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First Post
24 minutes ago
- Politics
- First Post
Could Trump's ‘peace deal' hurt Ukraine and benefit Russia?
Ahead of the meeting at the White House today, US President Donald Trump is said to be urging Ukraine to concede a key region to Russia. Trump is also said to be pushing Ukraine to abandon its goal of joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato). But what do we know about Trump's proposed peace deal? Could US president Donald Trump's proposed peace deal hurt Ukraine and benefit Russia? Ahead of the meeting at the White House today, Trump is said to be urging Ukraine to concede a key region to Russia. Trump is also said to be pushing Ukraine to abandon its goal of joining the North Atlantic Treaty organisation (Nato). The development comes the day after Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Alaska. Trump in the lead up to the summit had vowed consequences for Russia if Putin did not agree to a ceasefire. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, no such deal was reached between Putin and Trump. Interestingly, the development comes in the backdrop of Trump envoy Steve Witkoff saying Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to a US proposal offering Ukraine a Nato Article 5-style security guarantee. But what do we know about Trump's peace deal? Will it hurt Russia and benefit Ukraine? Let's take a closer look: But what do we know about Trump's peace deal? Trump will likely push Volodymyr Zelenskyy to cede the entire Donbas region to Russia in exchange for a peace deal. The region, known for its high-quality coal, is the industrial heartland of Ukraine. It comprises Luhansk and Donetsk. Russia already controls all of the former and much of the latter. Trump wrote on social media on Saturday night, 'President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight.'' Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!" Trump added. Putin is said to demanded that Kyiv completely remove its troops from the Donbas region. Russia, in turn, has vowed to freeze the front lines in the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. 'If Russia's demands were met, Putin would not continue the offensive in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, so there would be a kind of freeze there,' a source was quoted as saying. However, most of these regions are already under control. Russia has also proposed to economically and militarily take over the parts of Ukraine it already controls. The plan, which mimics Israel's approach in the West Bank, is said to have the backing Witkoff, who is also Trump's envoy to West Asia. Much like the West Bank, this territory would also be governed by an independent body. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A man walks on a muddy road in the Donbas region. The future of Ukraine's industrial heartland in the east of the country is uncertain, after Vladimir Putin reportedly demanded it be handed to Russia. File image/AFP Trump is believed to have conveyed this demand to Zelenskyy after the summit with the Russian president. However, Zelenskyy rejected the proposal out of hand. Trump had earlier suggested some sort of 'land swap' between Ukraine and Russia to resolve the war. 'Putin wants us to leave Donbas. We will not leave Donbas. We cannot do this,' Zelenskyy said. 'Everyone forgets the first part our territories are illegally occupied.' According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine controls around 9000 square kilometers of Dontesk. Trump is seemingly getting ready to propose this this deal to Zelenskyy yet again at the White House. A number of European leaders including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK prime Minister Kier Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have pushed back against any such deal. They have insisted that no deal regarding the territory of Ukraine can be made without Kyiv. Zelenskyy has also pushed for security guarantees for Ukraine as part of any potential ceasefire deal. He said it cannot be 'like it was years ago… when Ukraine was given so called 'security guarantees' in 1994 but they didn't work'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Of course, Crimea should not have been given up then,' he added. 'Just as Ukrainians did not give up Kyiv, Odesa, or Kharkiv after 2022'. Zelenskyy and the European leaders, known as the coalition of the willing, last week held a call with President Trump and Vice President JD wants ahead of the summit. The European allies in the phone call made it clear that Trump's goal was to push for a ceasefire with Russia. Already, Macron is warning against bartering territory for a ceasefire. 'As part of a truce, a ceasefire or a peace deal, the country may recognise the loss of territories," Macron said. 'It will not recognize that they are under anyone else's sovereignty, but will recognize their loss though military action. It doesn't run counter to international law, but will be a very serious concession,' Macron added. French President Emmanuel Macron has said that the allies are united. AP Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are among the European leaders in Washington DC for the Trump and Zelenskyy summit. Macron has said the European allies will present a united front during the meeting with Trump. There are reports that the European leaders fear a repeat of the disastrous Trump-Zelenskyy meeting earlier this year in the White House. