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Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
For Ukraine, the Alaska summit was a complete disappointment
Vladimir Putin (left) Donald Trump (AP) During Saturday night, many Ukrainians stayed up and anxiously waited for news from the Alaska summit between US President Donald Trump and Russia's head of state Vladimir Putin. For some, there was hope the talks could lead to some sort of end of Russia's war against Ukraine. Many Ukrainians though feared the price for this might be territorial concessions Kyiv would be pressured into making. But it soon became clear that the summit in Alaska had brought no fundamental changes. No deal, just a photo op "There were no concrete results for Ukraine," Oleksandr Kraiev of the Ukrainian Prism think tank told DW. "Thank God nothing was signed and no radical decisions were made," the North America expert said. "The summit was an extremely successful information operation for Russia. The war criminal Putin came to the US and shook hands with the leader of the free world." According to Kraiev, apart from "Trump's deference toward Putin, there were no final answers to the most important questions." He believes that Putin dealt with Trump "with surgical precision" and told him everything Trump wanted to hear. This way, Putin got everything he wanted out of the summit. According to Ivan Us from Ukraine's center for foreign policy of the national institute for strategic studies, the Russian president never wanted the summit to lead to an end to the war. Instead, Putin's goal was to legitimize himself and end his international isolation. "For Putin, having a joint photo with Trump was the goal of this summit. To show in Russia that the isolation is over, that there won't be new sanctions, and that everything is fine, so that there'd be positive impulses for the markets. And for Trump, it was a moment where he wanted to demonstrate strength. He was walking next to Putin while a US bomber flew above them, the same bomber that recently attacked Iran. This was a signal to everyone not to forget who the most important country in the world is," Us told DW. As if to confirm this, Dmitry Medvedev, chairman of Russia's security council, said after the Alaska summit that a "full-fledged mechanism for meetings" between Russia and the US at the highest level had been restored. "Important: The meeting proved that negotiations without preconditions and simultaneously with the continuation of the special military operation are possible. Both sides directly put the responsibility for future negotiation results on Kyiv and Europe," Medvedev wrote on social networks. The term special military operation is how Russia refers to its war against Ukraine. More uncertainty following Alaska summit Ivan Us thinks that the summit did not get Ukraine closer to peace. Instead, it intensified the chaos, as the US and Russia are making contradictory statements about continuing possible trilateral dialogue involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. For example, Moscow says that Trump and Putin did not discuss a trilateral summit with Zelensky, while Washington says the opposite. Zelenskyy himself spoke of receiving an invitation to a trilateral meeting. "We support President Trump's proposal for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the US, and Russia. Ukraine emphasizes: Important issues can be discussed at the level of heads of state, and a trilateral format is suitable for this," he wrote on social media after a phone call with Donald Trump. Zelenskyy shared that he would meet with Donald Trump in Washington on August 18. "Ukraine confirms once again that it is ready to work toward peace as productively as possible. President Trump informed me about his meeting with the Russian president and about the key points of the discussion. It is important that US power influences the development of the situation," the Ukrainian president said. Moscow doesn't change its goals There are fears in Ukraine that Zelenskyy's trip to Washington could result in new pressure from the US on Ukraine. "Any 'no' from the Ukrainian side could be portrayed as [a] lack of willingness to end the war. Trump essentially admitted that it's about an 'exchange of territories for security guarantees,' and he confirmed that agreement was reached on certain points and spoke of a 'chance for success,'" Iryna Herashchenko, Ukrainian MP and co-chair of the opposition party "European Solidarity," wrote on social media. She believes that such formulations allow Moscow to present this as legitimization of its demands. "Putin repeated during the brief briefing once again that the actual causes of the conflict must be eliminated. This means that Moscow will not change its goals - because the existence of an independent Ukraine is seen as the actual cause," warns Herashchenko. Ukrainian political scientist Vadym Denisenko, however, believes that Russia's idea of "doing business with the US in exchange for Ukrainian territory" didn't work. Putin managed to gain time, though. "At Alaska, they agreed to negotiate," Denisenko wrote on social media. Nevertheless, he argues that Putin "lost what was most important: his maneuverability. He drastically restricted his scope for action and is actually rapidly falling into China's arms." Denisenko believes that if no results regarding the end of the war are achieved within two months, the issue will become part of Chinese-American negotiations. "In other words: A new window for negotiations will open earliest at the end of the year, realistically only in spring 2026," he predicted.
