Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks Begin Amid Low Expectations
After more than three years of war, Russia and Ukraine remain wide apart, with President Vladimir Putin of Russia sticking to the original goal of the invasion: a neutered, Moscow-dominated Ukraine. Kyiv, shored up by Western aid, is holding the line on the battlefield and refuses to surrender.
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USA Today
29 minutes ago
- USA Today
The good news and bad news as Trump seeks Ukraine deal with Putin
Hurtling toward talks between Zelenskyy and Putin, the days of slow-as-you-go diplomacy are clearly over in the age of Trump. The good news is President Donald Trump is determined to make a deal, and fast, to end the grinding war in Ukraine. For the leaders of Ukraine and Europe, that could be the bad news, too. Concern about what Trump would be willing to cede to Russia in his supercharged effort to reach an accord − the prime exhibit in his open campaign to win the Nobel Peace Prize − drew an extraordinary group of European leaders to the White House to back up Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a pivotal moment for Kyiv. More: Zelenskyy gets warmer White House reception: Takeaways from high stakes Trump meeting In the East Room on August 18, America's strongest allies wrapped layers of praise for Trump's leadership around warnings about the need to reach a ceasefire before negotiations begin, and before Ukraine is pressured to give up swaths of land to the nation that launched its latest invasion more than three years ago. But Russian President Vladimir Putin ruled out a ceasefire at his own meeting with Trump, this one in Alaska three days earlier, and he apparently won him over. Facing a united front from NATO and the European Community, from the leaders of France and Germany and Great Britain, Trump on Monday found himself more closely aligned on this key question with Moscow. On his way to Alaska, Trump had called a ceasefire crucial, threatening "serious consequences" if Russia didn't agree. But after Putin's flat nyet, Trump in the East Room described a ceasefire as a nice idea but not an imperative. More: Trump and Zelenskyy meet again, but Putin has faced Trump, other presidents many times Trump said the United States was prepared to participate in security guarantees for Ukraine, a significant step and one Putin indicated a willingness to consider. That surely increases the pressure on Zelenskyy to agree to what Trump calls "land swaps," perhaps including giving away territory that Russia has not yet won on the battlefield. Putin has demanded the Donbas, an area rich in industry and strategically located. Zelenskyy has rejected the idea of ceding any land. Foreign policy in an age of Trump 2.0 The whirlwind of developments in the space of a few days was a telling display of foreign policy in the age of Trump 2.0. For one thing, the tradition of slow-as-you-go diplomacy, of meticulous meetings by aides to hash out the details before the principals meet, has been replaced by sweeping declarations from the top − often streamed live to the world and updated in real time on Truth Social. For another, any inclination by foreign leaders during Trump's first term to challenge him too directly has been replaced by a strategy of flattery. More: A Nobel Peace Prize for Trump? World leaders are lining up That's true for Putin. He is a former KGB agent who has led the Kremlin with an iron hand for a quarter century. But on this, Putin has persuaded Trump that he has Trump's own interests at heart. "I think he wants to make a deal for me," Trump told French President Emmanuel Macron as they gathered for a group photo in the White House Cross Hall, a private aside picked up by a hot mic. "Do you understand? As crazy as it sounds." It's true for Zelenskyy, who showed up at the White House in a dark suit − a concession to Trump's complaints about his usual military-style attire at his last visit. That encounter imploded into acrimony. In the Oval Office this time, he heaped praise on the president. "Thank you very much for your efforts," he told Trump. Vice President JD Vance, who had laced into Zelenskyy in February's meeting for ingratitude, sat on the couch next to the president, silent and smiling. It was apparent among the European leaders, too. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte launched a round-robin of praise." "I really want to thank you, President of the United States, dear Donald," he said, crediting him with "breaking the deadlock" on the war and "starting the dialogue" for peace. More: Ukraine's Zelenskyy avoids Trump mauling at White House. Will he get Putin meeting? Zelenskyy and other leaders expressed particular appreciation for Trump's willingness to support security guarantees, though European forces would be expected to take the lead and the U.S. role hasn't been defined. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz raised the most direct caution of the day. "The next steps are the more complicated ones," he said, adding: "I can't imagine that the next meeting would take place without a ceasefire." A play for peace or a play for time? Just when and where that next meeting would take place isn't clear, but Merz later told reporters it was supposed to happen within the next two weeks. Trump had "paused" his conversation with the European leaders to hold a 40-minute phone call with Putin. Afterwards, he said he "began the arrangements" for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between Putin and Zelenskyy. "After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself," he said in a social-media post. Skeptics warn that Putin is playing for time, for the opportunity to keep hammering Ukraine on the battlefield while giving lip service to seeking peace. Putin has another long-standing goal, too: To drive a wedge in the Western alliance that was forged in the aftermath of World War II, in large part as a check on Moscow. An expansionist Russia and a divided alliance is also the European leaders' greatest fear − not only for Ukraine's sake but also for their own. "The optimism of your president is to be taken seriously," Macron told NBC after he left the White House. But he expressed little of Trump's confidence in his new peace partner. "When I look at the situation and the facts, I don't see President Putin very willing to get peace now."
