Will Trump get played by Putin? Europe is worried
Trump blew past a deadline last week to impose punishing sanctions on Russia and its primary trading partners in exchange for the face-to-face meeting with Putin, set for Friday in Alaska.
And while the president has expressed increased frustration with Putin and Russia's attacks on Ukraine, he this week reverted to criticisms that Zelensky is to blame for stating the war.
'[Trump] is very unpredictable,' Lesia Zaburanna, a member of the Ukrainian Parliament in Zelensky's Servant of the People party and the deputy chair of the budget committee, said in a call with The Hill.
'We highly appreciate all American support, and we highly appreciate all military, financial support. But if we talk about the situation with Trump's negotiation, we are not sure what we will have on Friday.'
The worst case scenario, Zaburanna said, would be if Trump reached an agreement with Putin on territorial concessions without Ukraine, and a fatal blow for Kyiv would be if Trump withdrew U.S. support, particularly intelligence sharing on the battlefield and military support.
Zaburanna described living in Kyiv now as similar to the first days of the full-scale invasion — nightly air raid alarms, massive explosions, menacing drones attacks, destruction of civilian buildings and mounting casualties.
Trump has provided few details on his goals for the meeting, telling reporters Monday he's using the summit as an opportunity to 'feel out' Putin, who has so far rebuffed all his calls for a ceasefire and increased the pace of attacks on Ukraine.
But Zelensky told reporters this week that Ukraine could be asked to withdraw from the Donbas region to attain a ceasefire. Zelensky said he'd received these indications from Steve Witkoff, Trump's envoy to the region.
'Witkoff said that there should be territorial concessions from both sides — that's how it sounded,' Zelensky told NewsNation's Robert Sherman and other reporters in Ukraine. 'And that, most likely, Putin wants us to withdraw from Donbas. In other words, it didn't sound like it was America wanting us to withdraw. After we held two more NSA meetings, it became clear what Putin wants. This is not a proposal from Trump or Witkoff.'
'During the call, I said that I am not ready to discuss Ukraine's territories, as this is solely a matter of our Constitution,' Zelensky added.
While Trump has called Putin's ongoing attacks on Ukraine 'cold,' he also offered criticism this week of Zelensky.
'I was a little bothered by the fact that Zelensky was saying, 'I have to get constitutional approval,' he has approval to do a war and kill everybody but he needs approval for land swapping?' Trump told reporters Monday.
Marko Mihkelson, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Estonian Parliament, described it as 'quite crazy' that Trump was putting pressure on Zelensky instead of calling out Putin for launching the war.
'We don't have any high hopes on what's going to happen in Alaska,' he said in a phone call with The Hill.
Mihkelson, along with 26 chairs of European foreign affairs committees, published a letter Tuesday saying that any outcome of the Alaska talks 'must firmly uphold Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity, constitution and the principles of the United Nations Charter.'
The letter matched a joint statement from European Union foreign ministers Tuesday and a Saturday statement from the leaders of France, Italy, Poland, Finland, the United Kingdom and European Union.
Mihkelson said the best-case scenario would be for the Alaska summit to be canceled. He warned of repeating the mistakes of the 1938 Munich Conference — when European leaders agreed to allow Adolf Hitler to annex territory in then-Czechoslovakia and that served as a prelude to the Nazi invasion of Europe.
'Can Alaska become a second Munich, or not? … We should not repeat mistakes from the past,' Mihkelson said. 'And obviously nothing can be decided about Ukraine without Ukraine, and nothing can be decided about Europe, without Europe.'
Trump said he will call Zelensky and European leaders almost immediately after meeting with Putin, saying that he gets along great with European leaders and NATO members. The White House said Tuesday that Trump's meeting with Putin is exclusively focused on ending the war in Ukraine and not about bilateral issues or opportunities between Moscow and Washington.
Zelensky warned that Putin is preparing the ground for more war, and is redeploying troops and forces in what Ukraine assesses is a renewed military offensive.
