US President Donald Trump has ditched his call for a ceasefire in Ukraine, backing instead Russian President Vladimir Putin’s push for a permanent peace agreement. That has not stopped some European leaders from pushing for a temporary truce first, even though the US president has seemingly decided one is not necessary.

After meeting Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday, the president of Russia reiterated his position that the “root causes” of the conflict in Ukraine must be resolved. The phrase is understood to be shorthand for a series of maximalist demands aimed at addressing Russia’s diminished status since the collapse of the Soviet Union,