With Zelenskyy sidelined from Ukraine war talks, Trump appears to hand Putin a diplomatic win
For Kyiv, this was Trump's deadline to Putin: stop the fighting by Friday or face tough new economic sanctions. Instead, Trump has handed Moscow a diplomatic coup by agreeing to meet Putin face-to-face in a matter of days, their first encounter since the invasion of Ukraine.
Trump had initially suggested that such a summit would only go ahead if Putin agreed to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, something the Ukrainian president's administration has long called for but has been resisted by Russia. On Thursday, Trump dispelled the idea that they would have to get together — raising the specter of a bilateral negotiation that freezes out Kyiv.
'The danger for Ukraine is actually quite grave,' said Jonathan Eyal, international director at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank. 'There will be a sense of alarm in European capitals.'
For Eyal and others, Ukraine's nightmare is now one step closer to reality: 'Trump will be so pleased by what he perceives as the great achievement of getting Putin to the negotiating table, that he grabs any kind of offer that is made,', Eyal said. 'The danger of half-baked compromise, which Trump can claim as his main achievement, is very high.'
That compromise could be a temporary ceasefire that would allow Russia to restock its army and give its economy a break from international sanctions, according to Hope for Ukraine, a nonprofit organization based in Roseland, New Jersey.
Even if there is no truce agreement, 'a meeting with Trump — no matter the outcome — would be a big diplomatic victory for Putin,' Gabriella Ramirez, Hope for Ukraine's executive assistant, said in an email. 'Putin wants to break his diplomatic isolation' and such a meeting 'will stroke his ego.'
The 'meeting with Putin is a trap; President Trump must not fall for it,' Ramirez added.
Ukraine now finds itself in a bind.
'Zelenskyy cannot appear to be torpedoing what is a Trump initiative,' Eyal said. After his catastrophic fallout with Trump in the White House in February, Zelenskyy has 'just managed to repair his relationship with Trump over the last two months in a very gingerly fashion, and it would be the worst possible thing for him to appear now to be pooh-poohing this summit.'
Many Ukrainians were already skeptical. Before the summit was even announced, Artem Bidenko, a political scientist and former deputy minister in Ukraine's government, predicted that Putin 'will most likely offer some kind of bone' to Trump, who 'will say that 'you see, I'm doing well, I'm already achieving peace, and people will stop dying,'' Bidenko said.
The White House did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment on these criticisms.
Others in Kyiv have more faith in the American leader.
'Trump seems to be irritated enough by the Russians' actions to dare to strike really strong blows at Russia,' said Danylo Vereitin, 31, a sports journalist based in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital. 'People with this type of mentality really don't like to look weak or vulnerable.'
During the presidential campaign last year, Trump said it would take him just 24 hours to solve the conflict, later updated that to six months and then seemingly forgot about it. Previous warm words about Putin have recently turned stern, and Trump appeared to be losing patience with Russia's 'disgusting' and 'disgraceful' nightly missile attacks on Ukrainian civilians while the White House was attempting to broker peace talks.
This culminated in Trump's deadline, first set at 50 days on July 14, then shortened to 10 days on July 29, for Putin to agree a ceasefire or face tariffs against importers of Russian oil and gas products like China, India, Brazil and Turkey.
Asked whether this deadline was still active, Trump told reporters Thursday, 'It's going to be up to him' — meaning Putin — 'and we're going to see what he has to say,' adding that he was 'very disappointed' at the situation.
The ultimatum has not prompted the Kremlin to move one inch on its war in Ukraine, other than to give Trump a meeting.
'Nothing has changed since, frankly, December 2021, when Putin offered his ultimatum and said, 'Give me what I want or else Ukraine gets it,' said James Nixey, a U.K.-based consultant specializing on Russia.
'Trump has done everything to pressure Russia, short of actually doing anything to pressure Russia,' he added. 'He's made all sorts of pronouncements, threats and Truth Social posts, but not actually undertaken any specific act which harms Russia.'
In 2021, Russia's eight-point draft treaty looks much the same as today : a ban on Ukraine ever joining NATO and a withdrawal of NATO forces on Russia's eastern flank. Today, Russia has merely added the additional demand of even more Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine has rejected the idea of a ceasefire that would have Russia maintain control over Ukrainian territory in its control, and insisted that any agreement must include 'security guarantees' from its allies so that Moscow is not able to launch future aggression.