'If someone is preparing for peace, this is not what he does. We continue to keep our partners informed about the real situation on the battlefield, in diplomacy, and in Russia's planning of further actions,' Zelensky said in his nightly address to the country.
Zelensky told NewsNation on Tuesday that Ukraine is supportive of a trilateral track of negotiations, to get a ceasefire, an 'all-for-all exchange' of prisoners of war and the return of Ukrainian children taken by Russia.
'Some period of time is set for the ceasefire — any period. Let America choose, let the Russians choose. This is to prepare a plan, so that we can find some compromises for ending the war,' Zelensky said.
He also warned that compromises leading to peace cannot be found if Russia issues ultimatums.
'Putin always speaks in ultimatums. But I believe he does not have enough leverage against Trump to speak to him in ultimatums,' Zelensky said.
Russian officials signal the Kremlin's demands will include the same it had when it launched its war: demanding Ukraine's demilitarization, Ukraine's commitment to neutrality and a commitment to never joining NATO, according to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank.
It also believes Putin will angle for Ukrainian elections that could give Russia influence over their results.
David Kramer, executive director of the George W. Bush Institute and an expert on Russia and Ukraine, said there are still ways for Trump to gain the upper hand in Alaska.
'We can ramp up the sanctions, we can invite Zelensky to the meeting, I mean, it's Tuesday now, there's time for Zelensky to travel … I think there are a number of things that the president can do to turn this opportunity into a meeting where he makes clear that Russia is the guilty party here … and any attempts to blame Zelensky, I think, are misguided,' he said.
There will be scrutiny on the choreography surrounding Trump and Putin's greeting.
In July 2022, President Biden fist-bumped Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to avoid a handshake after calling him a killer. In 2009, former President Clinton appeared straight-faced, no smile, alongside then-North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
'I hope he has the discipline,' Kramer said of Trump.
'I hope he goes into this meeting with the awareness that Putin has the blood of thousands of Ukrainians on his hands, but thousands and thousands of Ukrainians would still be alive if Putin did not decide on Feb. 24, 2022, to launch this unjustified, unprovoked, full scale invasion that has included war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
14 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Putin praises Trump's efforts to end Ukraine war ahead of Friday summit in Alaska
LONDON — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday praised President Trump's efforts to end the war in Ukraine, more than three years after Moscow launched its invasion, as the two leaders prepared for a pivotal U.S.–Russia summit Friday in Alaska. Following a meeting Thursday with top government officials on the summit, Putin said in a short video released by the Kremlin that the Trump administration was making 'quite energetic and sincere efforts to stop the hostilities' and to 'reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved.' Putin also suggested that 'long-term conditions of peace between our countries, and in Europe, and in the world as a whole,' could be reached under an agreement with the U.S. on nuclear arms control. In Washington, Trump said there was a 25% chance that the summit would fail, but he also floated the idea that, if the meeting succeeds, he could bring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Alaska for a subsequent, three-way meeting. In a radio interview with Fox News, Trump also said he might be willing to stay in Alaska longer, depending on what happens with Putin. Meanwhile, Zelensky and other European leaders worked to ensure their interests are taken into account when Trump and Putin meet in Anchorage. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed Zelensky to London on Thursday in a show of British support for Ukraine a day before the critical Trump-Putin meeting. The two embraced warmly outside Starmer's offices at 10 Downing Street without making any comments, and Zelensky departed about an hour later. Zelensky's trip to the British capital came a day after he took part in virtual meetings from Berlin with Trump and the leaders of several European countries. Those leaders said that Trump had assured them that he would make a priority of trying to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine when he meets with Putin. Speaking after the meetings to reporters, Trump warned of 'very severe consequences' for Russia if Putin doesn't agree to stop the war against Ukraine after Friday's meeting. While some European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, praised Wednesday's video conference with Trump as constructive, uncertainty remained over how the U.S. leader — whose rhetoric toward both Zelensky and Putin has evolved dramatically since retaking office this year — would conduct negotiations in the absence of any other interested parties. Both Zelensky and the Europeans have worried that the bilateral U.S.