Putin ‘rewarded’ for Ukraine invasion with Trump summit, experts warn
Vladimir Putin has been “rewarded” for his invasion of Ukraine with Donald Trump’s summit in Alaska, leading experts have warned.
The summit, which took place at a military base in Anchorage in the US’s northernmost state, was aimed at kick-starting a peace process to end the war in Ukraine.
Very little appears to have been materially resolved as a result of the meeting.
Progress
Mr Trump has insisted “some great progress” was made, with “many points” agreed and “very few” remaining.
Sir Keir Starmer, meanwhile, commended the US president’s efforts to make peace, and said Mr Trump had “brought us closer than ever before” to an end to the war in Ukraine.
Leading foreign affairs and military experts have however claimed the summit’s main effect has been to lend legitimacy to Mr Putin, who has been considered a pariah by many world leaders since the invasion began in 2022.
Orysia Lutsevych, deputy director of the Russia and Eurasia programme and head of the Ukraine forum at the Chatham House think tank, said: “After six bilateral Trump-Putin phone calls, five trips of Trump’s envoy (Steve) Witkoff to Moscow, the Alaska summit, watched globally with so much anticipation and anxiety, failed to produce any tangible outcome to stop Russian aggression against Ukraine.
“Russia has received a reward for its invasion.
“Trump called Russia a ‘great country’ and said there is strong mutual understanding between the two parties.
“This represents a further fissure in the already shaky Transatlantic alliance, the rupture of which is a primary Russian aim.
“The Alaska summit represents another step towards this goal.”
Dangers
Keir Giles, an associate fellow of the Russia and Eurasia programme at Chatham House, meanwhile suggested there were “two dangers” which could emerge from the summit.
The first is that Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky may now be perceived by Mr Trump as a “softer target where he is more willing to exert leverage”, and that the US president could “once again try to strongarm Zelensky into compromising the future of his country”.
The second danger is that European leaders “might once again think the immediate danger has passed” and become complacent, after their scramble to speak to Mr Trump ahead of the summit.
Dr Neil Melvin, director of international security at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) meanwhile suggested Mr Putin would walk away considering the summit a success.
Dr Melvin said: “Vladimir Putin came to the Alaska summit with the principal goal of stalling any pressure on Russia to end the war.
“He will consider the summit outcome as mission accomplished.”
He added: “Russia’s war aims have not changed since it launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“At the summit, Putin was clear that he wants to address first what he calls the root causes of the war.
“The Kremlin identifies these as Nato enlargement, the emergence of governments in Ukraine resistant to Russian integration projects, and challenges to Russian claims about territory and ethnic Russians in Ukraine.
“This is Russia’s precondition and underpins Putin’s demand for a ‘comprehensive peace deal’.
“This agenda would lead to the subjugation of Ukraine.
“Putin made no concessions at the summit.
“Moreover, he succeeded in presenting himself as a legitimate equal to the US president.
“He will also consider it a victory that he was able to marginalise Zelensky and European leaders from the central discussion about the future of European security.”
Legitimacy
Elsewhere, party political leaders in the UK warned against lending Mr Putin legitimacy.
Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader said: “It’s clear Putin doesn’t want peace.
“Trump’s attempt to sweet talk him into a deal has failed, so it’s time for Trump to finally get tough.
“The UK should seize Russian assets to help Ukraine today, and press the US to do the same.”
Green Party MP Ellie Chowns meanwhile said the world was “left where we started” by the summit, adding: “A brutal war caused by Russia’s aggression and no real solution in sight.
“Any lasting peace plan without Ukraine’s full participation and consent will fail.
“When you compare how Trump rolled out the red carpet for Putin to his publicly humiliating Zelensky, it’s clear that the only winner from these talks is Putin.
“He was handed the credibility of a seat at the top table while his forces continue their attacks on Ukraine.”
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Putin played that moron trump for everything and got away laughing his socks off. Now we have to deal with the idiocy that is in the Whitehouse.
Trump as always never delivers. And absolute turnip, the world laughs at him but our leaders run scared, and trump’s allies in the UK in the shape of reform and Tory party, they will do anything trump says if they get power.
Exactly right. Putin runs rings round Trump, who is in any case has been a puppet for Russia after they had “Kompromat” on him from the 1980’s.
Trump is too stupid to realise that Putin has won the post-cold war struggle for power. Trump is so egotistical that flattery will dazzle him, and given his limited intellect, he is incapable of understanding the basic principles of a democratic world order.
Starmer should realise this and stop sucking up to Trump, who is totally unreliable. Stand by Ukraine.
And Labour too, I fear – at least in its Starmerite manifestation.
Brexit and arms (nukes, F35 etc.) . That is my takeaway why KS is skating on thin ice everywhere. We need to move away from US weapons, but I don’t know how you do it. Many countries are now cancelling aircraft purchases from the States. Thems multi year billions contracts gone.
Brexit has made us weaker.
I wouldn’t disagree with either of your two propositions, but, sadly, we are where we are.
I understand each time a missile sub returns to base, there is quite a maintenance routine to be done. Its a US led contract (reference on a radio talk show, and online news publication “Politico”, we own the bit that goes bang, they own the bit that gets it there. like to know the full deets but probably secret) Trump pulls that deal, we have no capability. I think its that bad.
‘… we own the bit that goes bang, they own the bit that gets it there.’
I’ve heard that’s the case too.
Undoubtedly, Trump will try to force Zelensky to give up Ukrainian territory and blame him for the collapse of any further peace talks if he doesn’t. It’s what happens when the strongest nation in the world, has too much power, is led by a narcissistic donkey and the UN is too weak and badly needing reform.
If Putin wants the land he should make an offer for it. Two trillion dollars would be a good opener.
Any deal could include returning the Kuril Islands to Japan who would no doubt reciprocate with investment in Ukraine.
Maybe let Russia have Alaska in return for easing up on Ukraine. That’s a deal within Trump’s power to settle quickly.
It’s times like this that we remember that Trump didn’t actually write The Art of The Deal.
Welcome to the new world order.
Europe did nothing and Trump stepped into the vacuum. At least the fighting will soon end. Next stop: the end of Hamas. Then we have world peace. Lovely.
Just like forcing Czechoslovakia to give up Sudetenland led to world peace.
Gone on long enough. Europe did nothing. Can’t go on forever. Sad for Ukraine but peace is more important. Hopefully we can help build a new – albeit smaller – Ukraine, get them in the EU etc.
Any reason you ignored the warning from history of the Conservative Party’s Munich appeasement?
The alleged European “coalition of the willing” is having a virtual meeting tomorrow. Says all you need to know. Ursula et Al have sat on their hands. At least Starmer tried.
Some might say Putin’s efforts to divide Europe have paid him dividends.
“..Starmer tried”? Unless he knows more than everyone else and didn’t watch and hear at the “press conference” and the decision to not allow any questions
then if he does speak to Trump
he should ask why he was upset at the continued
bombing after phoning Putin but when meeting in Alaska applauded and all but embraced him!! “Art of the deal” more like “Art of the con”!!!😡
You need to check what the EU are delivering.
putin apologist always short on facts.
What is the weather like in St Petersburg?
Oh yeah, if trump had won in 2020, he would not have handed the weapons to Ukraine, he would have handed Ukraine to Putin. Everything. Probably handed Zelenskyy over as well.
Remember trump is a coward. He dodged the draft multiple times, Ukraine asked for more ammo not a rid. Ukraine stood up to an aggressor.
Sadly, the war in Ukraine will continue until Putin gets chunks of Ukraine. Europe’s initial failure to act after the capture of Crimea spurred on Putin.