Ukrainian nation crushed Putin's master plan in 2014 — expert

Oleh Mahaletskyi, researcher of geostrategy and founder of the Free Nations PostRussia Forum, stated this on Espreso TV.

"If we recall 2014, it was back then that the Ukrainian nation destroyed Putin's main idea — the creation of the Eurasian Union. This is a historic achievement, because the Revolution of Dignity is not only about Ukraine, but also about the future of Europe. Putin had the idea of creating the Eurasian Union, and at that time Yanukovych was supposed to sign on to it. Even Armenia signed such an agreement, although today it has also made a turn and is returning to the Western civilization of which it has always been a part. Belarus and Kazakhstan were also in this union. In fact, Putin wanted to restore the USSR. That did not happen. The Customs Union was supposed to become one of the elements of this economic puzzle," Mahaletskyi explained.

The researcher stressed that the outcome of this war must be the existence of either Ukraine or Russia, as Russia will never agree to the existence of an independent Ukraine.

"As a result of this war, either Ukraine will preserve its sovereignty and subjectivity, or Russia will. There is no choice here. There may be pauses, but there simply cannot be any other situation. It is important to understand that the existence of an independent Ukraine is an existential threat to this empire. If they acknowledge the existence of an independent and sovereign Ukraine, they will cease to exist as an empire," he concluded.

What is known about the planned meeting between Trump and Putin?

On August 8, Bloomberg and WSJ reported that U.S. President Donald Trump may be willing to accept Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s terms to formally recognize Russian control over parts of occupied Ukrainian territories.

On the same day U.S. President Donald Trump said that a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine would involve some exchange of territories.

Later U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he will hold a meeting with the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in the state of Alaska next Friday.

Before the Trump-Putin meeting, senior officials from the U.S., Ukraine, and European countries are set to hold talks to coordinate their joint positions.

Media also reported that Volodymyr Zelenskyy might join the meeting between the American leader and the Russian dictator. However, at a briefing on August 11, Trump noted that he will meet with Putin first, and later there might be a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, or all three together.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says Russian leader Vladimir Putin wants to create the impression he is engaged in negotiations and delay sanctions during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska could be important only for bilateral relations between their countries — they cannot make any decisions about Ukraine.

Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk has commented on U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks about a “territory swap” with Russia, emphasizing that this is impossible to do even through a referendum.

The meeting between Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump will take place in Alaska, in the city of Anchorage, likely at a U.S. military base.