Peace negotiations: Selenskyj and European at Trump: Peace for Ukraine?

U.S. President Donald Trump has moved away from the ultimate demand for a ceasefire after his meeting with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin in Alaska to the delight of Russia. Now he wants to land the very big throw and negotiate a peace agreement for Ukraine in the sense of Putin. To do this, he meets the Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj on Monday in the White House, who brings a lot of reinforcements from Europe-including Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte. Questions and answers to the possibly decisive meeting:

The US President pursues the plan to bring Putin and Selenskyj directly to a table. Trump’s meeting with the Ukrainian president could – if it goes well – be the decisive intermediate step. The aim is to end the end of the Russian attack war, to end killing. He sees himself in the role of the intermediary, wants to be a piano. The Republican had repeatedly said in the election campaign that he was able to end the war.

And then there is Trump, the businessman. The Republican always makes it clear that he considers foreign policy relationships to be successful, especially if they have economic advantages for the United States. When Russia ends its war, sanctions could possibly fall and the United States would do more business with the sizes of raw materials.

What is discussed in the White House?

In the period in front of the Alaska summit with Putin, Trump had called for an enforcing ceasefire. Selenskyj and the European allies had long made them a prerequisite for further negotiations. But after the Putin conversation, the US President changed his rhetoric significantly. He now speaks of peace agreement without the intermediate step of a ceasefire. He will probably want to move Selenskyj to concessions.

A sticking point at the meeting on Monday will be the topic of regional abductions, which Selenskyjs had categorically rejected again and again. He warned against giving Russia something in the war and thus encouraging the neighbors to further aggression. Russia, on the other hand, insists that Ukraine acknowledges area losses.

Above all, Selenskyj and Europeans want to get sanction pressure on Russia and security guarantees for Ukraine – with the participation of the United States to protect the future attacks. However, it should not be about a NATO accession of Ukraine.

Selenskyj in Washington: Isn’t there a history?

Yes. A visit to Selenskyj’s at the end of February ended in fiasco. After Trump and his Vice Jd Vance had caught him in front of the cameras, he left Washington prematurely. The Ukrainian was also faced with the accusation of lack of compromise willingness to struggle for peace in his country.

Last but not least, a focus was on Selenskyj’s outfit: as always, he appeared in the simple sweater – a symbol of his role as commander -in -chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, which was criticized on the US side as disrespect. After the scandal, there was an approximation again, but since then Selenskyj has not been in the White House.

Can Selenskyj prevent a scandal this time?

A significant difference to February: This time Selenskyj will not only travel to Washington with his Ukrainian delegation. It brings reinforcements from Europe. Your presence alone should change the dynamics of the meeting with Trump and cool down a possibly heated conversation atmosphere.

However, the course also depends on the appearance of Selenskyj – and whether he is ready for concessions. At the latest the Alaska summit showed that the US President in Putin, the head of a nuclear power, sees an equal person. The Ukrainian, on the other hand, coincides the position of the petitioner, which is dependent on the backing of the Americans.

Trump is likely to have limited patience with a Ukrainian interlocutor who wants to insist on maximum demands and wants to defeat Russia with western help. Selenskyj is facing a difficult balancing act: he has to stand up for the interests of Ukraine and at the same time Trump feel that his mediation efforts are taken seriously. If Selenskyj publicly waives areas, he risks his post in the country after the long loss of war.

What security guarantees could Ukraine be given?

Security guarantees for Ukraine – this is one of Kiev’s central demands and the Europeans for a post -war order. So far it is not clear what they should look like. But Trump and even Putin also spoke of such guarantees for Ukraine.

The Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni brought a variant of a collective security clause for Ukraine based on Article 5 NATO contract – but without the Ukraine becoming a member of NATO. Another possibility would be bilateral safety commitments of individual states.

It is important to the Europeans that the United States is included in the security guarantees. In their view, it is also central that they can upgrade and support the Ukrainian armed forces. Unilateral security commitments for Russia for Ukraine would not be enough for them. From the point of view of the West, Russia has gambled away any trust.

Why are Selenskyj and Europeans insist on a three-way summit?

For a long time, Selenskyj has been able to meet Putin in person – and in the presence of Trump – to talk about peace. The Kremlin boss keeps saying that he is ready. In advance, however, the basic features of conflict resolution – such as those of the regional waiver – should be in advance. Putin, however, does not reveal an interest in a meeting, always doubts about Selenskyj’s powers because the country does not prevent elections in the war. Selenskyj’s regular term of office expired last year, but his powers of power extended through war law.

For Germany and the Europeans, it was important from the start that no decisions about the heads of the Ukrainians may be made in peace negotiations.

And whether. Trump in the USA, which many Russians see as the main cause of the conflict, rolled out the red carpet and applauded him – and brought Putin back to the world stage after a long isolation. The greatest success for the Kremlin is Trump’s concession to talk about peace first – and then to achieve the ceasefire. This gives Putin time on the battlefield.

So Moscow strives for a peace agreement – with the elimination of the basic causes of the conflict, as the Kremlin sees it. For example, Russia demands that Ukraine waive NATO accession and the protection of the rights of the Russian-speaking population and an end to the ban of the Russian Orthodox Church.

The intended content of a possible peace agreement from a Russian perspective has long been known. According to this, Ukraine should withdraw from the Donetsk and Luhansk areas that have not previously been fully controlled by Moscow – in exchange for an end to the fight. Ukraine is also said to acknowledge the Black Sea Peninsula Crimean as Russian in 2014.