Trump’s admission that Putin may resist a Ukraine peace deal exposes the fragile reality behind diplomatic optimism following recent White House summits. The US president’s concession that “we’re going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks” reveals uncertainty underlying his negotiating prowess. This moment of diplomatic honesty marks a turning point where grand promises meet harsh geopolitical realities. Trump’s acknowledgment suggests his dealmaking reputation may prove insufficient against Russian territorial ambitions and intransigence.
Trump’s air support offer reveals the limits of American military commitment
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he had ruled out putting U.S. troops on the ground in Ukraine, but said the United States might provide air support as part of a deal to end Russia’s war in the country.
A day after Trump pledged security guarantees to help end the war at an extraordinary White House summit, the path to peace remained uncertain as the U.S. and allies prepared to work out what military support for Ukraine might include.
“When it comes to security, (Europeans) are willing to put people on the ground. We’re willing to help them with things, especially, probably … by air,” Trump said in an interview with the Fox News “Fox & Friends” program.
Trump conceded that Russian President Vladimir Putin might not want to make a deal after all, saying, “We’re going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks.”
Putin’s territorial demands create insurmountable obstacles to lasting peace agreements
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that U.S. air support was “an option and a possibility,” but, like Trump, she did not provide any details.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed the White House talks as a “major step forward” toward ending Europe’s deadliest conflict in 80 years and setting up a trilateral meeting with Putin and Trump.
Trump discussed Budapest as a venue for a summit involving Zelenskiy and Putin with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Tuesday, a White House official said.
Hungary is one of the few European places that Putin could visit without fear of arrest on International Criminal Court charges, as Orban maintains close ties with the Russian leader.
Expert analysis reveals Russia’s strategy to prolong the conflict indefinitely
“They are in the process of setting it up,” Trump told radio host Levin about a Putin/Zelenskiy meeting.
But Trump cast doubt on whether he would attend. “Now I think it would be better if they met without me. … If necessary, I’ll go,” he said.
Putin has shown no sign of backing down from demands for territory, including land not under Russia’s military control, following his summit with Trump on Friday in Alaska.
Neil Melvin, a director at the International Security at the Royal United Services Institute think-tank, said Russia could drag out the war while trying to deflect U.S. pressure with a protracted peace negotiation.
Melvin said both Ukraine and its European allies, on one side, and Russia on the other were striving “not to present themselves to Trump as the obstacle to his peace process.”
“They’re all tiptoeing around Trump” to avoid any blame, he said, adding that Trump’s statements on security guarantees were “so vague it’s very hard to take it seriously.”
Trump’s reliance on instinct over process in Ukraine negotiations reveals fundamental limitations when confronting adversaries with incompatible objectives and unlimited patience for prolonged conflict. His growing recognition that dealmaking reputation may prove insufficient against Russian intransigence suggests this war’s resolution requires more than charismatic diplomacy. As expert analysis exposes strategic flaws in his approach, the international community must prepare for indefinite conflict despite diplomatic theatrics. Putin’s territorial ambitions may simply be non-negotiable regardless of Trump’s self-proclaimed negotiating genius.
GCN.com/Reuters.