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Putin is also seeking — at the very least — formal recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea. Putin invaded this territory in 2014 under then US President Barack Obama. He has declared the territories he invaded as 'independent republics' and held sham elections. The Trump administration has earlier poured cold water on Ukraine's aspirations to get back territory annexed by Russia. n May, US Senior Director for Counterterrorism Sebastian Gorka, said 'the Trump administration lives in the real world.' 'We recognise the reality on the ground,' he added. 'No. 1, that's the beginning because we're not utopianists and we're not human engineers. We're not some kind of pie-in-the-sky believers in utopia.' 'We recognise the reality on the ground and we have one priority above all else, whether it's the Middle East or whether it's Ukraine. It's to stop the bloodshed. Everything else comes after the bloodshed has been halted.' Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in February described a return to the 2014 border 'as unrealistic.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Hegseth, addressing the Nato alliance, said, 'We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective.' Putin during the Alaska summit with Trump also refused to agree to a ceasefire. Instead, Putin is said to be pushing for a comprehensive peace deal – which yet again plays into Russia's hands. A ceasefire could have bought Ukraine, which has been pushed back by Russia in recent months, time to gather its strength. It could also give Kyiv a break from the incessant drone attacks from Moscow. Will it hurt Russia and benefit Ukraine? Experts say the deal seems tailor-made to do so. 'The whole idea of heading for a full agreement favours Putin,' a senior European diplomat told the Washington Post on condition of anonymity. 'Putin and his team know all the details' and Trump doesn't, the diplomat added. Fiona Hill, who advised Trump on Russia during his first term, told CBS, 'The optics were much more favourable to Putin than they were to the United States. It really looked like Putin set the agenda there, the narrative and in many respects the tone for the whole summit meeting.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a press conference following their meeting to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska on August 15. File image/Reuters 'We didn't want to set up a summit where we were literally rolling out the red carpet for Putin in America to have him come and walk away and continue the war without any clear and convincing outcome of the summit,' ex-Joe Biden NSA Jake Sullivan told ABC News. 'I think our judgment on that was correct', Sullivan added. He said any meet needs to be 'properly prepared to produce an outcome that the American president can articulate in advance and produce in the aftermath'. 'The outcome that this American president articulated, a ceasefire or consequences – he did not produce,' Sullivan said. 'And that is why I think we find ourselves in a difficult situation today.' With inputs from agencies
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Will Russia-Ukraine war see a breakthrough? Donald Trump-Zelenskyy meet in focus; key developments in 10 points
The stage is set in Washington for a pivotal meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, major European leaders, and US President Donald Trump. After Trump's dramatic summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska, attention has shifted to whether a peace deal, rather than just a ceasefire, can be reached to end Russia's three-and-a-half-year war in Ukraine. At the heart of the talks is a potential breakthrough: Russia has for the first time signalled openness to security guarantees for Ukraine resembling NATO's Article 5. Trump envoy Steve Witkoff described it as 'game-changing,' although the details remain murky. European leaders, wary of Ukraine being pressured into concessions, are rallying behind Zelenskyy in an attempt to present a united front. The negotiations come amid continued bloodshed on the battlefield. Drone and missile strikes have intensified on both sides, underscoring that despite diplomacy, the war is still raging. The question now is whether Trump, Putin, Zelenskyy, and Europe can translate diplomatic overtures into a concrete plan that holds. 10 key points about the meeting: Putin signals shift on Ukraine security guarantees At the Alaska summit, Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff announced that Russia had, for the first time, indicated openness to the United States and Europe offering Ukraine Article 5-style protections. Such a guarantee, modelled on NATO's collective defence principle, has long been Kyiv's top demand. Witkoff told CNN this was 'the first time we had ever heard the Russians agree to that' and called it 'game-changing.' While details were left vague, the development offers a potential workaround to Putin's consistent rejection of Ukraine joining NATO directly. Trump claims 'big progress' but presses Zelenskyy Trump celebrated the Alaska summit on social media, declaring 'Big progress on Russia. S tay tuned!' Yet by evening, he shifted the burden onto Zelenskyy, writing that Ukraine's president 'can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to.' Trump pointed to Crimea's annexation under Obama and said 'no going into NATO by Ukraine. Some things never change!!!' His remarks suggested that while security guarantees may be on the table, Trump expects Kyiv to accept limits on its NATO ambitions. The debate over Article 5-like guarantees US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who attended the summit, stressed that the contours of any guarantee were far from settled. 