Americans were preparing an ambush for Zelensky in London – Independent
24 April 09:48
American diplomats were preparing another public psychological pressure campaign for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, similar to the one in Washington during his visit to the White House. This was written by the Independent, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to the publication, the Ukrainian leader showed political insight by refusing to participate in a planned meeting in London, which, by all indications, was to be a diplomatic trap for him by the Trump administration.
“Zelenskiy… as a wartime leader, recognizes an ambush when he sees one. Earlier, he was trapped in the Oval Office and eviscerated by Donald Trump and Jay DeVance. Now he has escaped fire from a team of American diplomats in London’s killing zone without showing up at all,”
– the newspaper writes.
The Independent claims that this is why US Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not fly to London. Zelenskyy was the target of his planned attack, so the American official canceled the flight after learning that the Ukrainian president would not be there.
Along with Rubio, Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to Putin, also canceled the trip. Only Keith Kellogg, Trump’s envoy to Ukraine, was in London, so the meeting was significantly downgraded to the level of talks between British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga.
The main purpose of the planned “ambush” seems to have been to present Zelenskyy with an ultimatum developed in the United States in conjunction with the Russians, and then, in the event of his expected refusal, to accuse the Ukrainian leader of unwillingness to make peace.
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The “truce” plan, which was intended to be imposed on Ukraine, included
- freezing of Russian control over the eastern territories of Ukraine;
- recognition of the Kremlin’s de facto rule over Crimea;
- agreeing that Ukraine would never be able to join NATO.
Zelenskyy’s reaction to the Crimea clause was unequivocal:
“There is nothing to talk about – this is our land, the land of the Ukrainian people.”
It is worth recalling that the Constitution of Ukraine prohibits the alienation of Ukrainian territories, and NATO membership is enshrined as a strategic goal of the state.
Against the backdrop of these events, US Vice President J.D. Vance issued a threatening warning during his visit to India that it was time for Ukraine and Russia to “say yes” to Washington’s peace proposals, otherwise “the US will withdraw from this process.” Rubio had said the same thing earlier.
A particularly alarming signal for Ukraine is that the Trump administration seems to be coordinating its actions with the Kremlin. Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, has already expressed satisfaction with the American position on Ukraine’s aspirations to join NATO.
The Ukrainian leadership is well aware of the cost of defying Trump. Earlier, Ukraine had already experienced the suspension of military aid and later the suspension of intelligence information from the United States, just as Russia launched its attacks in the Kursk region. According to reports from Kyiv, Moscow has amassed about 70,000 troops on Ukraine’s northern border and may be planning a large-scale offensive.
Under these circumstances, Zelensky’s decision to avoid the London “ambush” looks quite justified, the Independent writes. The president remains in Ukraine, where he has to confront drones, missiles, and Russian saboteurs, but at least he does not have to face diplomatic manipulations aimed at Ukraine’s surrender.
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