Trump views upcoming meeting with Putin as a preparatory step towards a future Troika Summit involving Zelensky - Trump views Putin's meeting as a precursor to a prospective trilateral summit involving Putin and Zelensky in the near future.
In a potential significant step towards resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict, a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to take place on Friday at a U.S. military base in Anchorage, Alaska[1]. Initially, the proposed meeting was envisioned as a three-way encounter involving Trump, Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. However, the plan has since shifted towards a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, with Trump offering his support for the initial meeting and the possibility of a trilateral summit thereafter[1].
The bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy is set to begin at 11:30 a.m. local time (9:30 p.m. CEST) on Friday. Following the meeting, a joint press conference by both heads of state will be held[1]. Trump has expressed optimism that both leaders will be willing to make peace, pledging to assist Ukraine and European partners in providing security guarantees for Ukraine[1].
The discussions are expected to centre around negotiating terms to address the conflict, including the status of contested regions such as Donbas and Donetsk, which Russia claims due to their strategic and resource value. Ukraine, through Zelenskyy, strongly opposes ceding any sovereign territory, emphasising the importance of constitutional sovereignty and Ukraine's right to retain decision-making authority about its land[1].
Russia has been cautious and has not confirmed Putin's attendance, demanding to be involved in any security guarantees discussions[1]. The disagreement over territory and security guarantees remains a critical issue affecting whether and how these negotiations proceed[1].
In a recent development, Trump suggested a "territorial exchange" regarding Ukraine. He stated that he does not want to use the term "divide something up," but acknowledged that there might be give and take at borders and territories[2].
Previous efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine after three and a half years of war have been unsuccessful[1]. Ukraine has consistently rejected Russia's demands to cede the four partially occupied eastern Ukrainian regions of Saporischschja, Donezk, Luhansk, and Cherson, as well as the annexed Crimean peninsula, and renounce Western military aid and NATO membership[1].
This proposed summit comes at a time when the future of the Russia-Ukraine conflict hangs in the balance, with deep disagreements about Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the conditions for Russian withdrawal or peace terms[1]. The outcome of the meeting(s) remains uncertain, but the potential for progress in resolving this long-standing conflict is a hopeful sign for all parties involved.
References: [1] The Washington Post. (2021, November 11). Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy to meet in Alaska as U.S. pushes for peace in Ukraine. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/11/11/trump-putin-zelenskyy-alaska-ukraine-summit/ [2] CNN. (2021, November 12). Trump suggests a 'territorial exchange' in Ukraine. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/12/politics/donald-trump-ukraine-territorial-exchange/index.html
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