Zelensky and European leaders caution Trump about embarking on a solo course
In a highly anticipated meeting, President Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump met in Alaska on Friday, marking the first personal encounter between an incumbent US president and Putin in four years. However, the summit ended without a peace agreement for Ukraine, leaving the future of the conflict uncertain.
Putin's demands and offers regarding Ukraine, as reflected in the meeting, appear minimal in terms of substantive concessions towards peace. Putin maintains a maximalist stance, avoiding significant peace proposals or ceasefire offers, while focusing on avoiding severe consequences from the US for continuing the war in Ukraine. His approach suggests he is pushing for business and economic engagements with the US but without compromising Russia’s military objectives in Ukraine.
Trump, on the other hand, has been pressuring for peace, with a hard deadline initially set for a ceasefire that Putin ignored, leading instead to a high-level meeting in Alaska. Trump remains optimistic about eventually achieving peace but acknowledged that progress was not made in this recent summit and suggested the meeting "did not ... get there on the big issue—peace in Ukraine." Trump has also threatened "severe consequences" should Russia refuse peace steps but did not specify these measures.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ruled out territorial concessions to Russia and demanded to be included in negotiations on the future of Ukraine. Zelenskyy warned Trump that Putin may be “bluffing” about his willingness to negotiate peace and emphasized Ukraine’s demand that Kyiv must decide any territorial arrangements, along with binding security guarantees.
There are fears that both Trump and Putin could push for territorial concessions from Ukraine to Russia during their meeting. The Ukrainian army would have to cede several thousand square kilometers of territory and strategically important cities if this offer is accepted. However, Putin has reportedly offered to cease hostilities in Eastern Ukraine in exchange for control over the entire Donetsk and Luhansk regions, among other demands.
European diplomats believe Putin may agree to a ceasefire that freezes current frontlines, including in the southern Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. However, Zelensky stated that Russia's conquest of the regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, as well as the complete territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, and Crimea, would not be tolerated. Meaningful negotiations are only possible "within the framework of a ceasefire or a reduction in hostilities," according to the Europeans.
The current frontline can only be "the starting point for negotiations," as reiterated by the Europeans. Ukraine needs robust and credible security guarantees, as stated by the Ukrainian leadership. Trump holds significant leverage over Ukraine, as US intelligence is virtually irreplaceable for Ukrainian defenders. However, the question of Ukraine's potential future NATO membership and the role of the US in future security guarantees remains unclear.
The August 2025 meeting ended without a peace agreement, and Putin is seen as having achieved a tactical victory by avoiding serious consequences while continuing his war effort. Any further concessions remain speculative and contingent on ongoing diplomatic exchanges among the US, Russia, Ukraine, and European allies. The uncertainty surrounding the future of Ukraine and the ongoing conflict raises concerns about the potential for further escalation and the need for international diplomatic efforts to achieve a lasting peace.
[1] CNN, "Trump-Putin meeting ends without breakthrough on Ukraine," August 2025. [2] The Guardian, "Trump and Putin meet in Alaska, but no breakthrough on Ukraine," August 2025.
Politics and war-and-conflicts remain at the forefront of general news, as the August 2025 meeting between President Putin and Donald Trump ended without a peace agreement for Ukraine. Despite Trump's optimism for peace and pressure on Putin for significant concessions, Putin maintains a maximalist stance, Avoiding severe consequences from the US for continuing the war in Ukraine while pushing for business engagements.
