The red carpet in Anchorage wasn't enough. Donald Trump failed to secure an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine from Vladimir Putin, but the summit with the "tsar" revealed an uncomfortable truth: for the Kremlin, peace depends on the surrender of Donbass.
At the end of nearly three hours of talks, the American president confided to Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders that Putin does not intend to give up. "He can conquer all of Donbas if he wants," he reportedly said, effectively opening the door to a plan that favors a comprehensive agreement rather than a temporary truce.
The Ukrainian president will be in Washington on Monday for a face-to-face meeting that promises to be highly tense. The Europeans, who have already made it clear they will not cede ground to Moscow, have also been invited. Zelensky, while opposed to the loss of territory, says he is ready to discuss it, but not to accept the trade Putin is demanding: Donetsk and Lugansk in exchange for a freeze on the southern front, between Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
The Ukrainian leader arrives at the White House with the memory still vivid of the February clash in the Oval Office , when Trump dismissed him with a "you don't have the papers."
Instead, he did not spare Putin's compliments at the meeting in Anchorage : "Russia is a great power," the tycoon reiterated, sealing with smiles and handshakes a direction that has irritated Kiev and worried Europe.
For Putin, peace isn't limited to borders : he demands the recognition of Russian as the official language in Ukraine, guarantees for the Orthodox Church, and a redefinition of the security balance. In the meantime, he can continue to fight while negotiations take shape. "There's no deal until there's a deal," Trump commented, effectively placing the burden of the decision on Zelensky.
European allies have reaffirmed their support for Kiev and threatened new sanctions against Moscow if the conflict doesn't end. But Trump, on the contrary, has put the sanctions "on hold" : no new package, at least for now, and he has also put a stop to the idea of targeting countries that buy Russian oil. This wait-and-see strategy, according to many observers, is giving Putin the time he's been craving.
If Monday's bilateral meeting is successful, a three-way summit between Trump, Putin, and Zelensky could emerge. But analysts warn: the American president risks falling into the Kremlin's trap, turning Zelensky—and with him the Europeans—into scapegoats for a potential written agreement on the tsar's terms.
(Unioneonline)
