Trump should be present at Zelenskyy-Putin meeting

Zelenskyy has repeatedly stated that ending the war requires a meeting with the Russian leader. However, such a meeting should only take place when Ukraine holds sufficiently strong positions — military successes, effective drone and missile strikes deep into Russia, significant enemy losses, and a truly weakened Russian economy. Meanwhile, Trump shows no desire to increase sanctions pressure. The European Union is tightening sanctions, but loopholes remain that Russia exploits. Without proper pressure from Trump on Putin, the effectiveness of a Zelenskyy-Putin meeting seems doubtful.

Overall, it remains unclear what such a meeting could achieve. Clearly, both sides are trying to show Trump their willingness to compromise to avoid being blamed for derailing the peace process. At the same time, it is well known that Ukraine’s and Russia’s positions differ radically.

A meeting of the three leaders could potentially yield some results, but only with the participation of European partners. However, Putin is not interested in negotiating with Europe. If the meeting occurs only with Trump, there is a risk that Ukraine could be in a less favorable position, with two pressing on one. That is why a format including Europe appears more productive, although the Kremlin currently rejects it.

In summary, the Washington meeting was a step forward and left a more optimistic impression than Trump’s negotiations with Putin in Alaska. Important signals were sent for Ukraine, but everything will depend on the specifics of future decisions. Only time will show how successful Zelenskyy and European leaders were in convincing Trump not to make concessions to Russia.

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About the author. Oleksii Haran, Ukrainian political scientist, Scientific Director of the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation.

The editorial team does not always share the opinions expressed by blog or column authors.