Von der Leyen rebukes Trump over suggestions US could influence European elections – Europe live

European Commission president says ‘sovereignty’ of Europe’s voters must be protected And in a further sign why these concerns may be valid , the Kremlin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov has just asserted (falsely) that “the whole of Donbas belongs to Russia,” when asked about Zelenskyy’s idea of a referendum on any territorial changes. Reuters noted that the status of Donbas, comprising Donetsk and Luhansk regions, has emerged as a key sticking point in talks on peaceful settlement in Ukraine. “ The Ukrainians are right to be very wary of a plan that would mean them pulling back to create a ‘free zone’ in the part of the Donbas Russia has failed to occupy. The US might pledge to ensure that this w’d be demilitarised. But what would any ‘guarantee’ be worth in reality? Very little in my view. Once the issue was out of the headlines, US attention would move elsewhere. Putin would infiltrate his forces (remember Crimea?), create incidents as pretexts to move in to ‘protect Russian speakers’ . Before long they would have occupied the whole area and the US would not lift a finger. Continue reading...