The summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska ended in a huge success for Moscow, while Washington was seen leaving without any tangible results.
Although Trump claimed the meeting was a “10 out of 10”, the decision in Russia’s favor explained the real fact that Trump had bowed to Russia’s conditions to postpone demands for an immediate ceasefire, instead making room for long-term peace talks.
The move thus gave Russia more time to continue its offensive in Ukraine.
Even more eye-catching, Trump also handed over a “peace letter” from his wife, Melania Trump, pleading with Putin to end the war for the sake of the future of children. However, the symbolic move did not change the fact that the US is now at risk of being seen as bowing to the Kremlin’s strategy.
Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, however, revealed that Russia agreed to allow the US and Europe to offer “robust” security guarantees to Ukraine, as if it were the principle of NATO’s Article 5.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the offer “historic”, but insisted it must be practical, covering land, air and sea with European cooperation.
A follow-up meeting is scheduled for Monday in Washington between Trump and Zelensky, with European leaders including British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer; French President Emmanuel Macron; and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in attendance, with the agenda of pressing Trump to detail the true extent of the US commitment to the security guarantee.
Macron warned that today’s weakness would come at a high price in the future, while European diplomatic sources fear that Trump may pressure Zelensky to accept Putin’s proposal that Ukraine cede the Donetsk region in exchange for a freeze on the front lines in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
