Friday's Russia/U.S. "Feel-Out Meeting" in Alaska

"[Putin] is  trying to apply pressure ... on all sectors of the Ukrainian front [attempting to demonstrate that Russia is] capable of occupying all of Ukraine. [He] is bluffing [ahead of the meeting planned with Trump]."

"[He is also bluffing on sanctions] as if they do not matter to him and are ineffective. In reality, sanctions are very helpful and are hitting Russia's war economy hard. "

"[There is] currently no sign that the Russians are preparing to end the war. Pressure must be applied on Russia for an honest peace."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

 

"[The virtual meeting with Trump was] constructive [and] important decisions [could be made in Anchorage, but] fundamental European and Ukrainian security interests must be protected [at the summit]."

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz 

 

"[The Trump administration is making] quite energetic and sincere efforts to stop the fighting, stop the crisis and reach agreements that are of interest to all parties involved in this conflict."

"[Those efforts are intended] to create long-term conditions of peace between our countries and in Europe, and in the world as a whole."

Russian President Vladimir Putin

 

"We’re going to see what happens with our meeting. We have a big meeting. It’s going to be, I think, very important for Russia, and it’s going to be very important for us."

"[The earth minerals are] very unimportant [compared to] trying to save lives."

U.S. President Donald Trump

 

"For the second month in a row, the number of civilian casualties in Ukraine hits a new three-year high."

"Only the first three months after the Russian Federation launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine saw more killed and injured than in this past month."

Danielle Bell, head, U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) 

 

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have not met in person for six years (file picture)   Getty Images

 

 During the virtual meeting held Wednesday with European leaders convened by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.S. President Donald Trump was "very clear" that the U.S. plans to achieve a ceasefire at the Friday scheduled U.S.-Russia Summit scheduled for Alaska. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy at that same meeting informed the group that Russian President Putin "is bluffing" ahead of the meeting with Trump.

He may be bluffing with Trump to reassure the American president that what he really wants is just what Trump wants; a ceasefire and a peace agreement with a cessation of conflict. That bluff includes Putin's determined plans to carry on the conflict despite his assurances to Trump, to advantage Russia with more victories on the battlefield, creeping closer to taking military possession of more Ukrainian land.

Kremlin officials slated to accompany Putin to the Friday summit in Alaska have not been shy in reiterating Putin's intractability on his conflict goals. The war, they reiterate, will end only once Russia has gained full sovereignty over those regions in Ukraine it now partially occupies -- Donetsk and Luhansk -- known more familiarly as the Donbas, along with Kherson and Zaporizhzhia -- along with a pledge by Kyiv for demilitarization, and that Ukraine not join the NATO military alliance of Western nations.

"We will not withdraw from the Donbas. We cannot do that."

"Everyone forgets the first part: our territories are illegally occupied."

"For the Russians, the Donbas is a bridgehead for a future new offensive [that would] pave the way [for further conflict on Ukrainian soil if he surrendered the region]."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy  

As a follow-up to the video conference between Trump, Zelenskyy and the other European leaders, French President Emmanuel Macron observed that Trump was prioritizing a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia; Trump had been clear that "territorial issues relating to Ukraine" ... will only be negotiated by the Ukrainian president.

 

Once the Friday meeting concludes, President Trump  plans to "seek a future trilateral meeting" with Putin and Zelenskyy -- "I think that's a very important point in this regard, and we hope that it can be held in Europe, in a neutral country that is acceptable to all parties", Macron concluded. Countries involved in the "coalition of the willing", who are prepared to help police a subsequent future peace agreement between Moscow and Kyiv, were expected to join a call for further discussion.

 

Zelenskyy  revealed that his government has conducted numerous conversations with partners prior to the Alaska summit, revealing his doubt that Putin would negotiate in good faith. Trump spoke of his intention to determine whether Putin is serious about ending the conflict now approaching its fourth year; that Friday's summit is a "feel-out meeting" to enable him to assess Mr. Putin's intentions. Allies in Europe are dismayed with Trump's conclusion that Ukraine must concede some of the territory held by Russia. 

 

Trump and Zelensky at the White House in February. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

 

When repeatedly asked directly about Ukrainian concessions and their potential to encourage President Putin to the belief there will be no consequences to his invasion of Ukraine, President Trump leaves no room to hope that Russia will not  be rewarded for its aggression that has impacted both Russia and Ukraine with a horrendous death and injury toll among the combatants. Mr. Trump avoided saying he would have Zelenskyy participate in discussions with Putin. 

 

Putin, the European leaders are concerned, may attempt to use Russia's energy resources to intimidate the European Union for favourable concessions while setting peace agreement outlines without their participation, fearing that the Russian president will not hesitate to set his sights on one or more of their countries, should there be no punitive consequences linked to his invasion of Ukraine. 

 

According to President Zelenskyy, his territorial adversary wants Ukraine to withdraw from the 30 percent of the Donetsk region still controlled by Ukraine, as part of a ceasefire agreement -- a proposal the Ukrainian president has long since categorically turned down as voluntarily unfeasible as a reward for the unbridled aggression that Russian forces have displayed in constantly targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.