Moscow’s Reaction to the Meeting
US President Donald Trump, in an interview with Fox News, said that the conversation with Putin was good. Russia also responded. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that both leaders did not answer journalists’ questions because they had already given detailed statements. Peskov also said that the conversation between the two leaders would help them move forward in finding ceasefire options.Ending the War: A Difficult Task
US President Donald Trump said that both Putin and Zelenskyy want him involved in the peace talks for Ukraine. “I will be there. That’s what they both want,” he said. He added that he thought ending the war between Russia and Ukraine would be the easiest, but it is proving to be the most difficult.Previous Meetings Between Trump and Putin
Trump and Putin’s first meeting took place on 7 July 2017 in Hamburg, Germany, during the G20 meeting. Their second meeting was on 10 November 2017 in Vietnam at the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) meeting. The third meeting between the two leaders was on 16 July 2018 in Helsinki, Finland. Trump and Putin’s fourth meeting took place on 30 November 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, during the G20 summit. Their fifth meeting was on 28 June 2019 at the G20 meeting in Osaka, Japan.Trump’s Overconfidence
Meanwhile, the New York Times, in its report on the Trump-Putin meeting, stated that President Trump has excessive confidence in his negotiating abilities. According to the newspaper, the summit was merely a listening exercise. The newspaper criticised Trump, stating that he considers himself a peacemaker, linked to his often-expressed desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize. He attempted to take credit for minor military skirmishes but failed to deliver on claims of stopping the Russia-Ukrainian war and ending the Hamas-Israel conflict. However, he played a significant role in the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.NATO at Stake
This summit could negatively impact NATO. Analysts believe that this summit will give Putin more time to attempt another attack in a few months or years, using the gained territory as a launchpad to advance towards Kyiv, potentially resulting in a complete Russian occupation of Ukraine. Experts say that to prevent this, European nations and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy are continuously demanding security guarantees and pressing for arms supplies from the US. They also want Trump not to make any concessions to Russia regarding NATO deployment in Eastern Europe.
