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Locked in a circle: will the US be able to force the EU and Ukraine into a deal with Russia
Ukraine will not join NATO, a peace agreement is needed instead of a cease-fire, and territorial issues will be discussed at a trilateral meeting with Moscow. With such statements, the American president began a meeting with troops from the European "coalition of the willing", who came to Washington to support Vladimir Zelensky in negotiations with Donald Trump. Despite the fact that EU guests arrived at the White House hoping to convince the owner of the Oval Office to continue supporting Ukraine, the atmosphere of the recent summit of the presidents of the Russian Federation and the United States in Alaska should translate into concrete results, Grigory Karasin, head of the Federation Council's International Affairs Committee, told Izvestia. The United States and Russia have made significant progress in reaching a peace agreement, Donald Trump said earlier. Now it is Brussels and Kiev that have become the main obstacle to peace. Europe is already leading the way in military support for Ukraine, according to the Kiel Institute, and is ready to further increase its assistance. Meanwhile, Kiev continues to attempt terrorist attacks on the territory of the Russian Federation. About how the Ukrainian settlement process is progressing and how soon the Moscow–Washington–Kiev meeting can be expected, see the Izvestia article.
Trump's meeting with NATO leaders at the White House
The atmosphere of the summit of the presidents of Russia and the United States in Alaska should be continued in the form of concrete results, Grigory Karasin, head of the Federation Council's International Affairs Committee, told Izvestia.
— We have the right to expect these results from the upcoming meetings in Washington. Although there are few hopes that the European community and leaders like Friedrich Merz will calm down," Karasin told Izvestia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump during a meeting at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in Alaska.
Donald Trump is in a good mood for concrete agreements, while a group of members of the "coalition of the willing" arrived in the United States in order to restrain Zelensky from making decisions necessary for the world community, the politician concluded.
Earlier, the Republican announced on social networks about significant progress in dialogue with Russia and stressed that in order to resolve the conflict, Kiev should abandon joining NATO and transfer the territory occupied by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Donbass to the Russian Federation. According to Trump, the next step towards a peaceful settlement is the Russia—USA–Ukraine trilateral summit, which he intends to hold as soon as possible.
The US President held a meeting at the White House with Vladimir Zelensky and a group of European leaders who accompanied him: Head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the prime Ministers of Italy and Great Britain, the German Chancellor, the presidents of France, Finland and the Secretary General of NATO. The American leader said he would call the Russian president after the negotiations were over.
Answering questions from reporters, Trump stressed that Ukraine would not be a member of NATO, but the United States would provide it with "very good protection." At the same time, the US president said that a cease-fire in Ukraine is no longer required, a peace agreement is needed. The White House host added that he would later talk about the possibility of deploying US or EU troops in Ukraine.
— We will inform you about it, perhaps later today. We are also meeting with seven outstanding leaders of great countries and we will talk about it. They will all participate, but the help will be very, very big," Trump said.
US President Donald Trump at a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.
For his part, Vladimir Zelensky allowed elections to be held in Ukraine in the event of a cessation of hostilities and ensuring the safety of citizens.
Zelensky's "support team" came to Donald Trump with their terms for resolving the Ukrainian conflict, which they agreed on at a videoconference of the "coalition of the willing" on August 17. Already in Washington, Zelensky met with the US special Envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, and also spoke once again with his European allies.
In a joint statement, the leaders of Ukraine and the EU insist that a cease-fire must work first, and only then negotiations on a peace agreement will begin. They consider membership in NATO to be the best guarantee of Ukraine's security. At the same time, Zelensky said that territorial issues would be discussed at a trilateral meeting.
Moreover, the "coalition of the willing" has declared its readiness to deploy its troops in Ukraine after the start of the truce. However, there is a noticeable split between the allies on this issue. France is actively promoting the idea of sending a contingent, while Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni has consistently opposed it. Germany is not eager to send its military either: the deployment of the Bundeswehr in Ukraine will be too much of a burden for Berlin, German Foreign Minister Johann Vadefuhl said. The Russian authorities have repeatedly stressed that sending NATO troops to Ukraine would make the alliance a direct participant in the conflict.
Many European countries have built their policy on constructing the image of an enemy in the form of Russia, due to this they are trying to consolidate their own population and the European Union, political analyst Denis Denisov told Izvestia.
