Trump-Putin summit in Alaska: Slow defeat for Ukraine

Trump-Putin summit in Alaska: Slow defeat for Ukraine

In a surprising step, former US President Donald Trump announced that Alaska, who had sold Russia to the United States for $ 7.2 million ago for $ 7.2 million ago, will be the place where Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to sell his century business across land. This agreement would enable Putin to receive parts of areas in Ukraine, which he has not yet been able to occupy. The conditions for the upcoming summit on Friday clearly benefit from Moscow, which stirs up the concern about the previous proposals from Trump's representative Steve Witkoff, who suggested that the Ukraine should cede the remaining areas in Donetsk and Luhansk in exchange for a ceasefire.

The reaction of Kyiv and his allies

The reactions from Kiev and European allies on Witkoff's early ideas are characterized by understandable horror. It is hard to imagine how an agreement could arise from such a bilateral meeting that does not undermine the sovereignty of Ukraine. The Kremlin has repeatedly encouraged the idea to win the country without fighting. Witkoff himself has already shown in the past that he does not take the Ukrainian sovereignty seriously and did not consider that the Ukraine will be asked to give up cities in the fourth year of its invasion.

Details about Witkoff's proposal

It is worth thinking about Witkoff's proposal. Russia is about to surround the two important cities of Pokrovsk and Kostiannivka in Donetsk, and could effectively besiege the Ukrainian troops that defend these two hubs in the coming weeks. It is quite possible that Kiev could give up these cities out of strategic considerations in order to preserve the troop strength.

concern about civilian victims

The situation in the rest of the Donetsk region, especially in Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, looks bleak. Thousands of civilians are currently living there, and Moscow would be happy about scenes in which these cities are evacuated, while Russian troops marched in without resistance.

Resistance from Ukrainian side

The Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj rejected the proposal to cede land on Saturday morning. This reflects the dilemma of a commander -in -chief who has to manage the anger of his military and the deeply rooted distrust of the Ukrainian population towards Russia, which continues to bomb its cities. It remains questionable whether a rosa solution, as indicated by Trump, is realistic. A possible exchange could include the small areas in the Sumy and Charkiw regions that are occupied by Russia, but realistically not much more will come out.

The challenges of a ceasefire

The main goal remains a ceasefire, but this already seems ambitious. Putin has already clarified that an ceasefire that has been requested immediately, as the USA, Europe and Ukraine has been demanding for months, is impossible, since technical work with regard to monitoring and logistics is required beforehand. In view of the current military advantage of its troops on the Eastern Front, it is unlikely that he will change his opinion.

The geopolitical dimension

Europe is cautious so as not to repeat the failure of the former British Foreign Minister Neville Chamberlain, who did not appeal against National Socialist Germany in 1938. The familiar with a "piece of paper", which is handed over by a Kremlin, which has repeatedly made agreements in Ukraine, only to use this time to group and attack again, gives the situation additional weight.

Putin's clear goals

Putin clearly explained what he wants: the complete submission or occupation of Ukraine and a strategic fresh start with the USA, which affects Boston and Moscow. His consultant, Yury Ushakov, praised Alaska as a great place to talk about economic cooperation between Washington and Moscow and has already indicated a future summit in Russia.

The risks of a further escalation

There is a risk that too much familiarity between Trump and Putin will arise. This could enable the US President to initiate more technical meetings between the employees of both sides, which deal with the conditions of a possible ceasefire. A plan for land sales, which has a completely in favor of Moscow, could eventually be made, with the old Ultimats of the USA about the help and information exchange on the acceptance of such a deal.

The role of other countries

In the past few days, both India and China have been in contact with the Kremlin, which may have given the Russian President's drive to speak to Trump. Both countries are concerned about the possible damage that Trump could cause with secondary sanctions. However, Putin probably did not need a big impetus to agree to a formal invitation to the USA.

Trumps changed perspective

Trump himself has changed in his view over Putin. Terms such as "disappointed" and "disgusting" are new to the Kremlin chief in his vocabulary. While Trump seems to be effortless to seriously damage Moscow, allies and Republicans are at his side who remind him of how far he has already divided this course in the past.

a dark sign for Kyiv

Although a few days left until the meeting, the signs already seem to indicate a slow defeat for Kiev. Once again, Putin could take the opportunity to get the desired territories without further fights, while Trump at best fell his hoped -for communication and, in the worst case, finds nothing more than lip service.