Vladimir Putin is in a good mood as he prepares for Tuesday’s pivotal US-Russia summit in Saudi Arabia to discuss resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
By ending Russia’s worldwide isolation, breaking Western unity on the crisis, and raising doubts about the US’s willingness to defend Europe, the Trump administration has sent a startling message of support for Putin and a break with America’s old friends.
As Trump advisors made a series of contradictory remarks on their initial trips to Europe, it became clear that the president is willing to accept any arrangement with Putin, regardless of the consequences for Ukraine and a continent where Russian expansionism is a growing worry.
Concern in European capitals was heightened on Monday when reports surfaced that the United States would cut off its European allies from peace talks over Ukraine, even though the US has demanded that Europe provide security guarantees and troops as part of any agreement to end the war. In response, France summoned important leaders to an emergency meeting in Paris.
Following a totalitarian neighbor’s invasion of Ukrainian land, which resulted in civilian deaths, war crimes, and devastation, Trump has also stoked suspicions that the Ukrainian government will not participate in discussions vital to the country’s existence.
Meeting with Putin “very soon” is something the president brought up on Sunday. According to him, “We’re moving along” as he spoke to reporters in Florida. We are working tirelessly to achieve peace with Russia and Ukraine.
Trump vaguely promised to be “involved” following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s warning on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he would “never accept any decisions between the United States and Russia about Ukraine.”
The Saudi negotiations, according to Rubio, are only the beginning.
The United States delegation to the Saudi-hosted discussions will be led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security advisor Mike Waltz, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. The Saudis are close with both the Trump camp and Moscow.
According to Rubio, the meeting was meant to follow up on Trump’s phone conversation with Putin last week. During Sunday’s CBS “Face the Nation” interview, he stated, “The next few weeks and days will determine whether it’s serious or not.”. A single phone call cannot, in the end, bring about peace. The complexity of this battle is too great for a single phone call to resolve.
Keith Kellogg, Trump’s ambassador to Ukraine, indicated on Saturday that European governments will not be part in peace negotiations, but Kyiv would be. Rubio disagreed with this statement. Europeans must be involved due to sanctions on Putin and Russia, and they have also contributed to this effort; if real negotiations occur, which we are not yet in, then Ukraine must be involved as they were invaded, and the European Union must also be involved.
The United States’ shifting attitude on the proposed peace plan demonstrates how foolish it is to jump to conclusions based on Trump’s and his associates’ first statements before their actual opinions are solidified. There is little possibility of resolving the brutal war in the next months unless the incoming US president is determined to establish connections with Putin. Furthermore, it seems that there is still a lot of space for Ukraine and European governments to influence the direction of discussions, which can only be successful with their support.
The Polish foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, expressed his belief in the wisdom of Trump’s decision to speak with Putin during the weekend in Munich. Sikorski said that the call “vindicated” Putin and demoralized the Ukrainian people. “Sooner or later, we will have to be involved when President Trump says there will have to be European troops as part of a deal,” he continued.
Worries that Trump would sanction Putin’s unlawful invasion and impose it on Ukraine are fueled by the administration’s contradictory signals. Many in the foreign policy realism community believe that Russia will not be able to return all of the territory it has captured from Ukraine. However, others feel that Trump lost some of his power when he spoke with Putin. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was also certain that no US peacekeeping forces would be deployed and that a settlement would not include a way for Ukraine to join NATO. As time went on, Hegseth and other members of the administration diluted some of those remarks.
Worse still, last week, Trump pushed Russian foreign policy stances above Western ones in an accelerated effort to fully rehabilitate Putin, the convicted war criminal. For example, following Russia’s expulsion from the G8 due to the annexation of Crimea in 2014, the president appeared to understand Putin’s justifications for the invasion and urged Putin to rejoin the organization. It appeared that the Western negotiating position was significantly weakened due to Trump’s rejection of the previous administration’s collaboration with Europe over Ukraine and the absence of representatives from Kyiv in the Saudi negotiations. The absence of European politicians from any full-scale discussions might significantly weaken Zelensky’s position, as they are more inclined to support Ukraine’s viewpoints than Trump.
