After weeks of sparring in the press and on social media, President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin may meet Friday in Alaska. If they do, and especially if the meeting also includes Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky, it’s sure to be quite a spectacle.
A meeting between Trump and Putin could mark a breakthrough in long-stalled efforts to resolve the war in Ukraine. Nevertheless, while there are reports of an outline of a workable deal to end the fighting, barriers remain to ending the conflict in a single day. Trump may hope that he can reach a grand bargain with Putin, but his immediate goal—peace in Ukraine—will be best served if he sets realistic expectations for the meeting. If he comes away having forged a real plan for meaningful negotiations between Kiev, Moscow and Washington, his diplomacy will have been a success. To do so, Trump will have to resist spoilers, avoid temptations to chase quick but meaningless wins, and stay focused on what is required to advance peace in Ukraine.
A Trump–Putin summit held in the near future would come at a critical moment in the war. Russia now has an undeniable military edge. It benefits from a 3–1 manpower advantage over Ukraine and can produce two to three times as much ammunition per year as all of NATO combined.
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Events on Ukraine-Russia
