Kiev's backers fail to sway Trump on Russia
Trump met to discuss the Ukraine conflict with Vladimir Zelensky and some European leaders in Washington just days after holding a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.
'Just like in Anchorage, no decisions were announced afterward. And that, in itself, is a sign that something important is happening,' Poletaev said, noting that the talks are part of a larger diplomatic struggle, the ultimate goal of which is to win over the US president.
He suggested that Moscow is seeking to draw Washington out of the conflict, while Europe and Ukraine are pushing to keep the US firmly entangled. Following what Poletaev called Putin's 'gambit' in Anchorage, the European delegation hurried to Washington to persuade Trump to toughen sanctions against Moscow and maintain weapons deliveries to Kiev.
So far, it looks like they came up empty.
Poletaev pointed out that, unusually for the US president, he did not repeat European talking points after the meeting. Instead, Trump reminded the European leaders at the start of the summit that 'they had no real power,' the analyst said.
While the immediate effort may have failed, 'most likely, Europe will soon try again,' Poletaev stressed.
According to the analyst, the key issue at Monday's summit was security guarantees for Ukraine. Russia has insisted 'from day one' that any such commitments must be tied to 'neutrality and disarmament,' he said.
Europe and Kiev, meanwhile, are desperately trying – by hook or by crook – to preserve Ukraine's armed forces, and even to push for a NATO presence on Ukrainian soil.
According to Poletaev, the attempts are 'naive and desperate,' but whatever form security guarantees take in any eventual peace deal will ultimately determine 'the fate of the Kiev regime.'
'For now, there's no compromise in sight,' Poletaev concluded. 'And as Ukraine continues to lose ground on the battlefield, the room for maneuver – for both Kiev and its European backers – is shrinking fast.'
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