"It's time for the West to return Russia to world politics and economics"
European leaders will try to convince Trump not to make a deal with Russia, Peter Kuznik, director of the Institute for Nuclear Research at the American University in Washington, said in an interview with Izvestia. The EU does not want a meeting between the leaders of the Russian Federation and the United States and intends to continue the war, which will weaken Russia. However, the expert believes that the Alaska meeting is the best opportunity to make progress in resolving the Ukrainian crisis since the first Istanbul talks in 2022. The meeting may also give an impetus to the development of economic relations between Moscow and Washington: these may include projects on rare earth metals and a tunnel through the Bering Strait. About why the meeting of the two leaders will take place right now, and what may happen after — in an exclusive interview with Peter Kuznik to Izvestia.
"This may mean the beginning of economic cooperation between the United States and Russia"
— How actively is the future meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump being discussed in American society? Are there high expectations from the outcome of the negotiations?
— Of course, this is widely discussed in the media. This is one of the main topics. I'm not sure that ordinary Americans are following this closely, but public opinion leaders are for sure, because this is a potential breakthrough. However, they are concerned that this will harm Ukraine and, consequently, Trump's position on this issue.
— A potential meeting has been discussed practically since the first days of Trump's stay in the White House. Why is it possible now?
— First, Trump has set a deadline for Russia to impose secondary sanctions [against its trading partners]. This could have a greater impact on Russia than restrictions directly against it, because it should have led to sanctions against India and China, two major oil markets for the Russian Federation. In addition, it would damage the strategic positions of the United States in relation to these countries, which is bad for the economy and foreign policy of the States. Third, Trump is facing internal political challenges. He wants to change the narrative.
One of the [internal] problems is with Epstein's files. Trump promised to make them public, but he never did (in July 2025, it became known that Trump's name appeared in the investigative materials in the Jeffrey Epstein case. — Ed.). But this has been an important theme of his own narrative for many years, that some kind of gang of pedophiles is running the country.
In addition, Trump is facing problems in the economy. He received a terrible employment report (the second quarter of 2025 turned out to be the worst since 2010, not counting the pandemic. — Ed.). And what did he do? He fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Even then, everyone thought that he had "floated." Then he began threatening Russia with the redeployment of two nuclear submarines. He seemed to be on the verge of breaking down. And so he wanted to change the general rhetoric again, and he's good at it.
— Why was Alaska chosen as the meeting place?
— First of all, Alaska represents an exchange of lands, which, according to Trump, will take place between Russia and Ukraine (in 1867, Russia sold Alaska to the United States for $7.2 million — Ed.). The second is Putin's first such visit to America in the last 18 years (In July 2007, an informal meeting was held at the Bush family estate. — Ed.). In other words, he is coming to American soil, which is already changing the negative global rhetoric.
Thirdly, it may mean the beginning of economic cooperation between the United States and Russia. The Arctic contains a large number of rare earth minerals. We could organize a joint project to develop them. They also discussed the tunnel through the Bering Strait, which is being discussed both here and in Russia. This is a major high-speed railway project connecting Eurasia and the United States. This is a very important step in improving relations and possibly ending the war.
"They only care about the weakening of Russia"
— Some European leaders are aggressive towards Russia and the dialogue between Russia and the United States. Can the EU influence future negotiations between Trump and Putin?
— Most people do not directly condemn Trump for meeting with Putin. However, the European Union is doing this for show, so as not to be completely on the other side of the Trump administration. That's why they said they welcome this meeting. But they don't mean it, they hate the very fact of what is happening.
I know from Trump's insiders that he usually listens to the most unsuitable interlocutors. He doesn't have a deep understanding of history, strategy, and is very easily influenced. And everyone knows how to influence him. He is so shallow and transparent that if you stimulate his ego by calling him a great statesman and negotiator, you can really influence him.
And Brussels is trying to sabotage this meeting. When they talk about a coalition of willing people, for me it means that they are ready to fight to the last Ukrainian. They don't care how many Ukrainians die. They only care about the weakening of Russia. This has been their goal since the beginning of the military conflict.
And one of the false narratives is that if Ukraine gets enough support, it will be able to retake territory. That's not going to happen. Ukraine will only become weaker, and Russia will have more territory.
There has just been a big article in The New York Times about Russia's rapid progress on the battlefield. And this will allow it to take a stronger position militarily. It is time for the West to stop imposing sanctions, return Russia to world politics and the economy, and deprive it of its pariah status. And this makes the upcoming meeting very significant. But the EU does not want to see this. The EU wants the war to continue. They want to continue to supply weapons and support Ukraine. If the United States does not support it with weapons and intelligence, Ukraine will be in an even weaker position, because the Europeans are not very capable of providing such support.
Another lie is that if Putin wins the Ukrainian conflict, Russia will start absorbing one piece of Europe after another. It's so stupid and irrational. Do they really want a war with NATO? Putin is not going to attack the rest of Europe, which is why they are wasting so much money on strengthening their armed forces. Why don't they talk about diplomacy?