Ya Libnan
2 days ago
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
For Ukraine the Trump- Putin Alaska summit was a complete disappointment
Many Ukrainians were angry to see the US rolling out a red carpet for Putin A red carpet for Vladimir Putin and no results for Ukraine. The Alaska summit, which many had pinned high hopes on, turned out to be a complete disappointment from the perspective of many Ukrainians. During Saturday night, many Ukrainians stayed up and anxiously waited for news from the Alaska summit between US President Donald Trump and Russia's head of state Vladimir Putin . For some, there was hope the talks could lead to some sort of end of Russia's war against Ukraine . Many Ukrainians though feared the price for this might be territorial concessions Kyiv would be pressured into making. But it soon became clear that the summit in Alaska had brought no fundamental changes . 'There were no concrete results for Ukraine,' Oleksandr Kraiev of the Ukrainian Prism think tank told DW. 'Thank God nothing was signed and no radical decisions were made,' the North America expert said. 'The summit was an extremely successful information operation for Russia. The war criminal Putin came to the US and shook hands with the leader of the free world.' According to Kraiev, apart from 'Trump's deference toward Putin, there were no final answers to the most important questions.' He believes that Putin dealt with Trump 'with surgical precision' and told him everything Trump wanted to hear. This way, Putin got everything he wanted out of the summit. According to Ivan Us from Ukraine's Center for Foreign Policy of the National Institute for Strategic Studies, the Russian president never wanted the summit to lead to an end to the war. Instead, Putin's goal was to legitimize himself and end his international isolation. 'For Putin, having a joint photo with Trump was the goal of this summit. To show in Russia that the isolation is over, that there won't be new sanctions, and that everything is fine, so that there'd be positive impulses for the markets. And for Trump, it was a moment where he wanted to demonstrate strength. He was walking next to Putin while a US bomber flew above them, the same bomber that recently attacked Iran. This was a signal to everyone not to forget who the most important country in the world is,' Us told DW. As if to confirm this, Dmitry Medvedev, chairman of Russia's Security Council, said after the Alaska summit that a 'full-fledged mechanism for meetings' between Russia and the US at the highest level had been restored. 'Important: The meeting proved that negotiations without preconditions and simultaneously with the continuation of the Special Military Operation are possible. Both sides directly put the responsibility for future negotiation results on Kyiv and Europe ,' Medvedev wrote on social networks. The term Special Military Operation is how Russia refers to its war against Ukraine. Despite international pressure, Russia continues its war on Ukraine Ivan Us thinks that the summit did not get Ukraine closer to peace. Instead, it intensified the chaos, as the US and Russia are making contradictory statements about continuing possible trilateral dialogue involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy . For example, Moscow says that Trump and Putin did not discuss a trilateral summit with Zelensky, while Washington says the opposite. Zelenskyy himself spoke of receiving an invitation to a trilateral meeting. 'We support President Trump's proposal for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the US, and Russia. Ukraine emphasizes: Important issues can be discussed at the level of heads of state, and a trilateral format is suitable for this,' he wrote on social media after a phone call with Donald Trump. Zelenskyy shared that he would meet with Donald Trump in Washington on August 18. 'Ukraine confirms once again that it is ready to work toward peace as productively as possible. President Trump informed me about his meeting with the Russian president and about the key points of the discussion. It is important that US power influences the development of the situation,' the Ukrainian president said. There are fears in Ukraine that Zelenskyy's trip to Washington could result in new pressure from the US on Ukraine. 'Any 'no' from the Ukrainian side could be portrayed as [a] lack of willingness to end the war. Trump essentially admitted that it's about an 'exchange of territories for security guarantees,' and he confirmed that agreement was reached on certain points and spoke of a 'chance for success,'' Iryna Herashchenko, Ukrainian MP and co-chair of the opposition party 'European Solidarity,' wrote on social media. She believes that such formulations allow Moscow to present this as legitimization of its demands. 