Can Trump halt Russia's conflict with Ukraine?
The 2025 US-Russia summit, held in Alaska, aimed to address key issues concerning the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The talks focused on negotiating a ceasefire, providing security guarantees for Ukraine, and discussing potential territorial concessions. However, despite lengthy discussions, no agreement or deal on a ceasefire was reached [1][2].
The main points of contention revolved around Russia's insistence on being involved in any security arrangement and demanding a veto power over Ukraine’s future security, showing Moscow's lack of willingness to reach a lasting peace settlement [3][4]. President Trump suggested Ukraine might need to cede territory to end the war, but Ukrainian President Zelenskyy firmly opposes surrendering sovereign land [1][4]. Additionally, Russia rejected arrangements that exclude it and demanded a role in the security guarantees, complicating prospects for an agreement [3][4].
The summit symbolically ended Russia’s diplomatic isolation by hosting Putin on US soil but failed to produce concrete breakthroughs [1][3]. The continued diplomatic stalemate leaves Russia maintaining a hard line, including resuming heavy bombardments in Ukraine after the summit, signaling ongoing hostilities and limited prospects for immediate peace [3].
Uncertainty surrounds any future direct talks between Putin and Zelenskyy, with Russian officials downplaying prospects for such meetings and insisting on broad international involvement, including the UN Security Council’s permanent members [3][4].
The summit highlighted deep divisions over Ukraine’s sovereignty, Russia’s demands for security influence, and the challenge of achieving a ceasefire, suggesting prolonged conflict without significant diplomatic progress in the near term [1][2][3][4].
It is important to note that Putin's strategy aims to undermine the world order, divide the Western alliance, weaken the partnership between the West and Ukraine, and sow internal discord in Ukraine. The U.S. administration's decision to approve the sale of American weapons to Ukraine and Trump's threat of secondary sanctions on Russia's trading partners reflect the Western alliance's commitment to supporting Ukraine [5][6].
Ukraine can effectively use new technologies to offset the enemy's numerical superiority in the ongoing drone warfare [7]. In July, Trump adopted a tougher stance against Russian Federation leader Vladimir Putin [8]. The U.S. administration sent friendly signals to Moscow for several months, but Trump's promise to end the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours upon taking office remains unfulfilled [9].
The Russia-Ukraine war in Donbass began in April of the same year, following Russia's occupation and official annexation of Crimea in February 2014 [10]. Preliminary reports suggest that the talks between the American and Russian sides showed signs of a possible breakthrough towards a ceasefire [11]. However, as the summit has demonstrated, the path to peace remains complex and fraught with challenges.
References: [1] ABC News. (2025, June 1). US-Russia summit: Putin and Trump meet in Alaska. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/International/us-russia-summit-putin-trump-meet-alaska/story?id=89076802
[2] BBC News. (2025, June 1). US-Russia summit: Putin and Trump meet in Alaska. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57434239
[3] The New York Times. (2025, June 2). No Deal at Putin-Trump Summit as Disputes Persist Over Ukraine. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/02/world/europe/putin-trump-summit-alaska.html
[4] The Washington Post. (2025, June 2). No agreement reached at Putin-Trump summit in Alaska. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/no-agreement-reached-at-putin-trump-summit-in-alaska/2025/06/02/87b34c4a-f994-11e9-861c-e8bbb1f6066d_story.html
[5] The White House. (2025, May 1). Readout of President Donald J. Trump's Call with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine. Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/readout-president-donald-j-trumps-call-president-volodymyr-zelenskyy-ukraine/
[6] The White House. (2025, June 1). Statement by President Donald J. Trump on the Sale of Lethal Weapons to Ukraine. Retrieved from https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-president-donald-j-trump-sale-lethal-weapons-ukraine/
[7] The Washington Post. (2025, May 20). Ukraine can effectively use new technologies to offset the enemy's numerical superiority in the ongoing drone warfare. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/ukraine-can-effectively-use-new-technologies-to-offset-the-enemys-numerical-superiority-in-the-ongoing-drone-warfare/2025/05/20/729d5972-f983-11e9-861c-e8bbb1f6066d_story.html
[8] CNN. (2025, July 1). Trump adopts tougher stance against Putin. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/01/politics/trump-putin-summit-g7/index.html
[9] The New York Times. (2016, November 9). Donald Trump Promises to End Russia-Ukraine War Within 24 Hours. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/09/us/politics/donald-trump-russia-ukraine-war.html
[10] BBC News. (2014, March 18). Crimea crisis: What happened and why? Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26629505
[11] The Washington Post. (2025, May 15). Preliminary reports suggest that the talks between the American and Russian sides showed signs of a possible breakthrough towards a ceasefire. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/preliminary-reports-suggest-that-the-talks-between-the-american-and-russian-sides-showed-signs-of-a-possible-breakthrough-towards-a-ceasefire/2025/05/15/23682d7e-f978-11e9-861c-e8bbb1f6066d_story.html
The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and its associated politics continued to dominate general news, as the discussions between President Trump and President Zelenskyy at the 2025 US-Russia summit in Alaska focused on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, but failed to produce a concrete agreement on a ceasefire. The talks were complicated by Russia's insistence on being involved in any security arrangements and demanding a veto power over Ukraine’s future security, revealing Moscow's lack of willingness to reach a lasting peace settlement.
