Peace talks in Ukraine may begin this winter

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said peace negotiations in Ukraine could begin this winter, while Warsaw takes over the rotating EU presidency in January.

Tusk indicated that he will speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and will host French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday in Poland.

He added to reporters: “Our presidency will be jointly responsible, among other things, for what the political scene will be like, and for what the situation may be during the negotiations on peace, around which there are still question marks, and which may begin in the winter of this year.”

Reception of Zelensky and Macron

Donald Tusk said he would have “the opportunity to discuss the issue with President Volodymyr Zelensky.”
He also announced the upcoming visit to Warsaw of the President of the German Conservatives, Friedrich Merz, who is most likely to assume the German Chancellery following the legislative elections, and the French President, Emmanuel Macron.

He said: “Friedrich Merz will inform me of his talks in Kyiv.

He continued: President Macron will be hosting us on Thursday, to inform us of the outcome of the discussions that took place in Paris with Trump and Zelensky during a short but important meeting.

The Polish Prime Minister also revealed that he is in “close contact” with the Allies in Scandinavia and the Baltic Sea, “who consider Poland and the Polish presidency to be the spearhead of this next effort, which I hope will lead to peace.”

He added: “I spoke with the Swedish Prime Minister, and after about 10 hours the Estonian Prime Minister will come to Warsaw.”

$20 billion to Ukraine

Washington announced that it had transferred to a fund in the World Bank $20 billion that Ukraine would receive in the form of a loan guaranteed by interest on frozen Russian assets.
This is out of a loan worth $50 billion that the G7 had committed to providing to the Ukrainian government.
The US Treasury Department said in a statement, “The United States fulfilled the commitment it made in October by transferring these funds” to the fund allocated for Ukraine at the World Bank.
She indicated that these funds will be made available to Ukraine through the fund.