Moscow demands Russian participation in security assurances for Ukraine - Russia persists in demanding its involvement in the safety assurances for Ukraine's security
In a significant development, NATO military chiefs have gathered to deliberate on the current security situation in Ukraine and potential security guarantees for the country.
The discussions come at a time when a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine is considered a prerequisite for securing an agreement on security guarantees, as stated by the deputy government spokesman Steffen Meyer.
The potential summit locations for these negotiations are said to include Switzerland and Austria, with Hungary's capital Budapest also being mentioned. Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian Prime Minister, has proposed that the talks on security guarantees for Ukraine should take place in Budapest.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has announced a potential three-way meeting with him after a bilateral summit between Zelensky and Putin, which could take place in Budapest. Trump proposed security guarantees for Ukraine at the summit meeting in Washington, modeled after Article 5 of the NATO treaty.
However, Russian involvement is essential for these security guarantees, according to Lawrow. Putin is reportedly ready to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, following a rejection of a proposal by Putin for a meeting in Moscow.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has assured his Russian counterpart of his support for a Ukraine peace process. European heads of state and government have also been accused by Lawrow of trying to influence Trump's opinion with "crude attempts".
The coalition of the willing from European allies of Ukraine is ready to deploy people on the ground, according to Trump. However, Trump has ruled out the deployment of US ground troops in Ukraine. The White House confirmed that Trump made it clear that US soldiers would not set foot on Ukrainian soil.
As for air support, Trump stated that "probably" the USA is ready to provide it. The USA is also preparing a summit together with Russia, but the location is not yet clear.
The fighting continues in eastern Ukraine, with reports of Russian army capturing villages in the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions. According to Ukrainian authorities, six civilians were killed by Russian attacks in the east and south of the country on Wednesday, and fourteen more people were injured by Russian airstrikes on the city of Ochtyrka in the Sumy region.
Despite three rounds of talks between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Istanbul since May, there have been no advances towards a ceasefire. The parties agreed on the exchange of prisoners of war in Istanbul, but the latest attacks underscored "the need to put pressure on Moscow," including through sanctions, as stated by Zelenskyj.
Putin has agreed to meet Zelensky, and Lawrow stated that Putin only agreed to consider raising the level of talks towards a peaceful solution for Ukraine. The parties are hopeful that these discussions will lead to a lasting peace involving all warring parties, as supported by Turkey.
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