraine to halt its army mobilisation, abandon its NATO ambitions, and for Western international locations to right away cease weapon provides – one thing critics say quantities to capitulation.
Along with territory, Russia desires Ukraine to make sure the “rights and freedoms” of the Russian-speaking inhabitants and to ban what it calls the “glorification of Nazism”.
It additionally desires Western sanctions lifted.
Ukraine says Russia’s allegations of Nazism are absurd and that it already ensures rights to Russian audio system.
UKRAINE
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is just not scheduled to participate within the summit, however has mentioned there may be no peace deal with out its involvement. He has known as the assembly a “private victory” for Putin.
Ukraine has known as for an unconditional ceasefire on land, sea and sky as a prerequisite to peace talks.
It desires each side to launch all prisoners of warfare and demanded the return of Ukrainian kids it says Russia illegally kidnapped.
Ukraine says Russia has forcibly transferred hundreds of Ukrainian kids into areas beneath its management for the reason that warfare started, usually adopting them into Russian households and assigning them Russian citizenship.
Russia rejects the kidnapping allegations however acknowledges that hundreds of youngsters are on its territory.
Ukraine says any deal should embody safety ensures to forestall Russia from attacking once more, and that there needs to be no restrictions on the variety of troops it may possibly deploy on its territory.
It says sanctions on Russia can solely be lifted progressively and that there needs to be a approach of reimposing them if wanted.
