By staking out an aggressive position, Trump can convince Putin that continuing the war will gain him nothing but more trouble.
President Donald Trump sees his upcoming Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin as a “listening exercise” to obtain “a better understanding of how we can end this war,” the White House said Tuesday.
But if peace is his goal, Trump must do more than listen — he’ll need to show his negotiating mettle and impress upon the Russian autocrat that his maximalist demands will yield nothing but more death and economic destruction for Moscow.
Trump has already racked up an impressive peacemaking record, brokering deals between Pakistan and India, Thailand and Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, and Armenia and Azerbaijan.
But stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine would be an accomplishment that not even his critics could ignore — provided Trump doesn’t throw Ukraine and Europe under the bus in the process.
In Alaska, the Russian autocrat will seek to enlist Trump’s help in imposing Moscow’s hardline demands on Kyiv.
As his price for a cease-fire, Putin wants Ukraine to withdraw from territory Russia has been unable to take by force.
He then intends to extract a host of additional concessions, including permanent Ukrainian neutrality, in a final settlement.
Kyiv and European leaders have rightly rejected Russia’s demands, understanding that capitulation would only embolden Putin. On Friday, he will no doubt attempt to channel Trump’s ire back onto Ukraine, painting it as the intransigent party.
Trump mustn’t play into Putin’s hands. His leverage will be strongest if Washington, Kyiv and our European allies maintain a consistent, united front.
