Russian dictator vladimir putin has secured a personal meeting with US President Donald Trump. For the russian leader, this is an ideal opportunity not only to end his war against Ukraine, but also to split the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
This is stated in the material of the American publication The New York Times, published on August 10.
According to the publication, in late July, putin faced a harsh reality. The russian dictator was on the verge of losing Trump - the only Western leader with whom he could achieve his goal in Ukraine. The goal of destroying the European security order also began to seem unattainable.
But Trump, who was probably tired of the last few months of fruitless phone calls and negotiations, began to issue ultimatums. Against this background, putin decided to change tactics a little.
Despite previous refusals by russian officials to negotiate on the territories, putin gave the impression in a meeting with Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff that he was now ready for some agreements on the territories.
"Speaking in a language that Trump understands - the language of real estate - putin achieved what he had been seeking since January: a personal meeting with the US leader without Zelenskyy's presence to explain his position and conclude a deal," the publication writes.
According to Sam Green, a professor of russian politics at King's College London, this week has been very good for putin. He has managed to get out of a position of considerable vulnerability.
Alexander Gabuyev, director of the Berlin Carnegie russia Eurasia Center, told the NYT that putin will arrive at the meeting with Trump, pursuing the implementation of various scenarios.
The expert believes that they include concluding a profitable deal with Trump, which the head of the White House will successfully impose on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. If the Ukrainian leader refuses to accept the terms of the agreement, it will lead to the US turning its back on Ukraine.
The third option is for putin to continue the fighting for another 12-18 months, counting on Ukraine to exhaust its military resources faster than the russian economy exhausts its.
Professor Green stressed that if putin manages to convince Trump to recognize the occupation of Ukrainian regions, which Ukraine and Europe will not support, this could cause a split within NATO.
Stefan Meister, a russia analyst at the German Council on Foreign Relations, said in a comment to the publication that in the context of the upcoming meeting in Alaska, putin is talking about much more important things. Trump simply wants to end the war, and the russian dictator wants to change his country's strategic position.
"It's about his legacy. It's about where russia will stand after this war. This is a much more fundamental issue. It creates a different willingness to pay a price," Meister said.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the day before it became known that US President Trump and russian dictator putin will hold a bilateral meeting in Alaska next Friday, August 15.
According to Bloomberg, American and russian officials are working on an agreement before the meeting between Trump and putin. It will allow russia to consolidate the occupation of several regions of Ukraine.
Recall, on August 9, President Zelenskyy said that Ukraine will not give up its territories. According to him, the answer to any territorial issues lies in the Constitution of Ukraine, and no one intends to deviate from it.
And today, August 10, the head of the European Commission and the leaders of six European countries issued a joint communiqué. In it, they welcomed Trump's efforts, but called on him to protect Ukraine's interests and prevent changes to its recognized borders.
Who we are: About us, Contacts. How we write news and our principles: Editorial code. We did our best. If you found this valuable – please support us.
To request a correction, please send an email.