As they rush towards talks between Zelensky and Putin, the era of obedient diplomacy has clearly ended in the era of Trump.
Does Trump’s Nobel Prize hope to shape Ukraine’s discussions? What we know now.
President Donald Trump’s rush of Ukrainian peace contract raises concerns between European leaders and President Voldymir Zelensky. This is what we know.
- President Trump’s determination to end the war in Ukraine won praise and raised concerns about what he might be willing to give away.
- On the key issues of the ceasefire, the US president is lined up with Moscow against the United Front by European leaders gathered in the East Room.
- The developmental whirlwind in the space for several days was an indication of foreign policy in the Trump 2.0 era.
The good news is that President Donald Trump is determined to end the crushing war in Ukraine and to make a quick deal.
That could be bad news for Ukraine and European leaders too.
Concerned that Trump willingly hand over Russia and willingly hand over him to Russia, to reach his agreement – a major display of his public campaign to win the Nobel Peace Prize – attracting an extraordinary group of European leaders to the White House, supporting Voudymir Zelensky of Ukrainian Vounia in a phenomenal moment for Kiyif.
On August 18, the East Room praised Trump’s leadership on warnings about the need to reach a ceasefire before negotiations begin, before pressured Ukraine to give up land on a country where it launched its latest invasion more than three years ago.
However, Russian President Vladimir Putin ruled out the ceasefire at his own meeting with Trump in Alaska three days ago, and he clearly won him. On Monday, Trump noticed that he was more closely aligned with Moscow on this important question in the face of the united front of NATO and the European Community.
On his way to Alaska, Trump called the ceasefire important and threatened “serious consequences” if Russia did not agree.
But after Putin’s flat nyet, Trump in the East Room described the ceasefire as a good idea, but it wasn’t necessary.
Trump said the US is ready to take part in Ukraine’s security guarantees. It certainly raises Zelensky’s pressure to agree with what Trump calls a “land swap.”
Putin demands Donbas, a strategically located region that is an industrial rich region. Zelenskyy rejected the idea of giving up all the land.
Foreign policy in the Trump 2.0 era
The developmental whirlwind in the space for several days was conveying foreign policy in the Trump 2.0 era.
For one thing, the slow diplomacy tradition of meticulous meetings by aides to hash details before the principal meets has been replaced by a drastic declaration from the top, often streamed live to the world and updated in real-time, true socially.
For another, the trends by foreign leaders during Trump’s first term, which also challenged him directly, were replaced by flattering strategies.
That applies to Putin.
He is a former KGB agent and has led the Kremlin with iron hand for a quarter century. However, about this, Putin persuaded Trump that he had his own interest in his heart. “He wants to make a deal for me,” Trump told French President Emmanuel Macron. “Do you understand? It’s so crazy you can hear it.”
Zelensky, who appeared in the White House in a dark suit, is a concession to Trump’s complaints about his usual military style attire at his last visit. The encounter collapsed into condemnation. In this oval office, he praised the president.
“Thank you for your hard work,” he told Trump. Vice President JD Vance, caught up in Zelenskyy at an Intratitude meeting in February, was sitting on the sofa next to the president, laughing silently.
It was clear even among European leaders.
NATO Secretary General Mark Latte has launched a round-robin of praise. “I really want to thank President of the United States, dear Donald,” he said.
Zelenskyy and other leaders expressed special appreciation for Trump’s willingness to support security assurance, with the European military expected to take the lead and the US role undefined.
German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz called the most direct attention of the day. “The next step is a more complicated step,” he said, “I can’t imagine the next meeting being held without a ceasefire.”
Play for peace or play for time?
It is not clear when the next meeting will take place, but Meltz later told reporters it should happen within the next two weeks.
Trump had “suspended” conversations with European leaders to make a 40-minute call with Putin. He then said that between Putin and Zelensky “has begun an arrangement” for the meeting at the place to be decided. “After that meeting was held, we have Trilat who will become myself in addition to the two presidents,” he said in a social media post.
Skeptics warn Putin is playing for time for the opportunity to continue smashing Ukraine on the battlefield, offering lip service in search of peace.
Putin also has another long-standing goal. In the aftermath of World War II, driving the wedges of the Western Alliance, which were fake as Moscow checks.
The expandedist Russia and the divided alliance are not only for Ukraine, but also for themselves, as well as the greatest fear of European leaders.
“The president’s optimism should be taken seriously,” Macron told NBC after leaving the White House. However, he has expressed little about Trump’s confidence in his new partner in peace.