'Putin repeated during the brief briefing once again that the actual causes of the conflict must be eliminated. This means that Moscow will not change its goals – because the existence of an independent Ukraine is seen as the actual cause,' warns Herashchenko. Ukrainian political scientist Vadym Denisenko, however, believes that Russia's idea of 'doing business with the US in exchange for Ukrainian territory' didn't work. Putin managed to gain time, though. 'At Alaska, they agreed to negotiate,' Denisenko wrote on social media. Nevertheless, he argues that Putin 'lost what was most important: his maneuverability. He drastically restricted his scope for action and is actually rapidly falling into China's arms.' Denisenko believes that if no results regarding the end of the war are achieved within two months, the issue will become part of Chinese-American negotiations. 'In other words: A new window for negotiations will open earliest at the end of the year, realistically only in spring 2026,' he predicted. DW
DW
3 days ago
- Politics
- DW
For Ukraine, the Alaska summit was a complete disappointment – DW – 08/16/2025
A red carpet for Vladimir Putin and no results for Ukraine. The Alaska summit, which many had pinned high hopes on, turned out to be a complete disappointment from the perspective of many Ukrainians. During Saturday night, many Ukrainians stayed up and anxiously waited for news from the Alaska summit between US President Donald Trump and Russia's head of state Vladimir Putin. For some, there was hope the talks could lead to some sort of end of Russia's war against Ukraine. Many Ukrainians though feared the price for this might be territorial concessions Kyiv would be pressured into making. But it soon became clear that the summit in Alaska had brought no fundamental changes. "There were no concrete results for Ukraine," Oleksandr Kraiev of the Ukrainian Prism think tank told DW. "Thank God nothing was signed and no radical decisions were made," the North America expert said. "The summit was an extremely successful information operation for Russia. The war criminal Putin came to the US and shook hands with the leader of the free world." According to Kraiev, apart from "Trump's deference toward Putin, there were no final answers to the most important questions." He believes that Putin dealt with Trump "with surgical precision" and told him everything Trump wanted to hear. This way, Putin got everything he wanted out of the summit. According to Ivan Us from Ukraine's Center for Foreign Policy of the National Institute for Strategic Studies, the Russian president never wanted the summit to lead to an end to the war. Instead, Putin's goal was to legitimize himself and end his international isolation. "For Putin, having a joint photo with Trump was the goal of this summit. To show in Russia that the isolation is over, that there won't be new sanctions, and that everything is fine, so that there'd be positive impulses for the markets. And for Trump, it was a moment where he wanted to demonstrate strength. He was walking next to Putin while a US bomber flew above them, the same bomber that recently attacked Iran. This was a signal to everyone not to forget who the most important country in the world is," Us told DW. As if to confirm this, Dmitry Medvedev, chairman of Russia's Security Council, said after the Alaska summit that a "full-fledged mechanism for meetings" between Russia and the US at the highest level had been restored. "Important: The meeting proved that negotiations without preconditions and simultaneously with the continuation of the Special Military Operation are possible. Both sides directly put the responsibility for future negotiation results on Kyiv and Europe," Medvedev wrote on social networks. The term Special Military Operation is how Russia refers to its war against Ukraine. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Ivan Us thinks that the summit did not get Ukraine closer to peace. Instead, it intensified the chaos, as the US and Russia are making contradictory statements about continuing possible trilateral dialogue involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. For example, Moscow says that Trump and Putin did not discuss a trilateral summit with Zelensky, while Washington says the opposite. Zelenskyy himself spoke of receiving an invitation to a trilateral meeting. "We support President Trump's proposal for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the US, and Russia. Ukraine emphasizes: Important issues can be discussed at the level of heads of state, and a trilateral format is suitable for this," he wrote on social media after a phone call with Donald Trump. Zelenskyy shared that he would meet with Donald Trump in Washington on August 18. "Ukraine confirms once again that it is ready to work toward peace as productively as possible. President Trump informed me about his meeting with the Russian president and about the key points of the discussion. It is important that US power influences the development of