What Ukraine and Russia want from the Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska

When President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin Bhumi Friday in Alaska For their high-darling discussion about the war in Ukraine, the two leaders will bring different views about ending the war that Russia started three years ago. At the same time, Ukraine would be looking out of outside with European colleagues, expecting Mr. Trump protecting his interests.

Their meetings are expected to be capted by a rare joint news conference with two world leaders – the first incident of its kind after his 2018 summit in Helsinki, when Mr. Trump Sided Putin with his intelligence agencies about Russian intervention in the 2016 election.

Mr. Trump has tried to reduce the expectations of going to the meeting, told reporters a day earlier, “I just want to do the table for the next meeting, which should be soon.” The latter meeting is an idea that he is swimming this week, and he said that it would include Ukrainian President Volodimier Zelansky and perhaps other colleagues. The President raised the possibility that Zelanski might also join Alaska within a few days.

White House press secretary Karolin Levit mentioned with Putin as a “hearing exercise” for Mr. Trump and said that his goal is to walk away with better understanding of “how to end this war.”

There are many questions at the summit – the major of them is what Russia wants, and what Ukraine wants, there is a way to cover their demands with him. The US and Russian counterpart are speaking, and Mr. Trump and Putin have talked their own phone.

In March, Ukraine Agreed For the 30-day ceasefire proposal supported by the US, and months later, in May, when Kremlin still did not accept the terms, State Secretary Marco Rubio said that America was trying to find out if Russia was just “was”Tap us,

By July, the number of casualties was increasing in Ukraine as Russia stepped into Bombing campaign With hundreds of missiles and drone strikes. Mr. Trump gave Putin 50-day time limit To end the war to end a deal, and later reduced it 10-day time limitHarshar tariffs and threats of secondary restrictions. Former Russian President Dimitri Medvedev responded by making fun of Mr. Trump On X“Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war,” he said, warning that it will not be between Russia and Ukraine, but with [Trump’s] Your country. ,

But a day before the President’s 10-day deadline ended, and after Putin, American Special Envoy was met with Steve Witcoff-Crelyn announced that Putin and Sri Trump would meet.

Mr. Trump on Wednesday Said There will be “very serious consequences” for Russia if it does not agree to end the war after a Friday meeting, although they refused to expand.

Zelenskyy and European partners met with Mr. Trump nearly on Wednesday, after which Zelenskyy Xe: “With our colleagues, we supported the efforts of US President Donald Trump to end the war, prevent killings, and achieve a justified and permanent peace. I am grateful to the partners for my shared position: the path of peace.”

European leaders have beenware of Trump-Putin meeting. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusks said on Wednesday at the summit, “The most important thing that Europe assures Donald Trump that no one can trust Russia,” Saying, “Anyone should not think of recognizing Russia’s rights to demarcate boundaries for their neighbors.” Zelancesi will not be to represent Ukraine’s interests, and Mr. Trump has shown that he is sometimes reluctant to criticize Putin.

What does Russia want

Experts say that Putin has many objectives that will not be shared by the US and Ukraine, and Mr. Trump should be cautious.

Putin would prefer to see the US offering off his financial aid for Ukraine, Bradley Boman, Foundation for Defense of Democracy Center on Military and Political Power said the senior director.

Boman said, “He wants to ignore the power of the United States so that he can hunt more effectively on Ukraine,” Boman said, at the same time, Putin “will try to attack like a villain.” While the purpose of Mr. Trump is to end the war starting Russia, Putin is likely to try to seize Mr. Trump’s desire for peace.

Boman said, “He is going to try to achieve Trump’s support for a bad peace,” some peace agreements are bad because they lead to more war. ,

John Laf, Russia and Eurasia program an associate Fellow and British think-tank Chautham House, predicted that Russia will put something in front of ” [Trump] He will buy and say, ‘This is a way to get out of war, and I like it, and I am now ready to lean on Ukrainian and European people again and we will get it on the line.’

But Laf also believes that for Russia, the meeting is “high risk”.

“They can’t find what they want, but they will expect very at least expect that it guides Ukraine as the next stage of the process of reaching the table, and, I think, conducts talks within a structure, with which comes with,” Laf said.

Russia, Laf, said, “To resolve the outline of the peace agreement and then talk about a ceasefire, while Ukraine, his colleagues and, to an extent, President Trump said,” No, we start with a struggle and then we build around it. “

Daniel Fried, the former US ambassador to Poland and former Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, thinks that Putin may try to put a nail between the US and his colleagues.

