news

한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina

On July 21, local time, the current US President Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential election. According to a comprehensive report by China News Service, after Biden announced this decision, Ukrainian President Zelensky posted on the social platform that he respected Biden's "difficult but firm" decision to end his re-election campaign. Zelensky also said that he would always be "grateful to President Biden for his firm support for Ukraine."

Zelensky Visual China Photo

According to a report by the Global Times on the 20th, citing CNN, in the face of the difficult front-line reality and the prospect of Trump entering the White House, Zelensky's attitude has changed and he hinted that he will negotiate with Russia.

In an address to the nation last week, Zelenskiy hinted at a willingness to negotiate with Russia for the first time since the conflict began more than two years ago. Zelenskiy suggested Moscow send a delegation to the next peace summit he hopes to hold in November. Russia was not invited to the June summit in Switzerland after Zelenskiy insisted that any talks could only take place after Russia withdrew its troops from Ukraine.

On July 17, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference at the UN headquarters that Russia is "ready" to negotiate with the West on Ukraine and European security issues. Russia will seek a solution, but resolving the conflict must take into account the reality and the West must stop sending weapons to Ukraine.

CNN stated that Ukraine is currently facing the dual dilemma of a difficult situation on the front line and uncertainty about the level of support from the US government for Ukraine in the future.

John Herbst, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, said Zelensky's change of attitude may be a reaction to the U.S. election. "It's possible that he is trying to establish a connection with a likely re-electable Trump by emphasizing his willingness to negotiate - as long as the negotiated agreement is fair."

Last week, Trump announced that he had chosen Ohio Senator James Vance as his running mate. The Trump-Vance campaign duo's stance on Ukraine has attracted widespread attention and concern from the U.S. media.

Vance has publicly opposed U.S. aid to Ukraine, and Trump has repeatedly stated that if elected president he will resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict within 24 hours. Reuters previously reported that if Trump returns to the White House, he may abandon or curb the current U.S. support for Ukraine and push Ukraine to engage in peace talks to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

On July 19, local time, Trump said he had a phone call with Zelensky to discuss the situation between Russia and Ukraine. Trump posted on social media that the conversation was "very good" and said he would "end" the Ukrainian crisis. Zelensky responded that he and Trump had reached an agreement and "will discuss in a private meeting what measures to take to make peace fair and lasting."

According to Russia Today, Trump's close ally Richard Grenell said in an interview with German media last week that "the Ukrainian problem is mainly the responsibility of the European Union, not Washington." He also criticized Biden for not working hard to engage in diplomatic dialogue with Russia to resolve the Ukrainian crisis. Grenell held several senior diplomatic positions during Trump's first term, and according to Bloomberg, he is likely to be appointed US Secretary of State if the Republicans win the election.

"If the Democrats win the election in November, the United States will most likely continue its current policy of aid to Ukraine and provide more aid, but if Trump wins, we don't know what he will do," Herbst said.

At the same time, there are reports that Germany plans to cut its military aid to Ukraine next year. According to Reuters on the 17th, according to Germany's 2025 budget draft, Germany's aid to Ukraine will be reduced from about 8 billion euros in 2024 to 4 billion euros in 2025.

Earlier, the G7 agreed to provide Ukraine with a $50 billion loan, secured by interest on frozen Russian assets. Germany hopes the money will cover most of Ukraine's military needs, the report said. So far, Germany has donated three Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine, more than any other country. This reduces Germany's Patriot inventory to nine.

CNN analysis pointed out that if the United States stops aid to Ukraine, Europe also cuts military aid, and Ukraine is unable to obtain frozen Russian assets, Russia is very likely to gain more and more advantages.