-Russia summit would leave them and their interests sidelined, and that any conclusions could favor Moscow and leave Ukraine and Europe's future security in jeopardy. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov tamped down expectations for any breakthroughs from the Friday summit, saying there were no plans to sign documents and that it would be a 'big mistake' to predict the results of the negotiations, according to Russian news outlet Interfax. The Kremlin on Thursday said the meeting between Trump and Putin would begin at 11:30 a.m. local time. Putin's foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told reporters that Trump and Putin will first sit down for a one-on-one meeting followed by a meeting between the two delegations. Then talks will continue over 'a working breakfast.' A joint news conference will follow. Trump contradicted the Kremlin, saying that no decisions have been made about holding a news conference with Putin. The uncertainty reflects just how much about the summit, including its schedule, remains unsettled. Starmer said Wednesday that the Alaska summit could be a path to a ceasefire in Ukraine, but he also alluded to European concerns that Trump may strike a deal that forces Ukraine to cede territory to Russia. He warned that Western allies must be prepared to step up pressure on Russia if necessary. During a call Wednesday among leaders of countries involved in the 'coalition of the willing' — those who are prepared to help police any future peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv — Starmer stressed that any ceasefire deal must protect the 'territorial integrity' of Ukraine. 'International borders cannot be, and must not be changed by force,'' he said. Kyiv has long insisted that safeguards against future Russian attacks provided by its Western allies would be a precondition for achieving a durable end to the fighting. Yet many Western governments have been hesitant to commit military personnel. Countries in the coalition, which includes France and the U.K., have been trying for months to secure U.S. security backing, should it be required. Following Wednesday's virtual meetings, Macron said Trump told the assembled leaders that while NATO must not be part of future security guarantees, 'the United States and all the parties involved should take part.' 'It's a very important clarification that we have received,' Macron said. Trump did not reference any U.S. security commitments during his comments to reporters on Wednesday. With another high-level meeting on their country's future on the horizon, some Ukrainians expressed skepticism about the summit's prospects. Oleksandra Kozlova, 39, who works at a digital agency in Kyiv, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that she believes Ukrainians 'have already lost hope' that meaningful progress can be made toward ending the war. 'I don't think this round will be decisive,' she said. 'There have already been enough meetings and negotiations promising us, ordinary people, that something will be resolved, that things will get better, that the war will end. Unfortunately, this has not happened, so personally I don't see any changes coming.' Anton Vyshniak, a car salesman in Kyiv, said Ukraine's priority now should be saving the lives of its military service members, even at the expense of territorial concessions. 'At the moment, the most important thing is to preserve the lives of male and female military personnel. After all, there are not many human resources left,' he said. 'Borders are borders, but human lives are priceless.' Zelensky said Thursday that Ukraine had secured the release of 84 people from Russian captivity, including both soldiers and civilians. Those freed included people held by Russia since 2014, 2016 and 2017, as well as soldiers who had defended the now Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol, Zelensky wrote on Telegram. The Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday that it too had received 84 soldiers as part of a prisoner exchange. In other developments, Russian strikes in Ukraine's Sumy region overnight Wednesday resulted in numerous injuries, Ukrainian regional officials said. A missile strike on a village in the Seredyna-Budska community wounded a 7-year-old girl and a 27-year-old man, according to regional governor Oleh Hryhorov. The girl was hospitalized in stable condition. In Russia, a Ukrainian drone attack damaged several apartment buildings in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, near the border with Ukraine, where 13 civilians were wounded, according to acting governor of the region, Yuri Slyusar. Two of the wounded were hospitalized in serious condition, Slyusar said. Pylas and Spike write for the Associated Press. Spike reported from Budapest, Hungary. AP writers Lorne Cook in Brussels; Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv, Ukraine; Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England; Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, and Will Weissert in Washington contributed to this report.
