President Donald Trump followed Friday’s much anticipated Alaska talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin seeking an end to the Russia-Ukraine war with a hastily arranged roundup of other world leaders in Washington Monday.
This time it was European heads of state, NATO partners, whose countries will be involved in the security guarantees, protection for Ukraine against further Russian aggression.
A framework will be required to bring together troops, weapons and funding from both Europe and the U.S.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was not invited to Anchorage, Alaska, was in attendance at the White House.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the negotiations as “good and constructive,” praising momentum toward security guarantees and a potential trilateral summit involving the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia.
For Starmer, the meeting may help make possible not just peace but a just peace.
And a safer Europe, too.
“We achieved two important outcomes that move us close to a just peace in Ukraine and greater security in Europe,” he wrote on X.
The overlooked story line is how Trump is gathering leaders and breaking through the typical snail’s pace that often accompanies meaningful achievement, a former CIA officer said on American Family Radio Tuesday.
“President Trump had every leader of the European Union in his office. That is unbelievable because having worked at embassies for a lot of my life, coordinating international visits with world leaders often, it usually takes months,” Scott Uehlinger told show host Jenna Ellis. “The people behind the Trump administration did this in three days.”
Though Canada isn’t as close to Ukraine as the leaders from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Finland, the U.S.’ northern neighbor was conspicuous by its absence.
“Canada has been cast aside as totally worthless, and they fully deserve it,” Uehlinger bluntly said.
Following the meeting, Trump announced in a Truth Social post that in a phone call with Putin he “began the arrangements” for a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy.
“After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, (trilateral meeting) which would be the two Presidents, plus myself,” Trump wrote.
It was a far different picture from Zelenskyy’s first White House visit in February in which the Ukrainian president, who was lectured by President Trump, came dressed in his casual black wartime clothing.
This time Zelenskyy wore what was described as a military-style suit and showed humility and appreciation for the involvement of Trump and the U.S., a different attitude than the one that earned him admonishment from Trump a few months ago.
“I love it,” Trump said of the Ukrainian president’s attire, to which Zelensky replied with a smile, “It’s the best I have.”
Uehlinger said he believes the next meeting could come in less than two weeks.
“It’s not definite, but there’s a good chance this conflict will finally be put to an end,” he said.
The war can’t end without an agreement from both sides, not just the Russians, to lay down their arms.
NATO benefits without membership
Zelenskyy has called for Ukrainian membership in NATO, the post-World War II security arrangement between the U.S. and 30-some-odd European nations, something that would obligate other European nations and the U.S. to fight for Ukraine in the event of another Russian invasion.
Putin has staunchly opposed Ukraine membership in NATO.
Trump appears to have a work-around for the NATO question.
“So, Ukraine would not be going into NATO, but it would be receiving NATO-like security guarantees. That’s the biggest fear of the Ukrainians, that the Russians would eventually renege on the agreement and invade. So, Trump is willing to give them the guarantees that basically NATO would support them if there was an invasion, a violation of the treaty by Russia. So Russia was surprisingly willing to agree to that,” Uehlinger said.
It looks like protection for Ukraine will be primarily a European responsibility.
“You're not going to see any U.S. troops in Ukraine, and I don't know if the security guarantees are going to involve European troops being based in Ukraine. I'm not sure about that. That's probably one of the things they're going to be working out,” Uehlinger said.
That’s a big get for Zelenskyy. His “give” will almost certainly mean leaving Ukrainian land in the hands of Russia.
Presently, Russia controls approximately 20% of Ukraine, primarily the southern and eastern regions which border Russia.
This includes the entirety of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014 and parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, which came under Russian control following the invasion of February 2022, part of the current war.
A Gallup poll conducted between July 1 and 14 found that approximately 69% of Ukrainians support a negotiated end to the war as soon as possible, compared to 24% who favor continuing the fight until victory.
“Support for the war effort has declined steadily across all segments of the Ukrainian population, regardless of region or demographic group,” Gallup found.
Why Putin will likely agree
“Lugansk and Donetsk, which collectively is called the Donbass, primarily an ethnic Russian region and a fairly large area, about 20 percent, a little bit less, of Ukraine's total land area, will basically remain within Russia. That’s not good because Putin is the aggressor,” Uehlinger said.
It isn’t good, but it may be necessary.
“The bottom line is, Ukraine is not able to take that back because of simple manpower constraints. That was the primary cause of the war, basically Putin as the great protector of Russian people, but that is enough to satisfy him. That looks like that is going to be the compromise,” Uehlinger said.