Los Angeles Times
29 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Letters to the Editor: Trump is in over his head with peace talks, and he doesn't even know it
To the editor: 'If your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.' President Trump was a developer, so every negotiation looks like a property deal, thus his insistence on a land swap to end the war ('After welcoming Putin, Trump appears to adopt his goal, agreeing to cede land for peace,' Aug. 16). Thus he sees international diplomacy as just another golf course deal, but bigger. He doesn't appreciate that there are actual people on this property for whom it is not only their home, but also their nation. Do they get traded to Russia along with the land like serfs, or deported like inconvenient residents in his own country? What's worse than being in over your head? Not even being aware that you're in over your head. I weep for what this incompetence is about to do to the brave Ukrainians who have sacrificed so much. Robert Huber, Yorba Linda .. To the editor: Watching our president roll out the red carpet to a Russian dictator currently facing an arrest warrant over war crimes against a free country was astonishing. The fact that Trump consistently spews hatred for the 'radical left' in California (the biggest tax contributor of all the states) shows how twisted the Republican 'own the libs' philosophy has become. No wonder Vladimir Putin was so joyful as he rode away in the presidential limousine: Trump legitimized him on the world stage, and he didn't have to concede a thing. Ken Jacobs, Santa Monica .. To the editor: Trump is a bully and is capable of significant accomplishments only if he can call all of the shots. He does as he likes in Washington because the GOP is thoroughly intimidated. The fact that he went to negotiate with Putin without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is a perfect example of Trump's hubris and his unfitness to lead this country. He apparently thought that whatever deal he made with Putin would be gratefully received by Ukraine. The shelling continues. Doug Tennant, Laguna Niguel .. To the editor: The Trump/Putin 'peace' conference is easy to understand when one acknowledges that it is a meeting of two unprincipled leaders: Putin, who needs to win the war in Ukraine to serve his egotistical desires of a greater Russia, and Trump, who wants a propaganda victory and a Nobel Peace Prize. Seemingly, neither is concerned about the loss of 1 million Russian soldiers or the destruction of Kyiv. Democratic principles and national sovereignty are of no consequence to either. Robert Shapiro, Laguna Woods .. To the editor: The Oval Office apparently has a bust of Winston Churchill, whom the president has said that he greatly admires. Does anyone else see the irony of Trump emulating Neville Chamberlain more than his successor, Churchill? The Los Angeles Times states that Trump 'agreed with Putin's demand that Ukraine make territorial concessions to end the conflict.' This approach is far closer to Chamberlain's policy of appeasement of Adolf Hitler than it is to the dogged resistance to tyranny displayed by Churchill. Larry Harmell, Los Angeles .. To the editor: Ukrainians have learned to be realists, but could not help but feel a little hope that Trump's meeting with Putin might end with some positive results for them ('After Trump greets Putin with red carpet treatment, Ukrainians feel betrayed,' Aug. 16). After all, Trump told the world that he was trying to end the war. Even those of us who have little faith in Trump's dealings with Putin were hoping for a miracle. Many Americans feel great sympathy for the Ukrainian people and their president. With Trump's recent popularity in decline, if truth be told, a larger percentage of Americans are probably more supportive of Ukraine's brave leader. It is hard to say at this point if any of the symbolism in the meeting would eventually yield positive results for the Ukrainians: the choice of location, the mysterious handshake between Trump and Putin, the secrecy regarding the future of talks between the two men, the abandoned luncheon, the brevity of the visit. These observations did not bode well for Ukraine's future, but there is no doubt that Trump will try to turn it into a winning situation for his diplomacy. Lynn Lorenz, Newport Beach
CNN
30 minutes ago
- CNN
‘You cannot shake hands with a murderer:' Ukrainians react to possible Putin-Zelensky meeting
Residents in Kyiv have expressed relief following Monday's talks between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, President Trump, and other European leaders at the White House. They also expressed support for Zelensky's refusal to cede territory to Russia as Trump pushes for a meeting between Russian President Putin and Zelensky.