'How that's constructed, what we call it, how it's built, what guarantees are built into it that are enforceable — that's what we'll be talking about,' Rubio said on NBC. He called it a 'huge concession' if implemented, but noted Trump had not yet fully committed. The guarantees could deter future Russian aggression, but both the US and Europe must decide how far they are prepared to go. Trump abandons ceasefire push for full peace deal Initially, Trump pressed Putin for a ceasefire, threatening new sanctions if Moscow refused. But by the end of the summit, he dropped that demand in favour of a broader peace agreement. Witkoff defended the pivot, saying Trump had 'covered almost all the other issues necessary for a peace deal' and began to sense Russian 'moderation.' Rubio echoed that Ukraine's absence from the Alaska talks made a ceasefire impossible, but progress was made toward a long-term accord. Critics, however, saw Trump's reversal as a sign of weakness. The thorny issue of land concessions One of the most difficult questions is whether Ukraine will cede territory. European officials said Putin reiterated his desire for the Donetsk and Luhansk regions — areas that make up the Donbas. Witkoff noted Russia wanted 'legal boundaries instead of front lines.' Zelenskyy rejected this outright, saying Ukraine's constitution makes it 'impossible to give up territory.' He argued negotiations must reflect current battle lines, not Moscow's demands. With Putin pressing for land and Zelenskyy refusing, territorial concessions remain a critical stumbling block. Europe rallies behind Zelenskyy at the White House Having been excluded from the Alaska summit, Zelenskyy will not face Trump alone in Washington. Leaders from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Finland will join him, alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. French General Dominique Trinquand said Europeans 'are very afraid of the Oval Office scene being repeated' — referring to a past confrontation between Trump and Zelenskyy — and want to 'support Mr Zelenskyy to the hilt. ' Their presence is designed to strengthen Ukraine's hand and avoid Trump pushing Kyiv into unilateral concessions. Critics see a diplomatic win for Putin Despite Trump hailing the Alaska meeting as 'productive,' analysts said Putin emerged stronger. Fiona Hill, Trump's former Russia adviser, warned that the US president had reversed himself without extracting a ceasefire, leaving him weakened. Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt called it 'a distinct win for Putin' and 'a distinct setback for Trump.' Putin's appearance alongside Trump in Alaska — complete with military flyovers and red-carpet treatment — also allowed Moscow to project global legitimacy after years of isolation. What comes next in Washington On Monday, Zelenskyy and European leaders meet Trump at the White House to discuss next steps. The Europeans plan to push proposals to bolster Ukraine's military and deploy allied forces in 'zones of peace' inside Ukraine. Macron warned: 'Otherwise, I think the Ukrainians simply cannot accept commitments that are theoretical.' Zelenskyy insists security guarantees must be real and enforceable, telling reporters: 'It's impossible to do this under the pressure of weapons. ' The Washington talks will determine whether the Alaska breakthrough can translate into an actual framework for peace. What happened during Trump-Putin meet? Trump and Putin's meeting was closely watched as it came at a time when Ukraine and European leaders were seeking clarity on the direction of the war. Putin put forward his conditions, which included recognition of Crimea, autonomy for eastern Ukraine, and limits on Kyiv's ties with the West. For Trump, the meeting was presented as a chance to show he could re-establish dialogue, but for allies in Europe and Kyiv, the concern was over what concessions might be on the table. The discussion set the stage for Volodymyr Zelenskyy and EU leaders to head into their own talks with Trump, making Washington the focal point of diplomacy once again. When the conflict began, again The renewed conflict began on February 21, 2022, when President Putin recognised the self-declared independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk 'people's republics,' regions of eastern Ukraine under separatist control since 2014. Treaties of 'friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance' were signed, and Russian forces entered under the guise of peacekeepers. Three days later, on February 24, Putin announced a 'special military operation' to protect the Donbas and 'demilitarise and de-nazify Ukraine. ' Russian troops advanced from Belarus, Russia, and Crimea. Despite Kremlin claims that occupation was not intended, fighting soon spread across the country. By late 2022, Moscow had announced the annexation of four regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia—though it never fully controlled them.
