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Europe fears full US exit from Ukraine conflict after Trump’s comments — magazine

The French magazine highlighted Trump’s endorsement of further direct talks between Russia and Ukraine "because they know the inner-workings of the negotiations that nobody else would be aware of"

PARIS, May 20. /TASS/. Hearing what US President Donald Trump had to say following his telephone call yesterday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Europe is worried that the United States may exit the Ukraine conflict completely, according to Le Point.

The French magazine highlighted Trump’s endorsement of further direct talks between Russia and Ukraine "because they know the inner-workings of the negotiations that nobody else would be aware of." "This phrase increases the likelihood of a scenario feared by Kiev and European capitals - that the Americans may distance themselves from the Ukrainian issue," Le Point wrote. The magazine also pointed to the concerns of the Kiev regime which, like the Europeans, was taken aback by Trump’s decision not to impose more sanctions on Russia.

The two leaders held a more than two-hour long phone call on Monday. They mostly discussed resolving the Ukraine conflict. Following the call, Putin said that he had first of all thanked Trump for the US support in resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. According to the Russian president, Moscow is ready to work with Kiev on a memorandum "addressing possible terms of a future peace agreement, including defining a number of positions." However, "eliminating the root causes of this crisis" remains the key thing for Russia, he stressed.

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