Putin ‘rewarded' for Ukraine invasion with Trump summit, experts warn

South Wales Guardian

3 hours ago

The summit, which took place at a military base in Anchorage in the US's northernmost state, was aimed at kick-starting a peace process to end the war in Ukraine.
Very little appears to have been materially resolved as a result of the meeting.
Mr Trump has insisted 'some great progress' was made, with 'many points' agreed and 'very few' remaining.
Sir Keir Starmer, meanwhile, commended the US president's efforts to make peace, and said Mr Trump had 'brought us closer than ever before' to an end to the war in Ukraine.
Leading foreign affairs and military experts have however claimed the summit's main effect has been to lend legitimacy to Mr Putin, who has been considered a pariah by many world leaders since the invasion began in 2022.
Orysia Lutsevych, deputy director of the Russia and Eurasia programme and head of the Ukraine forum at the Chatham House think tank, said: 'After six bilateral Trump-Putin phone calls, five trips of Trump's envoy (Steve) Witkoff to Moscow, the Alaska summit, watched globally with so much anticipation and anxiety, failed to produce any tangible outcome to stop Russian aggression against Ukraine.
'Russia has received a reward for its invasion.
'Trump called Russia a 'great country' and said there is strong mutual understanding between the two parties.
'This represents a further fissure in the already shaky Transatlantic alliance, the rupture of which is a primary Russian aim.
'The Alaska summit represents another step towards this goal.'
Keir Giles, an associate fellow of the Russia and Eurasia programme at Chatham House, meanwhile suggested there were 'two dangers' which could emerge from the summit.
The first is that Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky may now be perceived by Mr Trump as a 'softer target where he is more willing to exert leverage', and that the US president could 'once again try to strongarm Zelensky into compromising the future of his country'.
The second danger is that European leaders 'might once again think the immediate danger has passed' and become complacent, after their scramble to speak to Mr Trump ahead of the summit.
Dr Neil Melvin, director of international security at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) meanwhile suggested Mr Putin would walk away considering the summit a success.
Dr Melvin said: 'Vladimir Putin came to the Alaska summit with the principal goal of stalling any pressure on Russia to end the war.
'He will consider the summit outcome as mission accomplished.'
He added: 'Russia's war aims have not changed since it launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
'At the summit, Putin was clear that he wants to address first what he calls the root causes of the war.
'The Kremlin identifies these as Nato enlargement, the emergence of governments in Ukraine resistant to Russian integration projects, and challenges to Russian claims about territory and ethnic Russians in Ukraine.
'This is Russia's precondition and underpins Putin's demand for a 'comprehensive peace deal'.
'This agenda would lead to the subjugation of Ukraine.
'Putin made no concessions at the summit.
'Moreover, he succeeded in presenting himself as a legitimate equal to the US president.
'He will also consider it a victory that he was able to marginalise Zelensky and European leaders from the central discussion about the future of European security.'
Elsewhere, party political leaders in the UK warned against lending Mr Putin legitimacy.
Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader said: 'It's clear Putin doesn't want peace.
'Trump's attempt to sweet talk him into a deal has failed, so it's time for Trump to finally get tough.
'The UK should seize Russian assets to help Ukraine today, and press the US to do the same.'
Green Party MP Ellie Chowns meanwhile said the world was 'left where we started' by the summit, adding: 'A brutal war caused by Russia's aggression and no real solution in sight.
'Any lasting peace plan without Ukraine's full participation and consent will fail.
'When you compare how Trump rolled out the red carpet for Putin to his publicly humiliating Zelensky, it's clear that the only winner from these talks is Putin.
'He was handed the credibility of a seat at the top table while his forces continue their attacks on Ukraine.'