Trump’s Ukraine peace plan collapses as Putin rejects key terms
U.S. President Donald Trump’s hopes for a summit with the
Russian dictator and Ukraine’s president to broker a peace deal, along with his
backup plan for a direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, have collapsed, The
Wall Street Journal reported on Aug. 22 after four days of stalled
negotiations.
“Recent optimism has faded, and Trump is searching for new
answers,” WSJ wrote.
On Monday, Trump had boasted about the quick conclusion of a
peace deal. By Thursday, he declared that Kyiv had no chance of winning the war
without stepping up attacks on Russia.
“It’s like a great sports team with a fantastic defense but
no offense,” Trump posted on Truth
Social, adding, “Interesting times ahead.”
This shift, WSJ noted, underscored the fading optimism
surrounding Trump’s latest push to end the war.
Negotiators are still discussing the potential makeup of
peacekeeping forces that, in the event of a deal, would prevent Moscow from
launching a new invasion. However, the Kremlin swiftly rejected the idea.
WSJ reported that Trump continues to face the same uncertainty
that has dogged him for seven months — how far he’s willing to push Putin, and
how much support he’s prepared to offer Zelenskyy.
Trump’s Truth Social post likely acknowledged that peace is
no closer. The post may also have been an attempt to nudge Ukraine toward
intensifying its military operations.
One reason for the lack of diplomatic breakthrough, analysts
say, lies in the stark contrast between the negotiation styles of the U.S.
president and the Russian dictator. Former aides told WSJ that Trump prefers
improvisation and leans heavily on personal relationships. Putin, by contrast,
is methodical and unsentimental — a long-game strategist who hopes his forces
can gain ground while talks drag on.
Trump’s statement on social media could be an attempt to
regain leverage as diplomacy stalls, analysts told WSJ.
Former U.S. ambassador to Russia and NATO Alexander Vershbow
said the message shows Trump understands that “pressure on Russia is the most
glaring weakness of his so-called strategy.”
Still, members of Trump’s administration remain hopeful for
a swift deal. But several former senior officials are skeptical that a
comprehensive settlement is realistic.
Kurt Volker, former U.S. special envoy for Ukraine, said the
peace process is “no further along than it was six months ago.”
“There won’t be a deal. Putin will never agree,” he added.
What we know about the potential Zelenskyy–Putin meeting
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin confirmed his willingness to
meet with Zelenskyy during a phone call with Trump on Aug. 18, according to
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Merz added the meeting is expected to take place within the
next two weeks.
French President Emmanuel Macron proposed holding the peace
talks in Geneva, which he suggested could serve as a neutral venue for the
summit.
On Aug. 19, Trump told reporters that Zelenskyy and Putin
“need to meet one-on-one” before a trilateral summit between the leaders of
Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia can take place.
During a press briefing on Aug. 20, Zelenskyy said that a
ceasefire with Russia could be a major outcome of a potential meeting with
Putin and would be a prerequisite for further negotiations.
“We’ll enter a bilateral format, and then the trilateral one
(with Trump),” he said. “I believe that without agreements in the bilateral
format and without some form of ceasefire, a trilateral meeting is nearly
impossible.”
On Aug. 21, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused
Ukraine and the so-called Coalition of the Willing of blocking progress in the
peace talks.
Lavrov also repeated propaganda claims questioning
Zelenskyy’s legitimacy as Ukraine’s representative in any deal, saying that
“the issue of the Ukrainian representative’s legitimacy will need to be
resolved.”
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
