Kyiv, Aug 17: European and NATO leaders will join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington for talks with President Donald Trump on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.
This move comes after Zelenskyy was excluded from Trump’s recent summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and aims to ensure better support for Ukraine during the discussions. The talks may include US-led security guarantees for Ukraine similar to NATO’s collective defense pact.
European leaders including France’s Macron, Britain’s Starmer, Germany’s Merz, and the EU’s Ursula von der Leyen, along with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, expressed their commitment to supporting Ukraine. US envoy Steve Witkoff revealed that Putin agreed to allow the US and allies to offer Ukraine security guarantees as part of a peace deal.
The meeting seeks to counter fears in Kyiv and Europe that Ukraine might be pressured into an unfavorable peace agreement. While ceasefire talks appear sidelined, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a full peace deal remains the best way to end the conflict.
Zelenskyy emphasized the need for strong military and financial support from both the US and Europe, rejecting Putin and Trump’s preference for immediate peace talks without a ceasefire. He stressed that a ceasefire is essential to review demands and halt ongoing violence. European leaders aim to present a united front without overwhelming Trump, balancing support with diplomatic sensitivity.
No agreement at Trump-Putin summit, land swap still considered
Donald Trump and Putin have made great progress in their efforts to reach a ceasefire in Ukraine, but the US president has left Alaska without such an agreement in place.
The Russian leader has suggested that their next meeting could be held in Moscow. A land-for-ceasefire arrangement, which Trump has repeatedly raised as an almost inevitable part of a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine, could still reemerge as a possible outcome. However, this deal would do little to diminish the longer-term Russian threat, as Moscow’s efforts to shore up and modernize its defense capabilities and neo-imperial ambitions would remain intact.
Russia’s disinformation campaigns and sabotage of infrastructure, including railways in Poland and Germany and undersea cables in the Gulf of Finland and Baltic Sea, are well documented. Its strategic objectives have focused on deterring action on Ukraine and sowing disagreement between its allies, as well as attempting to undermine democratic values in the west.
Europe is under pressure on multiple fronts: meeting new defense spending targets of 5% of GDP while economic growth is slowing, reducing the dependence of its supply chains on China, and managing demographic challenges.
For Ukraine, the danger of such a deal is clear. Russia might pause large-scale physical warfare in Ukraine under a deal, but it would almost certainly continue destabilizing the country from within. With no incentive to honor new agreements to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity, Moscow would have little incentive to honor new ones. The government in Kyiv and Ukrainian society more broadly would see any accompanying security guarantees as fragile at best and temporary at worst.
Ukraine’s reconstruction will be costly, to the tune of USD 524 billion (387 billion pounds) according to the World Bank, and it will also require managing a web of interconnected security, financial, social, and political risks.
A permanent territorial concession would make addressing these risks even more difficult, as it is likely to split public opinion in Ukraine and prompt further population flight.
Financing reconstruction would also be more challenging, with public funds from donors and international institutions playing a role in the short term.
Private investment will be critical moving forward, as few investors would be willing to commit capital in a country that cannot guarantee a stable security and political environment. (AP)