Trump’s task is to get Zelenskyy and Putin to talk – political analyst

Political analyst Serhiy Taran shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

"Trump initially had a big goal. Apparently, during the campaign, he imagined it would go like this: Russia and Ukraine are at war, Trump comes in, sets up a meeting, puts pressure on both sides, and they quickly sign some kind of peace deal. All in one day," he said.

According to Taran, now that Trump has realized the situation is much more complicated, he has shifted back to a more minimal plan.

"Namely, to put Zelenskyy and Putin at the same negotiating table, and then say: ‘I brought them together. If they couldn’t reach an agreement, that’s their problem, not mine.’ If that happened, the next logical step for him would be to walk away from the talks and say: ‘This is their issue, let them negotiate. The U.S. has nothing to do with it, we’re stepping back,’" the political analyst said.

The expert believes that Trump is not ruling out this scenario.

“But there’s an important detail: the Russian-Ukrainian war is deeply connected to many global processes. Let’s say Trump decides to stay out of the war and focus on trade with Europe. That won’t work, because the Europeans will bring up the issue of Ukraine in any talks with the United States,” Taran added.

He emphasized that Europe sees this as its own security issue — the war is in Ukraine today, but it could reach Europe tomorrow. That’s why, in such a scenario, meaningful dialogue with Europeans would become impossible.

“Also, if the United States pulls out of the war, it sends a message to the world that the U.S. is powerless and ineffective. That its foreign policy is weak and failing. That it’s running away from every problem. This would strengthen the role of China and other regional powers. I don’t think that benefits Trump — how would he talk about taking Greenland or annexing Canada after that? Trump may want to distance himself from the war, but it won’t be easy,” the expert concluded.

Background

In a nighttime address on May 11, Russian leader Vladimir Putin claimed he was ready for direct talks with Ukraine in Turkey next week, but he dismissed the idea of a 30-day truce. In response, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would keep working with both sides and predicted that the coming week would be “great.”

On May 12, the German government announced that if Russia did not agree to ceasefire in Ukraine by the end of the day, European partners would begin preparations for new sanctions. In contrast, the Kremlin stated that “the language of ultimatums is unacceptable for Russia.”

Advisor to the head of the Ukrainian President's Office, Mykhailo Podolyak, said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would not meet with any Russian representative other than Vladimir Putin in Turkey on May 15.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the talks in Istanbul with Kyiv should recognize the "realities on the ground," including Russia’s incorporation of Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed he will visit Turkey on May 15 to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He also said he is ready to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.