Catastrophic events unfold across Europe
In a dramatic shift from earlier this year, US President Donald Trump has moved from a position of accommodation towards Russian President Vladimir Putin in the ongoing Ukraine conflict, to a more pressured approach that demands a ceasefire with deadlines and the threat of new sanctions.
Early in 2025, Trump was willing to accept many Kremlin demands, including recognition of Russian control over occupied Ukrainian territories and ruling out Ukrainian NATO membership. However, this stance has hardened in recent months. Trump has begun to criticize Putin more openly and has even decided to arm Ukraine indirectly by selling US weapons to European allies.
This evolution in Trump's position was evident in his meetings with Putin, such as the Alaska summit in August 2025. Despite hosting Putin with a symbolic "red carpet" welcome, the summit ended without a deal on a ceasefire. Trump expressed the belief that Putin wants the war to end but set deadlines for Russia to commit to a ceasefire or face harsher sanctions. However, Putin has rejected direct talks with Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy—who was excluded from the Trump-Putin meeting—and continued military aggression, casting doubt on any near-term peace prospects.
Trump's meetings with Putin thus reflect an attempt to negotiate peace, but largely from a position of initial accommodation that has since hardened due to Russia’s ongoing aggression. Trump is no longer considered a leader of a value-guided Western world in the Ukraine conflict. He seems to agree with Putin that Ukraine must cede significant territories as a price for an end to the killing.
As Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky prepares for his second visit to Washington this year on Monday, accompanied by Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other heads of government, Trump's unsettling fascination with Putin remains a concern. Trump flirted with the idea of visiting Putin in Moscow during their meeting.
The risk of a dictated peace without real security is evident. The hard power play has begun in the Ukraine conflict, with Trump's evolving stance signalling a potential shift in the balance of power in the region.
[1] [News Source 1] [2] [News Source 2] [3] [News Source 3] [4] [News Source 4] [5] [News Source 5]
- The recent shift in President Trump's approach towards the ongoing Ukraine conflict marks a significant change in policy-and-legislation, moving from a position of accommodation towards Russian President Putin to a more pressured approach that demands a ceasefire with deadlines and the threat of new sanctions. [News Source 1]
- The evolution of Trump's stance on the Ukraine conflict, characterized by increasing criticism of Putin and the decision to sell US weapons to European allies, has transparently reflected the influence of war-and-conflicts and politics in his presidency. [News Source 2]
- The hard power play in the Ukraine conflict, as reflected in Trump's evolving stance, has brought crime-and-justice issues such as arms sales and potential sanctions to the forefront of general-news discussions. [News Source 3] [News Source 4] [News Source 5]
