Putin says "no" to Trump
Russian President, Vladimir Putin, is likely to reject US President-elect, Donald Trump’s proposed peace deal on Ukraine unless it includes concessions to Moscow.
Those were the words of Konstantin Malofeyev, a Russian tycoon sanctioned by the West and a Kremlin confidant, during two interviews with the Financial Times and Bloomberg.
There is a 50-50 chance of reaching a deal with Mr. Trump, Mr. Malofeyev told Bloomberg, adding that one of Moscow’s demands would be legally binding neutrality status for Kiev.
Moscow also wants Mr. Trump to reverse Washington’s authorization for Ukraine to use its missiles on Russian territory, remove Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, from office and address Russia’s broader security concerns in his talks with Mr. Putin, Mr. Malofeyev told the Financial Times.
"For the talks to be constructive, we need to talk about the future of Europe and the world, not about the future of Ukraine," he said.
(MH with AmBar/Source: Financial Times/Bloomberg/Photo: DPA/Kremlin Pool)