Trump must be more realistic on Russia talks — Ukrainian MP on Trump-Putin call

Espreso correspondent Kateryna Halko reports on this.

Commenting on the conversation between the Russian leader and former U.S. President Donald Trump, Merezhko stated that Putin is merely pretending to be open to negotiations while, in reality, he has no intention of engaging in them. According to the MP, Trump is unlikely to persuade Putin to change his stance.

"In order for negotiations to even begin, the parties to the negotiations must have something in common, some kind of, as the Americans say, common ground. This does not exist and cannot exist. We understand Ukraine's interests — they are very direct, clear — we need to survive, guarantee our security and return our territories. Putin has a completely different goal — the destruction of Ukraine," Merezhko noted.

He added that if the Kremlin leader agrees to any form of negotiations, it will only be to create the necessary conditions for Ukraine’s complete destruction.

Merezhko also believes that the U.S. president is currently attempting to fulfill his campaign promise to end the war in Ukraine. However, the MP noted that members of the president’s inner circle have differing views on how to achieve this.

"That is, they say that we need to focus our actions on deterring China, and the issue of Ukraine — since it is supposedly a matter of European security — should be transferred to Europe. This is a very wrong approach. We understand that the issue of Ukraine is not only a matter of our personal security. It is a matter of the security of Europe, the United States and the whole world," Merezhko said.

He noted that Ukrainian diplomacy is currently facing a difficult task related to convincing Trump to take a more realistic approach to the issue of negotiations with Russia.

"I have hopes that this process of such diplomacy will begin with the Munich Security Conference. I also very much hope that all these issues can be resolved thanks to a direct meeting between the President of Ukraine and President Trump," the MP added.

He also noted that if negotiations with Russia are still to be held, it is important that the issue of Ukraine's membership in NATO is not on the negotiating table at all, as this would contradict the basic principle of international law — the principle of sovereign equality of states.

Merezhko also emphasized that Ukraine cannot cede its territories to Russia, in particular, from a political and moral point of view, as well as in view of the Constitution.

"This cannot be done in any case, even with regard to the future of humanity. Because if we reward the aggressor, and not punish it for the crime it committed, then this destroys the international legal order. And this is dangerous for every country in the world. Therefore, Trump must realize that this is in the interest not only of Ukraine, but also of the United States," the MP said.

• On February 12, Donald Trump had his first phone conversation with Vladimir Putin after being elected to a second term. Trump also announced Putin's visits to the United States and his own to Russia.