© EPA/ MAXIM SHEMETOV / POOL While Trump hopes for negotiations, Putin continues his provocations.
President Donald Trump remains hopeful that Vladimir Putin will negotiate in good faith to end the war in Ukraine, while Putin continues to signal that he is a threat that cannot be trusted. The Russian leader said this week that he might be willing to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky if the talks take place in Moscow.
Russia has repeatedly tried to assassinate Ukraine's elected president during the war and will undoubtedly continue its attempts, the editorial board of The Wall Street Journal notes.
Or consider that Russia is suspected of jamming the signal of a plane carrying a high-ranking European Union official. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was flying to visit a munitions factory in Bulgaria, a member of both the EU and NATO, when the plane’s GPS navigation was jammed.
An EU official said officials considered it “clear interference” by Russia. Last year, a plane carrying British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps was jammed near Kaliningrad. Pilots have other means of navigation, but they can become disoriented, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said such jamming could have “potentially catastrophic consequences” and was being taken “very seriously.”
“Everything is safe for now, but the situation has become more complicated,” Ivar Vark, Director General of the Estonian Air Navigation Service, recently told us.
In May, the EU noted an increase in signal jamming in Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. It said such Russian activity was a “simple and cheap” form of interference and was “likely to continue unless appropriate countermeasures are taken”.
How much more proof of Putin's intentions does Trump need?
As a reminder, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to Putin's offer to meet in Moscow. “He can come to Kyiv,” Zelensky said. According to the head of state, Putin's offer to hold talks in Moscow is an attempt to stall for time.
