Gouillon: Location of potential Putin-Trump meeting decisive for success of Ukraine talks

BELGRADE - The choice of the location of a potential meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump will be decisive for the success of talks to end the Ukraine conflict, says the head of the Serbian government Office for Public and Cultural Diplomacy Arnaud Gouillon, noting that Serbia had the capacity and the ability to bring the East and the West together.

In an article recently published by the renowned French Valeurs actuelles weekly, Gouillon noted that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic believed Serbia would be "an exceptionally appropriate" location for a Putin-Trump encounter, the Office for Public and Cultural Diplomacy said in a statement.

"A phone call between the two leaders is expected to be arranged in the near future, but the format of a potential meeting has not been determined yet. One thing is certain: the location of the meeting will be decisive for the success of talks. Due to an evident need for balance, it can neither be a state with a more pro-US lean, nor a state that would lean towards Russia," Gouillon wrote.

It is a fact that Putin and Trump both enjoy high popularity in Serbia, he pointed out.

"Trump would have more supporters here than in any other country outside of the US (59 pct of Serbs who have taken part in a survey would vote for Trump if they were Americans). Paradoxically, the respect for Putin, who is especially valued due to the close religious and civilisational ties and, of course, due to his personal stance, is equally strong," Gouillon wrote.

"Even more importantly, President Vucic, who, unlike others, has never broken off ties with Russia, can easily contact both Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin and speak with them openly and with confidence. That is an advantage that few world statesmen can boast of today," he noted.