— Could the disagreements between Washington and Brussels worsen?
— Trump criticized NATO a lot, especially during his first term. He seems to have softened his position a bit, because the Europeans are already spending a lot of money and cutting a lot of social programs to fulfill his demand to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP.
I know what happened in the 1980s, how much Russia spent on its armed forces to keep up with the United States, and what terrible consequences it led to. And now we see it all over the world. No one benefits from spending so much on their armed forces.
This could really strengthen the split between the US and the EU. I mean, there are arsonists who seek to unleash a nuclear war. As intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard said a couple of days before the Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities began, today the world is closer to nuclear annihilation than ever. I used to like Tulsi more than I do now because she grovels before Trump, but she's right about that. There are many short-sighted people, including US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. He said that we must end the war in Ukraine in order to deal with the real enemy, China. This kind of thinking is very dangerous and destructive.
"The current actions were provoked by the stupid diplomacy of the West"
— There have been various leaks in the press about what Trump might offer Putin. Among them is the recognition of Russian sovereignty over four new regions of the Russian Federation. Is it possible to reach an agreement on this issue?
— I don't think the West officially recognizes all this. First of all, Zelensky has just stated that there should be no negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine. What we really need — and Putin is constantly talking about it — is a settlement that addresses the causes of the crisis.
Firstly, it benefits everyone. Both Ukraine and Russia have lost many people killed and wounded, so a cessation of hostilities in itself would be a positive factor. But we need a settlement that recognizes the long-term security interests of all.: Russia, Ukraine, Europe, all of them. Therefore, Ukraine should be a part of this settlement. But they will have to come to terms with the reality on the battlefield. Russia controls 20% of the Ukrainian territory.
And Ukraine could have prevented a lot of this on its own, but refused to recognize the Minsk agreements, the Istanbul agreements. The United States, Great Britain, and NATO encouraged them not to make any compromises. Now they will have to compromise. They could have maintained their territorial integrity, but now it will be too late.
I have never supported the idea that Russia should invade Ukraine, but I support the idea that the current actions were provoked by the foolish diplomacy of the West, which felt triumphant after the collapse of the Soviet Union. And they thought they could defeat Russia. And now they've created this nightmare. And I hope it ends for everyone's benefit.
— What agreements will the parties be able to reach? Can Trump offer a deal, as he has been doing lately?
— Yes, he likes to make economic deals. And that would be nice for now. I am cautiously optimistic about what may happen. But I know that Zelensky will scream and kick.
And on Wednesday, there will also be an online meeting organized by the German Chancellor. Merz is generally a warmonger. I hate to see Germany building up its armed forces again and threatening Russia. They will put a lot of pressure on Trump. But I think there's a chance. And now is the best opportunity since the Istanbul meeting to make progress. But with Trump, you can't predict anything with certainty.
But look at the people around him, they're all hawks. Basically, these are people who want to defeat Russia and support Ukraine. The media in the United States speaks with one voice, and it is anti-Russian. There is a lot of pressure on Trump, especially after that meeting with Zelensky in the Oval Office. Since then, he has backed down and started criticizing Putin and Russia. Now the press is putting pressure on Trump not to make a deal that is beneficial to Russia. Then everything will continue on the battlefield, but it will get worse and more people will die.
— Can we expect a trilateral meeting with Putin, Trump and Zelensky?
— Putin suggested that Trump hold the next meeting in Russia (this was stated by Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov. — Ed.). I think if Zelensky gets involved, it should happen elsewhere, perhaps in the Middle East. Eventually, it has to happen. And if it's not with Zelensky, then with some other Ukrainian leader.
But I can't imagine that in Alaska. There is a lot of speculation and pressure on Trump in the United States to invite Zelensky. At the moment, that would be stupid, because Zelensky doesn't want to negotiate right now. Therefore, I hope that Trump and Putin will determine some common parameters that will allow Putin and Zelensky to negotiate.
"There is always a possibility of escalation"
— If the Alaska talks fail, should we expect new sanctions against Russia and increased pressure on Russian trading partners? Can the United States withdraw from these negotiations altogether after such a potential failure?
— Yes, it's very possible that everything will fail. This will cause tremendous harm and there will be a way back for everyone. Trump has already imposed 50% tariffs on India and Brazil. At the same time, he chickened out about China again. He has just extended negotiations on a tariff agreement with China for another 90 days.
If he doesn't follow through on his threats, it will be very bad for him. Therefore, I think that, most likely, at some point he will introduce these measures. And I think he will hand over more weapons. He's not giving me any weapons yet. He sells it to the Europeans.
Things could get even worse: he could wash his hands of it and leave, and then Russia, although it won't be easy, will still continue to steadily move forward. Both sides, Russia and Ukraine, will harm each other, but Russia, of course, can harm Ukraine more. In addition, there is always the possibility of escalation and the use of tactical nuclear weapons, which, of course, would not be desirable.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