the situation," the Ukrainian president said. There are fears in Ukraine that Zelenskyy's trip to Washington could result in new pressure from the US on Ukraine. "Any 'no' from the Ukrainian side could be portrayed as [a] lack of willingness to end the war. Trump essentially admitted that it's about an 'exchange of territories for security guarantees,' and he confirmed that agreement was reached on certain points and spoke of a 'chance for success,'" Iryna Herashchenko, Ukrainian MP and co-chair of the opposition party "European Solidarity," wrote on social media. She believes that such formulations allow Moscow to present this as legitimization of its demands. "Putin repeated during the brief briefing once again that the actual causes of the conflict must be eliminated. This means that Moscow will not change its goals - because the existence of an independent Ukraine is seen as the actual cause," warns Herashchenko. Ukrainian political scientist Vadym Denisenko, however, believes that Russia's idea of "doing business with the US in exchange for Ukrainian territory" didn't work. Putin managed to gain time, though. "At Alaska, they agreed to negotiate," Denisenko wrote on social media. Nevertheless, he argues that Putin "lost what was most important: his maneuverability. He drastically restricted his scope for action and is actually rapidly falling into China's arms." Denisenko believes that if no results regarding the end of the war are achieved within two months, the issue will become part of Chinese-American negotiations. "In other words: A new window for negotiations will open earliest at the end of the year, realistically only in spring 2026," he predicted. Judging by discussions among ordinary Ukrainians, what angers them most is the red carpet that was rolled out for Putin at the US military base in Anchorage. Countless angry comments on social media leave little doubt over how this was perceived in Ukraine. "History always remembers not only those who kill, but also those who bestow murderers with honors. This is a special kind of shame and complicity in crime, which is too often confused with diplomacy. Today, this gallery was expanded with a new picture, with a bloody carpet and a parade of honor guard for the architect of Bucha, Mariupol, Izium, thousands of torture chambers, mass shootings, and deportations," said Mustafa Nayyem, former parliament member and ex-head of the State Agency for Reconstruction and Infrastructure.
Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
How a call from Trump ignited a frantic week of diplomacy by Ukraine
Advertisement Trump had just brought into play two of Ukraine's deepest fears: that it would be forced to cede land to Russia as part of a peace deal, and that Putin would be given a way out of his diplomatic isolation. It was a direct challenge to Ukraine's core principles that territorial issues be addressed only after a ceasefire and that no deal be concluded without Kyiv. President Trump in the Oval Office of the White House. Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post After Zelenskyy left the call, he recorded his usual evening address to Ukrainians, trying to project optimism. 'I spoke with President Trump,' he said, speaking from a playground in Romny as the sun set behind him. 'Russia now seems to be more inclined toward a ceasefire — the pressure is working.' Advertisement But, he cautioned, 'the key is to ensure they don't deceive anyone in the details — neither us, nor the United States.' What followed was a week of frantic diplomacy as Ukraine scrambled to avoid being sidelined in the negotiations and prevent Russia from dictating the terms of peace talks. Zelenskyy spoke with nearly 30 world leaders, while his top advisers met online and in person with senior European and American officials to press their case. In doing so, Ukraine turned to a tactic honed over more than three years of war: rallying partners through repeated behind-the-scenes calls and meetings to keep a seat at the negotiating table. Crucially, Ukraine leaned heavily on its European allies to form a united front and relay its message to the Trump administration. 'The goal was to build a common position with the Europeans and a way to communicate it to Trump,' Oleksandr Kraiev, the director of the North America program at the Kyiv research group Ukrainian Prism, said in an interview. 