European leaders were rattled by Vice President JD Vance’s scathing attack on European democracy at the Munich Security conference. Additionally, his choice to meet with the leader of the far-right anti-immigrant AfD party in the days leading up to the German election sent shockwaves around the continent. It was evident from the speech that the Trump administration plans to support several populist groups, which are bringing up disturbing memories on a continent that was devastated twice by war in the twentieth century. His stern admonition to Europeans to “take ownership of conventional security on the continent” last week in Brussels was seen by many as an indication of Trump’s distaste for NATO and its security umbrella.
Everything points to Putin’s era as an international pariah, and a compromise over Ukraine may solidify his territorial gains; so, this is music to his ears. One of Russia’s primary foreign policy objectives is being fulfilled by the schisms that Trump has widened inside NATO.
The head of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, Alexander Gabuev, told HEADLINESFOREVER’s Bianna Golodryga on Sunday that “it’s indeed like Easter, Hanukkah, Christmas, and (his) birthday and everything is happening in one day.” That was the case. “Any unchilled Champagne is promptly transferred to the refrigerator, while the remaining bottles are removed from their corks.”
France convenes urgent summit
In response to the deterioration of transatlantic relations, French President Emmanuel Macron convened an informal meeting on Monday evening with the prime ministers of France, Germany, the UK, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, and Denmark. The meeting also included the heads of state from the European Council, the European Commission, and NATO.
Europe has exposed itself to more isolationist currents in US policy, which have always been ingrained in American culture, as a result of Trump’s anger with 80 years of US security policy following WWII, which is a remarkable change in US policy and an indication of his animosity for internationalist ideals.
Most non-US NATO countries are ill-equipped to protect Europe and take on the leading role demanded by the Trump administration due to years of defense budget cuts. Leaders, who are already having trouble funding welfare states due to slow economic growth, will have to make difficult decisions if they want to quickly raise defense expenditure.
But there are signs that officials are trying to impress the president by taking a hard line, which is typical of the Trump administration. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has stated his willingness to send British soldiers to Ukraine as a component of any peace settlement, and he is scheduled to speak with Trump in the coming days. European nations “must increase our defense spending and take on a greater role in NATO,” Starmer wrote in Monday’s Daily Telegraph, adding that US backing will remain crucial for preserving peace.
The increasing influence of the Saudi kingdom, as seen in its involvement in Middle Eastern affairs under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and in its soft-power projects, such as its investments in European sports leagues and its hosting of the 2034 FIFA World Cup, will also be a topic of discussion during the upcoming talks in Saudi Arabia.
The prince and Putin are quite close, and Trump has made no secret of his respect for autocratic dictators. The Saudis’ reputation and standing would be boosted and their involvement in a major issue would be highlighted, according to a source close to the Saudi court who spoke with Alex Marquardt of HEADLINESFOREVER.
One of Trump’s foreign policy objectives, resolving the conflict in Gaza, will require Saudi Arabia’s support. In an effort to forge an Arab front against Iran and alter the Middle East’s geopolitical landscape, the administration is attempting to persuade Israel and Saudi Arabia to normalize their diplomatic relations. However, the Saudis would never agree to such a deal if it did not guarantee the Palestinians a state in the future. In addition, Arab nations have strongly opposed Trump’s unprecedented proposal to forcibly remove Palestinians from Gaza, which they see as tantamount to ethnic cleansing.
Trump’s apparent eagerness to engage in negotiations with Putin over Ukraine and his fantasy idea for the US to “own” and reconstruct Gaza highlight the dangers of his unconventional approach to international affairs. If the president does not sign accords that disregard serious security concerns, however, he is returning to the White House at a historic moment when he can pursue agreements that might make the United States and the world safer.
The president was gambling with very high stakes, according to Sikorski’s Munich warning.
What happens at the conclusion of the conflict in Ukraine will reflect poorly on the Trump administration and the country as a whole, according to the author.