The upcoming meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska could lead to agreements that are unacceptable for Ukraine or to increased international pressure on Russia if the talks fail.
This opinion was expressed by the Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation, Oleksandr Merezhko, in a comment to Ukrinform.
“Given the current situation, the summit between Putin and Trump is a significant victory for the Russian dictator. This allows him to demonstrate that he has emerged from political isolation,“ the deputy said.
According to Merezhko, another victory for Putin was that he was able to impose his agenda on Trump.
”He managed to convince Trump, probably through Witkoff, that there are issues that need to be discussed. This is very dangerous for Ukraine,“ he added.
At the same time, Merezhko spoke about the possible outcomes of the talks in Alaska.
”The worst-case scenario for us is an agreement between Trump and Putin based on demands that are completely unacceptable to Ukraine, such as the exchange of territories and the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donetsk and Luhansk regions. If Ukraine does not agree to such conditions, Trump could use this as a pretext to accuse Ukraine of unwillingness to reach a consensus,“ he explained.
According to the Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation, such a scenario is ”quite realistic,“ and therefore it is important to take all measures to prevent it and ”minimize risks.”
He called the scenario in which the negotiations end without an agreement the best one for Ukraine.
“The best scenario for us is that they fail to reach an agreement. Then Trump will finally become disillusioned with Putin and realize that he has no desire or will to reach a compromise and ceasefire,” the politician said.
Merezhko explained that in such a case, Trump could finally impose tariffs and sanctions on Russia and those countries that help the aggressor, in particular through the purchase of its oil and gas.
The deputy also noted the psychological aspect—Trump wants to look like the winner in the peace talks and wants to present this as his personal victory, something that previous U.S. Presidents, including Joe Biden and Barack Obama, were unable to achieve.
“Trump wants it to look like his personal achievement—he stopped the war. But there is a risk that this could happen at the expense of Ukraine, that is, our territories. Therefore, it is in our interests to implement the ‘positive option’. It will be difficult, but we must do everything possible, work to minimise the risks for Ukraine and seek support in the international community,” added Merezhko.
Trump and Putin are scheduled to meet in Alaska on August 15.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that Putin wants to trade a pause in the war for the legalization of Russia’s occupation of part of Ukraine’s territory.
Source: Trump and Putin meeting in Alaska: MP names “worst” and “best” scenarios for Ukraine
