Former U.S. President Donald Trump ours to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 20. The meeting was significant as it was the first time in almost a decade that Putin set foot on U.S. soil. The meeting, initially intended to discuss a ceasefire in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, evolved into Trump’s proposal for a broader “peace agreement.” This development raises questions regarding the potential impact on the conflict and the reactions of key stakeholders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Just last month at the G20 summit, Trump praised his one-on-one meeting with Putin as “very productive.” He wanted to learn things that would enable him to bring the war to a close. He pressed Ukraine to “close the deal” and “end the war with Russia.” Analysts expressed doubts about the potential for any meaningful movement toward a ceasefire. Tina Fordham, founder of Fordham Global Foresight, noted that “let’s be clear, Putin does not take Trump seriously,” casting doubt on the effectiveness of Trump’s approach.
White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt characterized the discussions as a “listening exercise” for Trump. Analysts had expected no firm deal to come out of the meeting. Right before the summit started, Richard Portes, head of the London Business School’s economics faculty, declared it a “huge win” for Putin. His proclamation underscored the importance of the unique occasion.
Trump’s proposal for a peace agreement rather than a simple ceasefire indicates a shift in his strategy regarding the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. He noted that Zelenskyy faces a choice: to either stop the conflict or “continue to fight.” Notice the positioning in that statement — very much intended to set the predicate that this is a situation demanding strong action taken by Ukraine.
U.S. trade representatives declared that they had called off their intended visit to India from August 25 to August 29. They plan to push it back to a later date. At the same time, the cancelation of this trip brings added scrutiny to the president’s moves in the arena of international diplomacy and relations with Russia.
Even as the summit took place, doubts still hung in the air regarding its possible results. Leave aside the Kyiv media scene, analysts have sounded the alarm that Trump’s promises wouldn’t manifest in actual change across the battlefront in Ukraine. The absence of a clear agreement after the negotiations adds to the confusion.