'The Europeans have been really useful in helping Ukraine get back to the table.' Ukraine's first task was to determine exactly what Russia had proposed to end the war. Trump had been vague on the call, the officials briefed on it said, leaving it unclear which territories might be swapped. Would it involve large areas such as the Ukrainian-controlled part of the eastern Donbas region for Russian-occupied land in the south, or smaller, strategic sites like the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant for a Ukrainian city? Zelenskyy instructed his top aides to clarify the situation. They got on a call last Thursday with European counterparts and Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy for peace missions, who had received Russia's proposal during a meeting with Putin in Moscow last week. But Witkoff's explanations were muddled, according to the Kyiv-based European diplomat, prompting another call the next day to clear up the confusion. Advertisement After that second call, it became clear that Russia was not actually offering to relinquish any land, but only demanding that Ukraine give up the territory it holds in the Donbas in exchange for a ceasefire that would freeze the current front lines elsewhere. 'Putin wants to achieve by diplomatic means what he failed to achieve by military means,' said Alyona Getmanchuk, the newly appointed head of Ukraine's mission to NATO. 'Putin thinks he can use President Trump's mediation and determination to end the war as soon as possible to achieve his goals.' The Russian proposal was a nonstarter for Ukraine, and Kyiv moved to convince the Americans that it was a dangerous gambit. If Russia took all of the Donbas, Ukrainian officials argued, it would gain control of cities and fortifications forming Ukraine's main defensive belt in the area. That would put the Russian army in a much stronger position to attack nearby regions should it decide to resume the war. At first, Kyiv kept Russia's proposal under wraps, worried about how Ukrainians would react, Kraiev said. Most Ukrainians oppose giving up any territory not already under Russian control or formally recognizing Russia's occupation. 'It's a classic diplomacy rule: If a possible peace treaty is not acceptable to your public, you limit your comments -- you don't say anything,' Kraeiv said. But after Trump disclosed on Friday that a peace deal could include 'some swapping of territories,' Zelenskyy had little choice but to push back. 'Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier,' he said Saturday morning. Advertisement Zelenskyy, however, appears to have not entirely ruled out possible territorial exchanges, telling reporters this week that this is 'a very complex issue that cannot be separated from security guarantees for Ukraine.' To bolster its stance with the Americans, Ukraine continued to enlist its European allies. Over the past week, Zelenskyy spoke by phone with more than 20 European leaders, including several times with President Emmanuel Macron of France, a close ally. That strategy echoed a familiar tactic first applied this spring, when European leaders repeatedly engaged with Trump to press Ukraine's case during early rounds of peace talks and acted as troubleshooter during moments of tension between Kyiv and Washington. On Saturday, senior European and Ukrainian officials met outside London with top American officials, including Vice President JD Vance, to try to dissuade the United States from cutting a peace deal with Russia behind their backs. The intense week of diplomacy culminated in a joint call between European leaders, Zelenskyy and Trump on Wednesday, exactly a week after Trump first revealed Russia's peace proposal. European leaders reiterated their key principles: that a ceasefire must come first; that the current front lines should be the starting point for any negotiations, including on territorial issues; and that any deal would have to be accompanied by security guarantees for Ukraine. The top Ukrainian official said the Americans had carefully listened to Ukraine's and Europe's arguments throughout the week, but he cautioned that no one really knew what they had in mind before Friday's meeting. Zelenskyy echoed that sentiment Tuesday. 'I don't know what they will talk about without us,' he told reporters. But he stressed that 'substantive and productive talks about us without us will not work.' Advertisement This article originally appeared in .
Al Jazeera
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
How has the war in Ukraine divided Western countries?
US efforts to secure Russian agreement to a ceasefire in Ukraine appear no closer to yielding results after US special envoy Steve Witkoff's third visit to Russia. President Donald Trump has told Russia's Vladimir Putin he must bring an end to the war quickly. Witkoff's four-hour meeting with Putin in Saint Petersburg on Friday was held as European leaders met to agree on a huge military support package for Ukraine. Nearly $24bn has been pledged, with Germany and the UK footing the largest share. With the US and Europe now taking very different approaches to the war, can either side bring Russia to the table? Presenter: James Bays Guests: Hanna Shelest – Director of security programmes at Ukrainian Prism Glenn Diesen – Professor of international relations at the University of South-Eastern Norway Domitilla Sagramoso – Senior lecturer in conflict and security at King's College, London
