Washington (USA), May 20 (LaPresse) – European leaders to whom Donald Trump reported the contents of his Monday phone call with Vladimir Putin were reportedly "surprised" or "shocked" by the account given by the U.S. president, which appeared to them as yielding towards the Russian leader and opposed to imposing new sanctions on Russia. This is according to Axios, which also detailed Giorgia Meloni's reactions in a behind-the-scenes report.
During one part of the call between the two, the Italian Prime Minister reportedly asked Trump why there couldn't be at least a two-week ceasefire in anticipation of negotiations. Meloni, together with German Chancellor Merz, also expressed to the U.S. president the need for Europe to be involved in peace talks. "Someone has to act as a judge," the prime minister allegedly said, according to Axios. Merz, on the other hand, proposed a meeting involving all parties. Trump, in turn, reportedly proposed the Vatican as the venue for the negotiations.