Trump and Putin meeting: can they force Ukraine to make concessions?
US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin could meet as early as next week to discuss a potential peace deal over the war in Ukraine. However, analysts say the sides have fundamentally different positions and the likelihood of reaching a real truce remains low.
This is reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing sources and experts.
According to the publication, Trump has publicly called on Putin to end the war, but has not shown deep interest in the details of a possible agreement. At the same time, Putin, according to the WSJ, is ready to discuss only a version of the cessation of hostilities that takes into account his conditions.
As journalists note, a potential meeting with Putin could be the most serious challenge for Trump in his current presidential term. One risk is the possibility that the Kremlin initiated the dialogue not with the aim of reaching an agreement, but to buy time.
“Putin has made it clear that the war in Ukraine is more important to him than relations with the United States,” said Alina Polyakova, president of the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington.
The US and Europe also fear that the Russian side will try to advance a plan that would formally recognize control over part of the occupied territories in exchange for a partial withdrawal of troops. According to WSJ sources, Trump, who is eager for a quick deal, may be pushing Ukraine to accept such a plan.
However, as the publication’s sources note, Kyiv and most European partners are unlikely to agree to such conditions. This, in turn, may give Putin a reason to shift responsibility for the failure of the negotiations to Ukraine, and Trump – to publicly accuse Kyiv of continuing the war.
The WSJ also recalls that at the beginning of the year, Trump had already limited military and intelligence assistance to Ukraine, which complicated the Ukrainian side’s efforts to maintain dialogue with Washington after a tense meeting at the White House in February.
Despite this, Trump’s entourage believes that the president will continue to seek to conclude a large-scale agreement that could define his political legacy.
“He wants to be the deal-maker. That’s his brand,” said Marc Short, a former senior White House official during Trump’s first term.
As a reminder, on August 6, US President’s special representative Steve Witkoff arrived in Russia, where he held talks with Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin stated thatthe parties discussed the situation in Ukraine and possible directions of strategic cooperation between Moscow and Washington . The meeting was called “constructive.”
As reported, US President Donald Trump announced progress in negotiations with Russia to end the war in Ukraine. According to him, his special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Vladimir Putin, after which consultations with European allies began.
In addition, US President Donald Trump has informed European leaders of his intention to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week, and then to organize a trilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky . This could be the first direct dialogue of this format since the start of the full-scale war.
By the way, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that after the conversation with Donald Trump, Russia is demonstrating greater readiness for a ceasefire . At the same time, he warned that the Kremlin should not be allowed to deceive either Ukraine or the United States. The head of state also noted the successes of the Ukrainian army in Kursk, which forced Moscow to ask for help from the DPRK.
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