Source: Global Times

The prospect of the Russian dollar summit in Hungary¡¯s capital Budapest suddenly changed. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that his original meeting with Russian President Putin was postponed because he didn¡¯t want the meeting to be ¡°in vain¡±. AP said Trump¡¯s decision to postpone the meeting in Budapest was made by U.S. Secretary of State Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister.LavrovMade after the call on the 20th. U.S. media analyzed that the reason for the postponement of the meeting was due to "fundamental differences" between the United States and Russia on the ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Trump previously advocated that Russia and Ukraine should "separate" the Donbas area according to the current front line, demarcate a ceasefire, and withdraw their troops. However, Lavrov said on the 21st that the "immediate ceasefire" proposition is equivalent to ignoring the root causes of the conflict and violates the consensus previously reached by the presidents of Russia and the United States. On the 21st, the French Presidential Palace issued a joint statement by several European leaders on the Ukraine issue, saying that it "strongly supports" the US government's position on the Ukraine issue. The statement said the EU will also discuss how to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. According to the British "Independent" report, NATO Secretary General Rutte arrived in the United States on the 21st and planned to meet with Trump. This is "another push-pull game against the US government-Russia pulls it in one direction, while NATO and Ukraine try to pull it back." CNN commented that after a week of fierce wrangling and a change in the US position on the issue of the ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine,"almost nothing has changed."

On October 22, U.S. Washington, NATO Secretary-General Luther arrived at Congress Mountain.

The United States and Russia both responded

"I don't want to have a meaningless meeting." Trump told reporters in the White House Oval Office on the 21st about shelving plans for a meeting with Putin. "I don't want to waste time, so let's see what happens." Trump also said that a decision on the meeting would be made in the next few days. Russian Presidential Press Secretary Peskov responded on the 22nd that the current stagnation of plans for the US-Russian presidential meeting requires the highest level of intervention, and this also requires proper preparation.

Since January this year, the U.S. government¡¯s attitude toward Russia¡¯s peace talks has changed again. CNN said Trump¡¯s ¡°disappointment¡± is the latest turning point in a week ¨C he first seemed to be preparing to deliver ¡°war-hack¡± missiles to Ukraine, but changed his mind after talking to Putin, and then a new conflict in the White House with Ukrainian President Zelensky.

The Washington Post of the United States said that the above-mentioned meeting plan was shelved, which seemed to stem from the phone call between rubio and Lavrov on the 20th. During the call, the Russian side said it would not agree to a ceasefire along the current front. Lavrov publicly stated on the 21st that Russia adheres to the position on the Ukrainian issue reached by the Russian and American presidents during their meeting in Alaska in August, and Russia is still committed to achieving lasting peace with Ukraine and resolving the "root causes" of the conflict.

Reuters quoted two U.S. officials and a person familiar with the matter as saying that Russia recently reiterated to the United States the conditions for reaching a Russia-Ukraine peace agreement, some of which were inconsistent with the U.S. position. Russia reiterated its demand for comprehensive control of the Udenbas region. Reuters believes that this actually rejected the U.S. government's ceasefire proposal to "freeze the current front line." A U.S. official said Russia also stressed that the peace agreement must ensure that no NATO troops are deployed in Ukraine.

U.S. President Trump: News Agency

The Washington Post quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that during the phone call between Trump and Putin on the 16th, Putin expressed his willingness to give up parts of Zaporozhye and Kherson regions controlled by Russia in exchange for full control of Donetsk and Lugansk. Some White House officials believe that the scope of Russia's latest request has narrowed compared with the comprehensive territorial claim made at a meeting in Alaska in August, which is seen as progress. But a European official said Uzbekistan was unlikely to accept the "cede territory for peace" plan, which "would be equivalent to selling its legs without any reward."

Russia currently controls about 20% of Ukraine's territory, including about 89% of the Donbas region, according to data from Liveuamap, a real-time map news site. The Donbas region mainly includes Donetsk and Luhansk regions. It is the largest coal base in Ukraine and an important heavy industry center of the former Soviet Union.

