The financial news from August 17th (edited by Shi Zhengcheng)
After the Alaska talks between the heads of the United States and Russia, the United States, Russia, Ukraine, and European countries have spoken out publicly in succession, once again highlighting the complexity of the Ukraine issue. According to reports from various media outlets such as integrated news, Global Times, and The Paper, Trump and Zelensky both confirmed on Saturday that they will meet again on Monday. This also means that the high uncertainty faced by financial markets will continue until next week.
It is reported that Trump held a telephone conference with Zelensky, as well as NATO and European leaders while returning from Alaska. After the call, he posted on social media that President Zelensky will visit Washington D.C. on Monday afternoon (local time) and head to the Oval Office. If everything goes well, he will then arrange a meeting with President Putin. As a key statement to promote a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, Trump stated: “The best way to end this terrible war between Russia and Ukraine is to reach a direct peace agreement to end the war, rather than just signing a ceasefire agreement that is usually difficult to maintain.”
What is noteworthy is that after the meeting when facing the media, Trump publicly advised Zelensky, “You need to reach an agreement.” Russia is a very powerful country, while Ukraine is not. Given that Ukraine and Europe have been emphasizing a “ceasefire first, then discuss a peace agreement,” how to resolve this key contradiction will be the main focus of their meeting on Monday.
Zelensky’s visit to the United States is his first since he was publicly scolded by Trump and Vance in the Oval Office at the end of February. (Zelensky’s last visit to the United States ended in a public argument.) Zelensky then posted a message confirming that he will meet with Trump on Monday to discuss all the details. He also called for a tripartite meeting between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia, emphasizing that “European parties should be involved at every stage to ensure reliable security with the United States.” It was also reported on Saturday that European leaders were invited to participate in the meeting on Monday, and further details are pending confirmation.
The French presidency issued a statement on Saturday stating that countries that support Ukraine will hold a video conference on Sunday, with French President Macron, German Chancellor Merkel, and British Prime Minister Starmer co-chairing the meeting. As for the outcome of the U.S.-Russian leader talks, there are also aspects that Europe hopes to emphasize. German Chancellor Merkel said on Saturday that the United States is ready to provide security guarantees to Ukraine, rather than leaving it entirely up to Europe.
In a joint statement released on Saturday by multiple European countries, the European Council, and the leaders of the European Commission, it was emphasized that ”
Ukraine must receive ironclad security guarantees
“. The statement also welcomed “Trump’s statement that the United States is prepared to provide security guarantees”.
According to Italian Prime Minister Meloni, during his dialogue with European leaders, Trump highlighted a security guarantee proposal made by Italy, which is said to be inspired by
NATO’s Article 5 (Collective Defense Treaty).
It is understood that the premise of this security guarantee is to reach a peace agreement, followed by the United States and Europe providing security guarantees similar to “Article 5”, but without involving NATO.
Meanwhile, Russian President Putin held a meeting at the Kremlin on Saturday to report on the results of the Alaska summit. Putin said that Russia respects the US position and also hopes to resolve the Ukraine crisis in a peaceful manner.
Putin expressed that his visit to Alaska was timely and very beneficial. All aspects of Russian-American cooperation were discussed at the summit, but the primary topic was mediating the Ukraine issue. During his visit to Alaska, he discussed the issue of resolving the Ukraine crisis on a fair basis and the origins of the crisis with US President Trump.