Europe faces another geopolitical defeat

A diplomatic tsunami has been unleashed around the war in Ukraine. However, it is not yet entirely clear whether and under what conditions it will lead to its end. The breakthrough is the personal meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which is scheduled to take place on Friday in Alaska.

The path to it was opened by Wednesday's three-hour meeting between Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin in the Kremlin. After it, Putin's adviser Yuri Ushakov said that Trump had sent some proposals regarding Ukraine and that the Kremlin considered them quite acceptable.

On Friday, Trump told reporters in Washington that the agreement would include a "territorial exchange" between Ukraine and Russia. "We'll get something for it," Trump said without further details, adding that the exchange would benefit both sides.

However, according to Bloomberg, Russia's territorial gains in eastern Ukraine, especially in Donbas, are to be confirmed. Moscow also wants to keep Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.

The White House has apparently informed Kiev and its European allies about this. They are not entirely happy with such a scenario, as evidenced by statements issued by leading European statesmen on the night of Saturday to Sunday. But will Washington take it into account?
The Washington Post reported that the Alaskan summit could bring Putin and Trump together and force the American leader to put pressure on Ukraine and Europe, which already refused to recognize the territories occupied by Russia and lift sanctions against Moscow in April. It also quotes an unnamed senior EU official as saying that, despite all the fuss, Trump is not putting any pressure on Putin at all.
In this context, it is worth recalling the words of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

He already stated in March that Ukraine is a proxy war between nuclear powers, the United States and Russia, which must end.
The very fact of the meeting in Alaska is bad news for Ukraine and Europe. Trump is allowing Putin to break through diplomatic isolation in the West. The meeting will also be reminiscent of the famous Soviet-American summits during the Cold War, where the fate of the world was decided.

Trump's sanctions ultimatum against Russia and the countries that buy its oil is no longer being discussed. Perhaps because China and India have made it clear that they will not bow to American pressure.

Europe is thus facing the threat of another geopolitical defeat after Trump pushed it to the wall with his tariff offensive. It must also take into account the fact that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has lost public support after he tried to dismantle anti-corruption agencies despite European reservations. At the same time, 69 percent of Ukrainians want the war to end as soon as possible, according to the latest Gallup poll.

Paradoxically, Zelensky may need some kind of peace agreement, even though he will have reservations about its form.

Miloš Balabán, Právo Daily