US and European diplomats went on a flurry of calls in the hours after US President Donald Trump offered on Monday to join prospective Ukraine-Russia talks later this week, trying to find a path that would bring an end to the war in Ukraine.
Trump’s surprise offer to join the talks on Thursday in Istanbul came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a fresh twist to the stop-start peace talks process, said he would travel to Turkiye and wait to meet President Vladimir Putin there.
After Trump’s announcement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the “way forward for a ceasefire” in Ukraine with European counterparts, including the foreign ministers of Britain and France, and the EU’s foreign policy chief, the State Department said on Monday.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and his German and Polish counterparts were also on the call, according to the readout.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks late on Monday with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan to discuss Moscow’s direct talks with Kyiv — a proposal that came from Putin at the weekend, the Russian foreign ministry said.
It remained unclear who would travel from Moscow to Istanbul to take part in the direct talks, which would be the first between the two sides since the early days of the war that Russia launched with its invasion on Ukraine in February 2022.
There has been no response from the Kremlin to Zelensky’s offer to meet Putin in Istanbul and Moscow was yet to comment on Trump’s offer to join the talks.
If Zelensky and Putin, who make no secret of their contempt for each other, were to meet on Thursday it would be their first face-to-face meeting since December 2019.
“Don’t underestimate Thursday in Turkiye,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday.
Trump’s current schedule has him visiting Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar this week.
Ukraine and its European allies have been seeking to put pressure on Moscow to accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire from Monday, with the leaders of four major European powers traveling to Kyiv on Saturday to show unity with Zelensky.
Earlier on Monday, the German government said Europe would start preparing new sanctions against Russia unless the Kremlin by the end of the day started abiding by the ceasefire.
Ukraine’s military said on Monday that fighting along parts of the frontline in the country’s east was at the same intensity it would be if there were no ceasefire.
Putin called the Western European and Ukrainian demands for a ceasefire “ultimatums” that the Kremlin said on Monday are for Russia an unacceptable language.
Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the international affairs committee of the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia’s parliament, told the Izvestia media outlet in remarks published on Tuesday that the talks between Moscow and Kyiv can move further than they did in the 2022.
“If the Ukrainian delegation shows up at these talks with a mandate to abandon any ultimatums and look for common ground, I am sure that we could move forward even further than we did,” Izvestia cited Kosachev as saying.
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Rush of diplomatic calls follow Trump’s offer to join potential Russia-Ukraine talks
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Rush of diplomatic calls follow Trump’s offer to join potential Russia-Ukraine talks
- US, European, Russia key diplomats hold separate calls
- Trump offers to join potential Russia-Ukraine talks on Thursday
Fuming Denmark summons US ambassador over Greenland envoy
- Trump's newly appointed special envoy Jeff Landry vows to make Greenland 'part of the US'
- Danish foreign minister Lokke Rasmussen 'deeply angered' by the move, warns Washington to respect Denmark’s sovereignty
COPENHAGEN: Denmark summoned the US ambassador on Monday after US President Donald Trump appointed a special envoy to Greenland who immediately vowed to make the Danish autonomous territory “a part of the US.”
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly said the United States “needs” the resource-rich Arctic island for security reasons and has refused to rule out using force to secure it.
On Sunday, Trump appointed Louisiana governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on Monday he was “deeply angered” by the move and warned Washington to respect Denmark’s sovereignty.
The European Union later offered its “full solidarity” to Denmark.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said Landry understood “how essential Greenland is to our national security, and will strongly advance our country’s interests for the safety, security, and survival of our allies, and indeed, the world.”
Landry responded directly to Trump in a post on X: “It’s an honor to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the US.”
The Danish foreign minister told TV2 television the appointment and statements were “totally unacceptable” and, several hours later, said the US ambassador had been called up to the ministry for an explanation.
“We summoned the American ambassador to the foreign ministry today for a meeting, together with the Greenlandic representative, where we very clearly drew a red line and also asked for an explanation,” Lokke Rasmussen told public broadcaster DR in an interview.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a joint statement: “You cannot annex another country.
“We expect respect for our joint territorial integrity.”