The Hill
14 minutes ago
- The Hill
Noem claims 1.6M illegal immigrants have left US
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Thursday that the U.S. now has 1.6 million fewer illegal immigrants since the start of the Trump administration – a claim based on information from an anti-immigration group that said their own estimate may be overstated. 'In less than 200 days, 1.6 MILLION illegal immigrants have left the United States population. This is massive. This means safer streets, taxpayer savings, pressure off of schools and hospital services and better job opportunities for Americans,' Noem wrote in a tweet thanking President Trump. The claim, the Department of Homeland Security said, is based on a report from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), which describes itself as a 'low immigration' advocate. CIS identified several 'caveats' to its estimate, which it said is based on immigrants' willingness to respond to the Current Population Survey crafted by the Census Bureau and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which CIS said 'does not specifically identify illegal immigrants.' 'Given the recent stepped-up enforcement efforts, it is possible that immigrants have become more reluctant to respond to the CPS,' the report states. 'If this is the case, then our estimate of illegal immigrants based on the survey may be overstating the decline in their actual numbers. Further, our estimate of legal immigrants based on administrative data through July of 2025 is incomplete, further increasing uncertainty of our estimate of illegal immigrants. All this should be kept in mind when interpreting the figures presented here.' Estimates of the number of people unlawfully living in the U.S. typically hover around 13 million. The 1.6 million estimate from DIS would also represent a sharp jump from the Department of Homeland Security's previously released figures, as it has touted both deportations and voluntary departures. The Trump administration said in April that it had deported 135,000 people, but that figure has also come under scrutiny, with the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) saying the figures were ' gross exaggerations ' and that deportation figures at the time were actually around 72,000. TRAC also said immigration judges this year have ordered just over 360,000 people deported, though it's unclear when those removals will be carried out. The Trump administration has also started new programs encouraging immigrants to leave the country, offering a $1,000 stipend to those who register to leave through the CBP Home App, a redesign of an app started under President Biden allowing migrants to request an appointment to seek asylum.
The Hill
14 minutes ago
- The Hill
Federal judge blocks Trump administration's broad birth control mandate exemptions
The Trump administration's religious and moral carve-outs to an ObamaCare requirement that all employer health plans cover contraception at no cost were blocked on Wednesday by a federal judge. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone in Philadelphia issued a summary judgment that the rules were arbitrary, capricious and an overreach of the authority of the agencies that wrote them in 2017. Under the rules, essentially any for-profit or nonprofit employer or insurer was allowed to exempt themselves from following the birth control mandate on moral and religious grounds. The rules also let publicly traded companies obtain a religious exemption, but not a moral one. The Affordable Care Act required employer health plans to cover at least one of 18 forms of birth control approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Religious groups and employers sued, and the Supreme Court in 2014 ruled 5-4 that the contraceptive mandate violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) rights of closely held corporations whose owners had religious objections. Subsequent agency actions tried to find a balance, but the Trump administration in 2017 issued a blanket exemption. The rules didn't require employers to apply for an exemption because the administration said that would be a violation of their religious rights. Pennsylvania, New Jersey and dozens of other states sued to halt that broad expansion of exemptions and accommodations. That lawsuit reached the Supreme Court in 2020, where the justices upheld the Trump rules on technical grounds but did not address the underlying merits of the case. The case was sent back to the lower court, where a religious group, Little Sisters of the Poor, joined the lawsuit alongside the federal government in asking for summary judgment. Beetlestone, an appointee of former President Obama, wrote that the Trump administration's religious rule did not accomplish what the agencies purportedly wrote it to do, which was to resolve a conflict between the contraceptive mandate and RFRA. But the rule exemptions to organizations that are 'unlikely, if ever, to be capable of maintaining a religious objection, raising further doubts as to any 'rational connection' between the Rule and remedying potential conflicts with RFRA,' Beetlestone wrote. The Little Sisters of the Poor will appeal the ruling in the coming weeks, according to the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a nonprofit that represents the order.
