Trump-Xi summit includes talks on Ukraine, says American studies expert

Associate expert at the Institute of American Studies Oleh Prelovskyi shared his opinions on Espreso TV.

“The previous meeting between Trump and Putin was canceled because there was no concrete plan for how it could take place in practice — neither regarding Putin’s travel to Hungary nor the subjects of discussion,” Prelovskyi noted.

According to the expert, Trump’s conversation with Xi Jinping showed Americans, particularly the U.S. political establishment, what issues to pay attention to and what to discuss if a meeting with Putin were to occur. Possibly, Xi acted as a sort of intermediary — conveying certain points from Putin or explaining which topics should or should not be addressed.

This will undoubtedly affect U.S.-Ukrainian relations, as the topic of Ukraine was part of Trump and Xi’s discussion. It is likely that Ukraine was even mentioned in the context of abandoning Russian oil fields.

“Therefore, in my opinion, expecting a meeting with Putin before the end of the year is unrealistic. However, it is possible that next year Trump will make another attempt to communicate with the Russian leader.

But by that time, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will have repeatedly demonstrated that such a conversation is meaningless. The Ukrainian Armed Forces today are the best diplomat — they determine what happens in the Ukrainian issue and influence foreign policy not only of the U.S. but of the entire world,” Prelovskyi added.

• In South Korea, talks were held between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, during which they discussed trade between the world’s two largest economies. Ukraine was also among the topics raised.