WP: Europe alarmed by Trump's plans to meet with Putin

The Washington Post has reported that European capitals were left bewildered after news broke that US President Donald Trump is planning to meet with Russian ruler Vladimir Putin.

An unnamed European official noted to The Washington Post that Europe was extremely worried when they learned that Trump intended to personally meet with Putin. 

"For all the bluster, Trump has not put a single iota of pressure on Putin – yet. Zero, zip," the source said.

Meanwhile, an unnamed Ukrainian high-ranking official told the newspaper that Kyiv is trying to remain optimistic about the Trump–Putin meeting, hoping it could lead to a partial ceasefire that would curb Russian airstrikes on Ukraine.  

"In general, we all understand that finishing the war is fully in Trump’s hands," the senior official said. "If there would be a partial ceasefire – everything except the line of contact – as a first step, that would be good," he added.  

The official noted that they’ve received off-the-record signals suggesting Russia might be open to such an agreement.

However, he cautioned that "trust is fully broken between [both] sides".

The official added that talks regarding a partial ceasefire might just be a tactical move by Russia to placate Trump and give him a political win ahead of midterm elections. 

The official said that such an outcome would allow Trump to claim success, saying something like: "I stopped the killing of hundreds of innocent civilians daily." 

Official European Union representatives, meanwhile, have responded with scepticism. EU Foreign Affairs spokesperson Anita Hipper stated on Thursday: "It is very clear that Russia is not interested in any peace as such because we have seen it in their actions, not in their words."

Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters earlier that a meeting between Putin and US President Donald Trump is expected in the coming days – possibly next week.

Trump said he believed there was a good chance that there will be a meeting with Putin in the near future.

The Russian leader believes the United Arab Emirates would be a suitable venue for a US–Russia summit at the level of heads of state.