Trump and Putin have different ideas about success at the Alaska summit - Bloomberg

The summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin at a military base in Alaska will be a test for both leaders: for Trump, a chance to solidify his image as a peacemaker; for Putin, a symbolic victory simply by appearing on American soil without making concessions in the war against Ukraine.

This is reported by Bloomberg, according to UNN.

Details 

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will assess the success of their Alaska summit differently, even though both leaders are already hoping for a second meeting. The US President considers any truce in Ukraine a key goal of the negotiations. For the Russian leader, the opportunity to meet Trump on American soil without making any concessions regarding the war is already a victory. This imbalance points to dangers and opportunities for Trump, who has long positioned himself as the only one who can end the war. Putin has little incentive to stop hostilities, as the Russian army is slowly gaining victories in Ukraine, but he cannot afford to lose a president with whom he has long established relations

It is noted that Putin, by invading Ukraine in 2022, started the largest war in Europe in 80 years and became an international outcast.

A summit with Trump helps him overcome the isolation that the US and its G7 allies have tried to impose on the Russian leader due to his aggression.

Even more symbolic is the decision to hold the meeting at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base in the US.

By this measure, Putin won simply by showing up for the meeting. This meeting also signifies a departure from former President Joe Biden's "nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine" approach, which ensured that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy always had a seat at the negotiating table. Although Trump tried to reassure Zelenskyy this week, his personal meeting with Putin is a sign of how much Trump believes that he, not Ukraine, is the key figure in resolving the conflict

Former senior US State Department official Richard Haas emphasized that Russia "wants to continue pursuing its goals, which are to significantly weaken Ukraine and, in essence, undermine its independence and sovereignty, and therefore Russia views negotiations not as an alternative to this, but as a means to achieve this goal."

It is also noted that the danger for Trump explains the White House's strategy of lowering expectations for the meeting. Trump described it as a "meeting to clarify positions," and this message was reinforced by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who called the summit "an exercise for the president to listen."

Trump is already looking ahead to a potential second summit, which would include Zelenskyy — and perhaps European leaders — and which he believes will be “more productive than the first.” The Kremlin, anticipating such a move, has invited Trump to visit Russia. This is far from Trump’s campaign boasts that he could end the war within one day of taking office. In May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it was “absolutely clear” that a breakthrough was only possible with Trump and Putin involved. The new phrasing gives Trump room to maneuver during the actual meeting, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named when discussing private talks. This will allow him to make decisions in the moment, relying on his intuition, which aligns with his preference for personal diplomacy over traditional bureaucratic negotiations

In one optimistic scenario, the two leaders could leave Alaska with an agreement on a cessation of hostilities - at least temporarily or partially, for example, by agreeing to stop Russian air attacks. Trump could support Putin's proposal to seize Ukrainian territories already captured by Russian forces.  

For his part, Putin seeks to deepen divisions between the US and Europe, while also seeking sanctions relief that has crippled Russia's economic growth.

Recall

The presidents of the US and Russia will hold talks in Alaska on Friday, August 15. The meeting was initiated by Putin, Zelenskyy emphasizes the impossibility of resolving Ukraine's fate without its participation.

Russian dictator's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that no documents are planned to be signed following the talks in Alaska. The summit will discuss issues "related to the Ukrainian settlement."

The planned meeting between United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place on Friday at 11:00 AM local time (10:00 PM Kyiv time) in Anchorage.

Political scientist Oleh Lisnyi believes that the meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska will not be a turning point, but only the beginning of the process. He proposes a trilateral or quadrilateral negotiation format with the participation of Ukraine and Europe.