Key U.S. allies in Europe were not notified in advance of a telephone conversation between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
According to Bloomberg, European officials were ‘stunned’ by the news.
In addition, one European supporter of Ukraine called Trump’s actions ‘venality’, emphasising that the US was allegedly ‘caving in’ to Russia’s key demands even before the talks began.
Earlier, former US intelligence officer Scott Ritter said that Russia would be in a dominant position in the negotiations with the US.
On 12 February, Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump held a phone conversation that lasted almost an hour and a half. During the conversation, the two leaders discussed further contacts, including a meeting.
Later, Trump said that he intends to hold a meeting with Putin in Saudi Arabia. In addition, the American politician noted that he expects Putin’s visit to the United States and his own to Russia.