NZ Herald
16 hours ago
- Politics
- NZ Herald
Europe leaders to go with Zelenskyy for Washington talks
Sir Keir Starmer has praised Donald Trump's offer of an Article 5-style security guarantee for Ukraine, as European leaders prepared to head to Washington for a crucial meeting with the US President and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The British Prime Minister chaired a meeting with the Ukrainian President and members of the
Daily Record
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
Vladimir Putin 'agrees to Ukraine security guarantees' during Donald Trump talks
The move was confirmed by Donald Trump's right-hand man Steve Witkoff minutes after the President boasted of 'big progress on Russia' Vladimir Putin has reportedly signed off on a dramatic peace deal - which would see the US and Europe give Ukraine new security guarantees. The move was confirmed by Donald Trump 's right-hand man Steve Witkoff minutes after the President boasted of 'big progress on Russia'. In a stunning twist, Russia is even said to have made concessions on the five regions it illegally claimed – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea. Diplomatic insiders say Putin could accept a territorial swap to keep Donetsk and Luhansk in return for halting advances in the south. It comes after Putin warns of nuclear war after unleashing another night of hell on Ukraine. Witkoff said: 'We agreed to robust security guarantees that I would describe as game-changing. The US could offer Article 5-style protection – one of the main reasons Ukraine wants NATO membership. We covered almost all the other issues necessary for a peace deal.' The breakthrough comes as world leaders are due to fly to the White House in Washington for talks between Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump, with Sir Keir Starmer and a string of European heavyweights flying in to show support. Starmer will join Zelensky at the White House, with No10 insisting Britain's backing for Ukraine will remain 'for as long as it takes'. Also flying to the US is EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, French president Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Friedrich Merz and NATO boss Mark Rutte. Sources say Zelensky begged Europe's top brass to come with him as 'moral support and solidarity' ahead of the showdown with Trump. It will be Zelensky's first return to the Oval Office since his fiery bust-up with Trump and JD Vance earlier this year, when he was humiliatingly kicked out of the White House. The move piles pressure on Putin, who has been scrambling to claw back influence after his own peace summit with Trump in Alaska. But despite the frantic diplomacy, both Russia and Ukraine were still trading drone strikes today, underlining just how fragile the path to peace remains. Putin's deal reportedly goes beyond Ukraine's borders, with draft provisions suggesting Moscow would commit not to launch attacks against other European nations. In exchange, Kyiv would halt its NATO membership bid, formally recognise Crimea as Russian territory, and agree to a land swap involving Donetsk and Luhansk. Western diplomats told Reuters that the package also includes phased sanctions relief if Russia holds to the ceasefire.
Daily Mirror
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Vladimir Putin agrees to major Ukraine security guarantees during Donald Trump talks
Russian President reportedly backs US-EU deal offering Ukraine 'game-changing' security guarantees as Zelensky, Trump & EU leaders prep for crunch peace talks. Vladimir Putin has reportedly signed off on a dramatic peace deal which would see the US and Europe give Ukraine sweeping new security guarantees. Donald Trump's right-hand man Steve Witkoff confirmed the shock move, just minutes after the ex-President boasted of 'big progress on Russia'. In a stunning twist, Russia is even said to have made concessions on the five regions it illegally claimed – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea. Diplomatic insiders say Putin could accept a territorial swap to keep Donetsk and Luhansk in return for halting advances in the south. It comes after Putin warns of nuclear war after unleashing another night of hell on Ukraine. Witkoff said: 'We agreed to robust security guarantees that I would describe as game-changing. The US could offer Article 5-style protection – one of the main reasons Ukraine wants NATO membership. We covered almost all the other issues necessary for a peace deal.' The breakthrough comes on the eve of crunch talks in Washington between Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump, with Sir Keir Starmer and a string of European heavyweights flying in to show support. Starmer will join Zelensky at the White House, with No10 insisting Britain's backing for Ukraine will remain 'for as long as it takes'. Also lining up alongside the Ukrainian leader are EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, French president Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Friedrich Merz and NATO boss Mark Rutte, the Sun reports. Sources say Zelensky begged Europe's top brass to come with him as 'moral support and solidarity' ahead of the showdown with Trump. It will be Zelensky's first return to the Oval Office since his fiery bust-up with Trump and JD Vance earlier this year, when he was humiliatingly kicked out of the White House. The move piles pressure on Putin, who has been scrambling to claw back influence after his own peace summit with Trump in Alaska. But despite the frantic diplomacy, both Russia and Ukraine were still trading drone strikes today, underlining just how fragile the path to peace remains. Putin's deal reportedly goes beyond Ukraine's borders, with draft provisions suggesting Moscow would commit not to launch attacks against other European nations. In exchange, Kyiv would halt its NATO membership bid, formally recognise Crimea as Russian territory, and agree to a land swap involving Donetsk and Luhansk. Western diplomats told Reuters that the package also includes phased sanctions relief if Russia holds to the ceasefire.
