Alwaght- The third round of American-Russian talks on Ukraine war were held on Friday at Elmendorf–Richardson military base in Anchorage, Alaska. The meeting grabbed the world media and public opinion attention as it was held by President Donald Trump of the US and President Vladimir Putin of Russia as two heads of state.
Trump and Putin, who over the past years have talked over phone on Ukraine, finally held a face-to-face meeting for a conclusion. Washington and Moscow as two key actors on Ukraine crisis have pushed to make a joint ground to end the conflict in a tense but hopeful atmosphere. After three concise rounds of talks, the leaders of the two countries at a press conference described the dialogue positive and constructive and outlined the discussion topics to the journalists, though details of a possible deal remain undisclosed.
Putin, referring to the importance of Alaska, considered the region as part of the two countries' shared history and added that Moscow is serious about resolving the Ukraine crisis. Putin also said that relations between Moscow and Washington are now at their lowest point since the Cold War. Putin expressed his pleasure to see Trump in good health and emphasized that these talks could be an important step towards improving bilateral relations.
Trump also announced that "although some issues remain unresolved, significant progress has been made in the talks today." He said that the talks were constructive and fruitful and that agreements had been reached on many issues. The US president added that he would soon contact NATO leaders and other relevant parties to follow up on the progress of the talks. Trump also announced an agreement to continue consultations with his Russian counterpart, adding that their next meeting would be held soon in Moscow.
A meeting for diplomatic photos
Though the Russian and American leaders described their meeting positive and constructive, the American media reported that the two leaders' meeting ended without an agreement on Ukraine.
New York Times reporter that despite the fact that Trump had earlier threatened Putin with severe consequence, including economic sanctions, if he opposed a ceasefire deal, the Alaska meeting ended without any deal.
Fox News reported that "the atmosphere of the meeting was very unusual, it did not feel good. It was as if Putin just talked about his demands and left."
The world community expected the Alaska summit to resolve crisis in Ukraine, now in its fourth year, and be a step towards global security, but according to Western media, there was no room for "peace" in the meeting, and what Trump and Putin presented to the media was only a repetition of previous slogans and statements.
According to statements by senior White House officials and the NATO Secretary General, a decision was to be made at the Alaska summit about the occupied territories of Ukraine, and it seemed that the West might cede some of these territories to Russia in exchange for a ceasefire, but no agreement was reached on this issue either. Meanwhile, Trump stated before the meeting with Putin, "If I leave this meeting without some kind of ceasefire, I will not be happy, and if things do not go well, we may not meet again."
Despite failing to reach an agreement, Trump announced the second round of talks in Moscow with the same confidence as always. He is clearly trying to increase his chances of winning the Nobel Peace Prize by claiming to have played a role in the ceasefire and is more concerned with his personal and political interests than with real peace in Europe, and is more interested in taking photos and making media appearances with relevant foreign officials. His recent meeting with Putin was no exception to this rule, with talks that ended without tangible results and focused only on the symbolic and propaganda aspects of it, rather than finding a solution to end the war in Ukraine.
Importance of Putin-Trump meeting
The Alaska meeting was the seventh direct meeting between Trump and Putin, following the last meeting between the two in 2019. During Trump's first term, from 2016 to 2020, the two presidents met six times on various occasions to discuss bilateral relations, arms control, the Iranian nuclear deal of 2015, and the crises in Syria and Ukraine. They met again in Alaska after six years.
The meeting between the presidents of Russia and the US is of particular importance in examining global crises since the two countries are among the world's major political, military, and economic powers. Many international crises, from wars and arms races to energy and climate change issues, are directly or indirectly influenced by the policies of Washington and Moscow and other superpowers.
Currently, with the end of the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska without any tangible results, the chances of reaching a peace agreement for the Ukraine war remain slim. Trump and Putin have not publicly announced a ceasefire or a specific negotiation process, and Trump’s vague hints at continuing talks do not help solve the crisis.
Official analyses and statements also suggest that deep disagreements over the fate of the occupied territories, Ukraine’s membership in NATO, and the future of Ukrainian sovereignty remain in place. The Russians continue to insist on control over the occupied territories of Ukraine, and Kiev’s leaders have declared this issue a red line, blocking the path to a possible peace.
Zelensky's absence and distrust in Washington
The Alaska meeting was held while once again President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine was absent from an American-Russian summit. This repeated absence is significant not only symbolically, but also practically. Actually, discussing Ukraine war without presence of one of the main warring sides questions the legitimacy and efficiency of the talks. Ukraine as a country whose soil and sovereignty is under threat cannot be solely a viewer of agreements that determine its fate.
The absence of the Ukrainian president shows that Washington and Moscow prefer to discuss overall aspects of peace or at least ceasefire in a bilateral atmosphere and without Kiev interference, something that can make Ukraine leaders feel isolated and stir further distrust to Washington. This is because the decisions taken on Ukraine fate do not rest on true interests of the country, but on the interests of the big powers.
Ukrainians had their eyes and hopes on the Alaska summit to perhaps get rid of this war situation, but its results were like cold water poured over the hands of them. Zelensky, who was dissatisfied with the results of the Alaska summit, said in response: “Putin attended this meeting with three specific goals and, unfortunately, he achieved all of them. Putin only needed one photo from the meeting with Trump, this photo was enough for him to benefit politically.” Zelensky added: “Putin was looking to break out of isolation and gain international legitimacy, and the meeting with the US President provided him with this opportunity. Putin was also able to postpone the imposition of sanctions with this meeting.”
Ukrainians also depicted scenes of Trump’s warm welcome to Putin on social media and sent tearful voice messages and texts full of anger and sadness.
Sky News dedicated minutes of a report to sad messages received by journalists from the Ukrainians. A sad message read: "The world has just discovered the meaning of Trump diplomacy."
People and leaders of Ukraine know that any bilateral agreement between Washington and Moscow can endanger their national interests and even their sovereignty and territorial integrity if reached without consideration of their views and contentment. These concerns have inflamed distrust in Washington and now many Ukrainian politicians and political observers have grown cautious and pessimistic of talks.
Ukrainian leaders are also concerned that any peace between Moscow and Washington without Kiev presence will undermine the Ukrainian diplomatic position and influence in international dialogue. This situation doubles the pressure on the government go defend national interests and complicates the path to a sustainable agreement that has satisfaction of all sides. This is the main reason the Ukrainians now look at any agreement between Russia and the US with doubt.
Overall, given the current political atmosphere, absence of Ukraine from the negotiating table andcontinuation of war, there is no clear and reliable outlook for a peace deal and the future of the talks more depends on outcomes of next meetings and participation of the European and Ukrainian sides.