Europe and Ukraine formulate a 12-point plan

Regarding the shelving of plans for a meeting between Trump and Putin, the Independent said on the 22nd that "this makes European leaders breathe a sigh of relief" because they are trying to get the United States to stand on their side. Several European leaders, including British Prime Minister Stammer, French President Macron and German Chancellor Mertz, issued a joint statement on the 21st, clearly expressing their support for the US proposal of an immediate ceasefire and freezing the current front line as the starting point for negotiations. proposition.

However, according to the Associated Press, European leaders have long opposed the plan to "cede territory for peace" in Ukraine, and many European countries are studying using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. These leaders plan to continue consultations at the European Council later this week under the framework of the "Alliance of Volunteers" meeting to advance relevant work and further strengthen support for Ukraine. In addition, NATO Secretary General Rutte arrived in Washington on the 21st and plans to hold talks with Trump on the 22nd. A Western official revealed that Rutte will explain to Trump Europe's position on the ceasefire and peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. The Associated Press said Ukraine and European leaders are trying to get the U.S. government to side with them.

Zelensky again turned to Europe to seek support after a US visit to seek the "Taxic" missile failed.Zelensky said on 21 that Ukraine had completed preparations for a meeting with its European partners and would sign a new agreement on defense capabilities this week.

On October 17th, at the White House in Washington, DC, US President Trump (second from left) welcomed Ukrainian President Zelensky (third from left). On that day, US President Trump held talks with Ukrainian President Zelensky at the White House. Photo: Xinhua News Agency

Bloomberg said European countries are working with Ukraine to develop a 12-point plan aimed at promoting a ceasefire in Russia along the current front line. Under the plan, Russia and Ukraine would immediately cease fire, stop territorial advances, and pave the way for the repatriation of expelled Ukraine children, exchange of prisoners of war and negotiations on the governance of the occupied areas. Relevant negotiations will be supervised by the US-led "Peace Council".

However, the above plans have not been definitively determined. Details may change as Zelensky plans to meet with the leaders of the countries involved in the "Volunteer Alliance" on 24 in London.

According to Europress TV, EU leaders are expected to discuss at the European Council on the 23rd how to further impose economic sanctions on Russia and use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. The Independent said that some EU countries still have doubts about the legality and consequences of using Russian frozen assets to aid Ukraine.

Spanish media: Ukraine is not Gaza

After the first phase of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, the U.S. government has doubled its confidence in ending the conflict, but ¡°Ukraine is not Gaza¡±, and the U.S. side has limited influence on Russia and little pressure. CNN said that it is easier to seek peace than to peace. Currently, Russia¡¯s demands for control of Donbass are ¡°never acceptable¡± in Ukraine, which also plunges the U.S. government¡¯s cycle into an old cycle.

At the same time, the war between Russia and Ukraine continues. The Washington Post stated that with the arrival of winter, Russia and Ukraine are storming each other's energy infrastructure. On the 22nd, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed that its defense forces had destroyed a military factory in the Russian Republic of Mordovia and an oil refinery in the Russian Republic of Dagestan. The night before, the Ukrainian army also carried out a "large-scale air strike" on a chemical plant in Bryansk, Russia. The Independent reported that the Ukrainian army used the "Storm Shadow" missile jointly manufactured by France and Britain to break through the Russian air defense system during the operation. However, the governor of Russia's Bryansk Oblast did not mention the chemical plant on social media, only saying that the Russian army detected and destroyed 57 "enemy drones" on the 21st.

Zelensky said on the 22nd that Russian troops launched attacks on Uzbekistan in the past night, with the main target of the attack being Uzbekistan's energy facilities. Europress TV reported on the 22nd that Russia recently adjusted its tactics when launching a drone offensive and began to adopt a "region-by-area strike" strategy. The strikes have become more precise and effective, putting a heavy burden on Ukraine's air defense system.

Russian media said that Lavrov accused the European Union on the 21st of encouraging Uzbekistan to "attack civilian infrastructure and civilians on Russian territory" and said that Europe promoted a ceasefire because "the hats on their heads have been burnt." He mentioned that Macron himself said that the ceasefire should not be subject to any preconditions and no one can restrict the supply of weapons to Ukraine. "Everyone understood why they were calling for a ceasefire." Lavrov said.