Fried said in a press call on Wednesday, “He wants to get out of this meeting without any cost and gets away from the American position and perhaps removes Trump to have a difference between him and the Zelanceci, Trump and the Europeans.”

Since the meeting was scheduled, after Mr. Trump’s more suspicion about Putin, Fried said, “I am less worried about I was three days ago.”

Fried, who is now a partner in the Atlantic Council, said that for Putin, a great result would be to “dazzle” Mr. Trump with a fake offer and go away with a big smile.

At talks in June, Kremlin presented a memorandum in which Ukraine was given two options for a 30-day ceasefire, which could give some insight into Putin’s maximalist demands.

The first Ukraine would need to withdraw its forces from the four areas illegally enacted by Russia, but which Russia has never fully controlled: Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhia.

The second option included several conditions, including a requirement that Ukraine reduced its military effort, receiving military assistance, excluding any international military forces from his region, raising martial law and then rapidly.

As part of a peace treaty, Russia stated that it would require international recognition of Russian sovereignty over some Ukrainian regions, including Donbas and Crimea, and not to join any military alliance by Ukraine – not the end of its efforts to join it. NATO – Or allow any foreign terrorists to operate or be in their area.

Russia also said that she would want a hat to be an official language in Ukraine’s armed forces and Russians to be an official language.

Wendy Sharman, a former Deputy Deputy Secretary, who is first sitting from Putin, said that the Russian leader has no real interest in ending the war – he is just “buying time”.

“This is the meeting of President Putin,” Sharman told CBS News on Wednesday. “He is actually in charge of this meeting. He said for it. President, I think it was flattery for this meeting. But Putin is not interested in ending this war. He is very smart, he is very cage.”

What does Ukraine want

Ukraine wants the end of Russia’s attack and full return from its territory.

“The war should have an honest end. And it depends on Russia,” Zelancesi said on social media earlier this month. “This is Russia that should end the war that starts.”

Mr. Trump said earlier this week that in a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine “some land is getting up.

This inspired the Zelanceci’s response, who said that Ukraine would not leave Russia any of its territories. The Constitution of Ukraine does not allow him to formally reduce some parts of the country.

Zelancesi said in a social media post in the last weekend, “We will not reward Russia what he has done.” “The answer to the Ukrainian regional question is already in the Constitution of Ukraine. No one will be distracted by it – and no one will be able to give gifts to the person who occupies his land.”

Despite such a statement, John Herbst, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, said that Zelancesi has displayed that he is ready to compromise.

Herbst said, “There is no doubt in my mind that Zelansky understands that regional concessions may be necessary to achieve sustainable peace.”

Another big concern is whether Putin can try to manipulate Sri Trump with his deep knowledge of Ukraine, former intelligence officer Andrea Kendle-Teller said, who specializes in Russian affairs.

Ukrainian Ambassador for US Oksana Markarova Told CBS News “We all understand the reality on the ground, and we are ready to discuss this war.” He said, “Let’s stop the murders, and let’s get for diplomacy.”

Troubled history of Ukraine and Russia

Ukraine was a part of the Soviet Union before voting for independence in 1991.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the NATO Alliance expanded the east, adding former Soviet republics including Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia, and it established a close partnership with Ukraine. In 2008, the alliance declared its intention to join NATO at some point in future for Ukraine.

Putin has said on several occasions that he sees NATO expansion as a danger for Russia. He has also said that he believes that Ukraine is a political, cultural and linguistic part of Russia.

Some Ukrainians, mainly in eastern regions, are Russian-speaking and feel more closely aligned with Russia than the nation of Ukraine. But most Ukrainians speak Ukrainian, feel a deep patriotic relationship for Ukraine and develop close relationships for Europe.

In 2014, there was a widespread protests in Ukraine when the Russian’s supporters refused to sign the European Union Association Agreement. Public displeasure forced him from the office – a clear victory for the Ukrainians who favored the relationship close to Europe. But shortly thereafter, Russia annexed Crimea, a peninsula that was recognized internationally as part of Ukraine, and the Kremlin supported the separatist rebellion in the east of Ukraine.

In 2022, Russia began a full -scale invasion of Ukraine, attacking cities across the country, including Rajdhani, Kiev. Some people hoped that Russia took over quickly, but Ukrainian worked hard to defend themselves, Russian benefits in the past became largely stable behind the front lines, and the war has taken place since then.