— If we look even at the electoral campaigns of recent years in a number of European countries, then Ukraine and Russia necessarily appeared in them, and the latter traditionally mainly in a sharply negative format. So the Europeans have driven themselves into a similar format of relations," the expert emphasized.
By the way, Donald Trump himself told the Europeans that he did not believe "in the threat of further aggression" by the Russian Federation against Ukraine. This means that its protection and support will be entrusted to the EU in the future.
Are Brussels and Kiev ready for peace
At the same time, even in European capitals they understand the need for concessions from Kiev. French President Emmanuel Macron said that Ukraine can recognize the fact of the loss of territories within the framework of a truce or a peace treaty. In addition, EU leaders are actively offering a venue for the Russia–USA–Ukraine trilateral summit, which Donald Trump, according to CNN, intends to hold on August 22. Giorgio Meloni suggested Rome as a venue, Macron suggested Geneva. According to Sky News, Budapest and Helsinki are also being considered among the potential locations.
The EU is gradually increasing its role in military assistance to Ukraine. For the first time since February 2022, European countries overtook the United States in spending on arms purchases for Kiev, spending €35.1 billion, while Washington spent €30.7 billion, according to data from the Kiel Institute of World Economy. According to the Italian newspaper ilSole24, a significant part of the supplied weapons no longer come from stocks, but are purchased directly from the EU defense industry.
Ukraine itself does not stop trying to commit sabotage during the negotiation process. For example, on August 18, the FSB announced that it had stopped the terrorist attack on the Crimean Bridge, which was being prepared by the Ukrainian special services. A Chevrolet Volt car with a powerful improvised explosive device was found and neutralized. The Ukrainian Armed Forces also tried to launch a drone strike at the Smolensk NPP, but it was intercepted. Earlier, Russian special services prevented an assassination attempt on a high-ranking military officer.
The draft budget for 2026 does not indicate Ukraine's readiness for peace. Kiev plans to spend $120 billion on defense, with half of the amount going to local producers, Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko said. The Ministry of Finance of Ukraine estimated the need for external financing at $45 billion, but these funds have not yet been found.
When is the next meeting of the Presidents of the Russian Federation and the United States possible?
The summit of the Presidents of Russia and the United States in Alaska on August 15 was a turning point in the process of the Ukrainian settlement. Previously, only Moscow insisted on concluding a peace agreement and resolving the root causes of the conflict, and now the United States is taking the same position. According to Ivan Loshkarev, Associate Professor of the MGIMO Department of Political Theory at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Washington's change of position is a consequence of mutual concessions by the parties. In particular, the Russian Federation agreed that Ukraine should receive security guarantees from the West.
— The American side also made a concession and agreed that there is no need to force a truce. Moreover, such attempts took place in March and April, and they were not very successful. Instead, it was decided to proceed immediately to a peace agreement in which all the parameters will be fixed. If a truce is a temporary format of agreement, where you can then abandon something, then you can't do that here. It is also more beneficial for Americans," the expert believes.
Putin and Trump achieved an "epic success" at the Anchorage meeting, with the results exceeding all expectations, Steve Witkoff said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also stressed the importance of a personal meeting between the two presidents. Now Moscow and Washington are busy informing their partners. In particular, Vladimir Putin held telephone talks with the presidents of Brazil, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, South Africa, as well as with the Prime Minister of India.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump during small-format talks in Alaska
During the Alaska summit, the presidents of the Russian Federation and the United States announced the possibility of a second meeting. Vladimir Putin suggested Moscow as a venue, and Donald Trump noted that this was a possible option. The main conditions for a new meeting of the leaders are likely to be an understanding of the concessions that Kiev will make and the mechanisms for implementing peace agreements, Loshkarev believes.
— If Ukraine undertakes to repeal discriminatory laws against the Russian language, then formally it will have to be done in the Verkhovna Rada, and the Ukrainian leadership can always say that the parliament does not agree. In the past years, the Ukrainian side has repeatedly done this, using the features of the constitutional order," the political scientist emphasized.
Achieving lasting peace agreements on Ukraine now largely depends on the position of the EU and Ukraine. While the administration of Donald Trump is making significant efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, the EU and Ukraine are actually trying to prevent it.
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