US President Trump's meeting with Russian President Putin poses significant dangers for Ukraine and Europe. It may lead to Ukraine surrendering sovereignty and territory to appease Moscow. European leaders fear that Trump will compromise too much, facilitating Russia's demands without regard to established international borders. Trump's treatment of Putin, despite his war crimes, and the urgency for a peace deal are alarming indicators for the integrity of European security and Ukraine's future autonomy. A coalition of European leaders is crucial in countering these pressures and providing security assurances for Ukraine.
Today's meeting with the US leader presents similar dangers, but the Ukrainian president, and Europe, cannot be caught on the hop. The pressure may be more subtle and exerted by stealth, but it may feel equally overwhelming.
For Kyiv, this would mean handing over huge chunks of eastern lands which Moscow has been unable to capture. Under what was mooted by the Russian president when the two leaders met in Alaska on Friday, it effectively means Ukraine surrendering its sovereign status, and becoming a client state.
The summit was unsettling for many reasons. For someone who is wanted by the International Criminal Court - to answer for war crimes - to be treated with full honours was troubling, not only for Ukrainians, but for all who decry its invasion.
What alarms Ukraine and Europe is that Moscow will again be let dictate terms, endorsed by Mr Trump, while Mr Zelensky will find himself with his back to the wall.
#us-russia-relations #ukraine-sovereignty #european-security #international-borders #political-dynamics
Collection
[
|
...
]