In a Facebook post addressed to Greenlanders, Nielsen said the appointment of a US special envoy had not changed anything for Greenlanders.
“We will determine our future ourselves. Greenland is our country,” he wrote, adding: “Greenland belongs to Greenlanders.”
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Antonio Costa stressed on social media that territorial integrity and sovereignty were “fundamental principles of international law.”
“These principles are essential not only for the European Union but for nations around the world. We stand in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland,” they wrote on X.
- ‘Show respect’ -
Most of Greenland’s 57,000 people want to become independent from Denmark but do not wish to become part of the United States, according to an opinion poll in January.
Leaders of both Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly insisted that the vast island is not for sale and that it will decide its own future.
Lokke Rasmussen said the appointment confirmed continued US interest in Greenland.
“However, we insist that everyone — including the US — must show respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he said in a statement emailed to AFP.
The US argues Greenland, located between North America and Europe, can give it an economic edge over its rivals in the Arctic region.
The island has untapped rare earth minerals and could be a vital player as the polar ice melts and new shipping routes emerge.
Greenland’s location also puts it on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the United States.
The US has its Pituffik military base in Greenland and opened a consulate on the island in June 2020.
In August, Denmark summoned the US charge d’affaires after at least three US officials close to Trump were seen in Greenland’s capital Nuuk trying to find out how people felt about deepening US ties.
Trump’s determination to take over Greenland has stunned Denmark, a fellow member of NATO that has fought alongside the US in its wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In January, Copenhagen announced a $2.0-billion plan to boost its military presence in the Arctic region.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly said the United States “needs” the resource-rich Arctic island for security reasons and has refused to rule out using force to secure it.
On Sunday, Trump appointed Louisiana governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on Monday he was “deeply angered” by the move and warned Washington to respect Denmark’s sovereignty.
The European Union later offered its “full solidarity” to Denmark.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump said Landry understood “how essential Greenland is to our national security, and will strongly advance our country’s interests for the safety, security, and survival of our allies, and indeed, the world.”
Landry responded directly to Trump in a post on X: “It’s an honor to serve you in this volunteer position to make Greenland a part of the US.”
The Danish foreign minister told TV2 television the appointment and statements were “totally unacceptable” and, several hours later, said the US ambassador had been called up to the ministry for an explanation.
“We summoned the American ambassador to the foreign ministry today for a meeting, together with the Greenlandic representative, where we very clearly drew a red line and also asked for an explanation,” Lokke Rasmussen told public broadcaster DR in an interview.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a joint statement: “You cannot annex another country.
“We expect respect for our joint territorial integrity.”
In a Facebook post addressed to Greenlanders, Nielsen said the appointment of a US special envoy had not changed anything for Greenlanders.
“We will determine our future ourselves. Greenland is our country,” he wrote, adding: “Greenland belongs to Greenlanders.”
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Antonio Costa stressed on social media that territorial integrity and sovereignty were “fundamental principles of international law.”
“These principles are essential not only for the European Union but for nations around the world. We stand in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland,” they wrote on X.
- ‘Show respect’ -
Most of Greenland’s 57,000 people want to become independent from Denmark but do not wish to become part of the United States, according to an opinion poll in January.
Leaders of both Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly insisted that the vast island is not for sale and that it will decide its own future.
Lokke Rasmussen said the appointment confirmed continued US interest in Greenland.
“However, we insist that everyone — including the US — must show respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he said in a statement emailed to AFP.
The US argues Greenland, located between North America and Europe, can give it an economic edge over its rivals in the Arctic region.
The island has untapped rare earth minerals and could be a vital player as the polar ice melts and new shipping routes emerge.
Greenland’s location also puts it on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the United States.
The US has its Pituffik military base in Greenland and opened a consulate on the island in June 2020.
In August, Denmark summoned the US charge d’affaires after at least three US officials close to Trump were seen in Greenland’s capital Nuuk trying to find out how people felt about deepening US ties.
Trump’s determination to take over Greenland has stunned Denmark, a fellow member of NATO that has fought alongside the US in its wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In January, Copenhagen announced a $2.0-billion plan to boost its military presence in the Arctic region.
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