'Putin wants Ukraine, Ukraine wants to exist, Trump wants an end to the war and to be able to deal with Russia,' Nixey said. 'All of the major players have different agendas and none of them are aligned on anything.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
16 minutes ago
- USA Today
Putin spoke first and other key moments from Alaska summit
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has the first — and the last — word at a summit with President Donald Trump that was held on American soil. WASHINGTON – When Vladimir Putin's summit with Donald Trump ended, the Russian president commanded the world's attention. 'Mr. President. Ladies and gentlemen,' Putin began. That Putin spoke first at a U.S.-hosted summit was highly unusual. Trump gestured to the sanctioned Russian leader as they took the stage that he should lead the way. Addressing the cameras, Putin declared that an 'agreement' had been reached that could solve the 'Ukrainian issue' and restore 'business-like' relations with the United States. Trump said several minutes later that they'd made headway on an agreement – but he said a deal had not been made. He heaped praise on Putin and declined to point out that his predecessor's distaste for Putin was prompted by Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Here's a look at key moments from the Alaska summit. Trump gives Putin a warm welcome From start to finish, Trump's summit with Putin was rife with pomp and circumstance. A fighter jet escort. Red carpets. A B-2 bomber that flew overhead. Trump clapping as Putin approached, with a grin on his face. The overjoyed greeting the president offered Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf in Alaska was significantly warmer than the one he received the last time he was in the United States. On that occasion, a 2015 visit to New York City to attend the United Nations General Assembly, then-President Barack Obama criticized Putin in a speech for annexing Crimea and stoking aggression in eastern Ukraine. When they posed for a photo together, Obama gave Putin a perfunctory handshake. 'Thank you, everybody,' Obama said. The leaders did not answer reporters' questions as they walked away. Putin gets a presidential limousine ride Nearly a decade later in Alaska, and more than three years into Russia's full-scale assault on Ukraine, Trump smiled at Putin and clasped the leader's hand: first on the red carpet, and again on a platform. Trump and Putin also ignored questions from journalists. Trump ushered Putin into the U.S. president's limousine, known as The Beast, and gave him a ride to the meeting site. Inside the armored vehicle, Putin smiled and waved from behind bulletproof glass. He grimaced and shook his head at the start of their meeting as reporters peppered them with highly critical questions about his country's attacks on civilians in Ukraine. A stony-faced Trump sat to his left, his hands clasped between his legs. Putin has the first – and last word The leaders met for roughly three hours before they reappeared to make joint remarks. Putin spoke first. Then Trump spoke. 'I would like to thank President Putin and his entire team,' Trump said, 'whose faces I get to see all the time in the newspapers.' Trump said Putin's aides were nearly as famous as the Russian leader. 'Especially this one right over here,' Trump said, seemingly referring to Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov. Lavrov had been at the summit site earlier in the day wearing a sweatshirt that said CCCP, which stands for USSR in Russian. The move was interpreted as blatant trolling. The discussions were about Ukraine, which is a former Soviet republic. In wrapping up his remarks. Trump said he hoped to see Putin again 'very soon' and thanked him profusely for coming. 'Thank you very much, Vladimir,' Trump said, calling him by his first name. Putin did not miss a beat. 'Next time in Moscow,' he said. A skeptical Trump said he'd 'get a little heat on that one' but did not rule it out.
New York Post
16 minutes ago
- New York Post
First Lady Melania Trump calls for end to war in Ukraine in ‘peace letter' hand-delivered to Putin by the president: report
First Lady Melania Trump penned a 'peace letter' to Russian President Vladimir Putin, pushing for an end to Russia's war in Ukraine and lamenting the violent conflict's harm on the youngest generation. The 'peace letter' focused on the war's detrimental impact on children caught in the crosshairs and was handed to Putin by President Trump before their summit in Alaska to discuss the war, Fox News reported. 3 First Lady Melania Trump penned a 'peace letter' to Russian President Vladimir Putin. FOX News Advertisement Putin immediately read the letter while American and Russian delegations watched on. 'Every child shares the same quiet dreams in their heart, whether born randomly into a nation's rustic countryside or a magnificent city-center. They dream of love, possibility, and safety from danger,' the first lady wrote in a letter obtained by the outlet. 3 President Trump and Putin had an 'extremely productive' summit in Alaska, but no firm agreements regarding a cease-fire with Ukraine were made. AP Advertisement 'As parents, it is our duty to nurture the next generation's hope. As leaders, the responsibility to sustain our children extends beyond the comfort of a few.' 'Mr. Putin, you can singlehandedly restore their melodic laughter. In protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russia alone—you serve humanity itself,' Melania pleaded. The 'peace letter' was written before the meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska — the first major meeting between the US and Russia since June 2021, a mere eight months before the war started. 3 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be meeting with Trump on Monday to discuss the Alaska summit. AP Advertisement Still, the US and Russia have been in frequent communication primarily over the phone, and especially in recent months as Trump has tried to broker an end to the deadly war. Trump told reporters that the summit in Alaska was 'extremely productive' but that no firm agreement about the cease-fire was reached. Part of the meeting reportedly included a demand from Putin that Ukraine cede the Donetsk and Luhansk regions near its eastern border, but no land negotiations were done without Ukraine leadership present. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet with Trump in Washington, DC on Monday, where they are supposed to cover the details of his meeting with Putin.
The Hill
16 minutes ago
- The Hill
South Carolina deploys 200 National Guard troops to DC
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) revealed on Saturday that he authorized the deployment of 200 National Guard troops to help 'restore law and order' in Washington, D.C., adding that they could be recalled in case of a disaster in the Palmetto State. 'I've authorized the deployment of 200 S.C. National Guardsmen to support President Trump in his mission to restore law and order to our nation's capital. The federal government will pay for this deployment under Title 32,' McMaster said in a post on social media platform X. 'Our National Guard will work to assist President Trump's mission, and should a hurricane or natural disaster threaten our state, they can and will be immediately recalled home to respond,' the governor added. The order comes just hours after West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R) announced that between 300-400 National Guard troops from his state will be heading to the District as President Trump's administration's police takeover continues in the nation's capital. The president invoked a provision in the Home Rule Act earlier this week, spearheading the federal control of Washington's police department and deploying 800 National Guard soldiers and federal officers to patrol the District's streets to better curb crime. The administration said this week that since the federal police takeover was put in place, hundreds have been arrested, and dozens of firearms have been confiscated. The Justice Department (DOJ) named Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) head Terry Cole as the Metropolitan Police Department's (MPD) 'emergency police commissioner,' sparking pushback from some D.C. residents and city council members. Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued the administration over the DOJ's move to appoint Cole. After a federal judge expressed concerns about the move, the DOJ agreed to back away. D.C. Mayor Bowser (D) has looked to calm the nerves of Washingtonians, as some residents have protested the deployment of the National Guard in recent days. 'It has been an unsettling and unprecedented week in our city. Over the course of a week, the surge in federal law enforcement across DC has created waves of anxiety. I was born one year before Home Rule became law, and while our autonomy has been challenged before, our limited self-government has never faced the type of test we are facing right now,' Bowser said in an open letter on Friday.
