The chairwoman of the Bundestag’s Defence Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann (FDP), expressed concern over the conversation between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In her interview with WELT TV, cited by Poland’s Do Rzeczy news portal, Strack-Zimmermann said: “What is happening now is really terrifying. And given how unpredictable the American president is, we can’t know what will happen next.” In her opinion, their conversation did not only concern “division of Ukraine” but also broader consequences for Europe.
The German politician noted that Ukraine is “trembling” and she says it has reason to be. According to her, Europe should be especially vigilant because “two people are sitting at the table” who may be planning to divide the whole of Europe.
Strack-Zimmermann, who demanded Germany said Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine, which could have dramatically escalated the war, fears that the first step in this process will be the “victimization” of Ukraine.
“Putin is showing the world that he is ready to negotiate, and Trump is trying to show that he understands Putin and Russia. And the biggest tragedy is that Putin is much smarter than Trump. Because Putin clearly knows what he wants: He wants eastern Ukraine, he wants to finally keep Crimea. These are his maximalist demands,” she said.
The conversation between Trump and Putin lasted two hours.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said both leaders agreed that a lasting peace is needed and also sought improved relations between the United States and Russia.
Notably, Russia agreed that it would stop attacking Ukrainian infrastructure for 30 days, however, a more broad ceasefire has not yet been reached.
Earlier, the U.S. president had informed journalists that the main topics would be the issues of territorial concessions, as well as actions that must be taken by Russia and Ukraine to finally lead to a ceasefire and peace talks.
