Ukraine tips from Trump and Putin: Who wants something from whom?

Is this conversation the beginning of the end of the Ukraine secretary? US President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin will meet in the US state of Alaska this Friday, August 15th. The summit, which was initially announced by the USA, was confirmed by the Russian side – the Kremlin has already invited Trump to Moscow for a second conversation.

It has been the first meeting of the two heads of state since 2019. Since Trump’s return to the White House, the two had phoned several times, but never met personally.

As expected, speculation increases in advance. What does Trump want? What is Putin ready? And: What about Ukraine’s President Wolodymyr Selenskyj? An overview of what is known so far.

Trump represents the summit as an attempt to get closer to the end of the fights. In this context, he threw a “possible exchange of areas” between Ukraine and Russia, but remained vague. “It is really not easy,” said Trump.

Moscow recently called for a peaceful solution to the conflict, among other things, a waiver of Ukraine on NATO accession and the assignment of the areas annexed by Russia. The Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj has so far categorically rejects the waiver of the Black Sea Peninsula Crimea annexed by Russia in 2014 and the areas of Luhansk, Donetsk, Saporischschja and Cherson, some of which were controlled by Moscow.

Apparently nobody currently knows that. It is likely that Ukraine itself remains a fence.

First the Americans had indicated The Ukrainian President could be there, then the Kremlin joined. Putin himself claimed to be open to a three -energy summit – but only under “certain conditions”. And that is far from that.

The White House apparently continues to continue inviting Selenskyj to Alaska. “It is discussed,” the broadcaster quotes an insider. The high -ranking administrative officer said that it was “absolutely” possible that Ukraine is still sitting at the table – even if you are currently concentrating on a bilateral meeting. Even the US Nato ambassador does not exclude an invitation. Trump made the decision. “If he believes that this is the best time to invite Selenskyj, then he will do that,” said Matthew Whitaker. It still has time.

Not only in Kyiv they are bothered by the expected exclusivity of the meeting. The EU foreign commissioner Kaja Kallas called for not only to involve Ukraine, but also the EU. After all, it was about the security of the entire continent.

Russia reacted at least insensitive. “The ‘euro idiots’ try to prevent American efforts to solve the Ukraine conflict,” wrote ex-president and Putin confidant Dmitri Medvedev on social media. The spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Sacharova, went one step further and explained that the relationship between Ukraine and the European Union is similar to “necrophilia” – a corpse love.

The EU Foreign Minister wants to meet on Monday to coordinate a joint procedure. Speaking of pre-meeting. There was already one in London last Saturday. The “way to peace” in the Ukraine could not be decided without Kiev, negotiations only take place as part of a ceasefire or a reduction in hostility, It said in a joint statement by the heads of state and government Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Finlands and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Selenskyj was also there in London and thanked his allies for the end of the shoulder. His country defends European security interests. The British Foreign Minister had invited-and the European US Vice President JD Vance.

A day later, Chancellor Merz insisted on a participation of Ukraine in Alaska. In the ARD “Daily topics” he announced that he wanted to make calls on Sunday with Trump. “We are preparing intensively for this meeting together with the American government at European level,” said Merz. It is assumed that Selenskyj will be involved.

Media had speculated that the meeting could take place on neutral soil. You read and hear about countries like the Vatican and the United Arab Emirates. Now it is different. Trump is a host, Putin comes as a guest. Alaska is the northernmost state of the United States. It is not that far from Russia, at the narrowest point of the Meerenge Beringstrasse it is only a few kilometers. Until the middle of the 19th century, Alaska himself belonged to today’s Russia until the United States bought the area with many mineral resources to the then Empire.

The place could also have very practical reasons: before the appointment, Trump said that he actually sought a much faster meeting, but there must be security measures. Planning on their own territory could therefore also bring logistical advantages.

From the USA: none at all. The Ukrainian government accuses Russia of kidnapping thousands of children from the occupied areas. This is why the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Putin in March 2023. At the moment, this arrest warrant has a symbolic meaning: the court based in the Haag does not have its own police night to arrest the Kremlin chief. And unlike the European Union or Canada, which borders Alaska, neither the United States nor Russia recognizes the Court of Justice. Therefore, the United States is not obliged to act.

Since the beginning of his second term, Trump has presented himself as an intermediary who has a good connection to Putin. He distanced himself from Biden’s supporting course for Ukraine, questioned American arms deliveries for Kiev and has been on the phone several times with Putin.

Most recently, however, he was increasingly critical of the Kremlin chief and increased the pressure on Russia. On July 29, Trump Putin had set a period of ten days to negotiate a ceasefire between Moscow and Kiev. In the event that this should not occur, he announced sanctions against important trading partners of Russia and was the first country to take India with new punitive tariffs because of its oil transactions with Moscow. The 10-day ultimate from the end of July now seems to have expired without Trump having caused further sanctions.

Instead, an invitation to the US President in Moscow accepted the announcement of the meeting in Alaska on Friday. Most recently, the two heads of state met during Trump’s first term in 2019 at the G20 summit in Osaka in Japanese.

In summary: Trump looked up to Putin for a long time, now he calls him “crazy”. The almost 20-year relationship between the two in a quotation chronicle:

Russia has been waging the war against Ukraine for around three and a half years. The Ukrainians are now tired, said the Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko opposite the “Bild”. He advocates a negotiating solution with Russia.

Whether the summit is successful in the end is primarily due to the perspective. Putin should initially be due to the last frosty relationship with Trump – especially since the White House should generally be far more compromising as Kiev, which without Washington’s support would hardly have a chance to defend themselves against the invaders in the long term.

Russia would now benefit from the still very vague suggestions for area exchange. Because: From a Ukrainian perspective, there is nothing to exchange.

Note: This article has been updated several times.