Summit in Alaska, will probably force Donald Trump to finally decide whether he plans to continue playing the role of a"neutral arbitrator" between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, or whether he will still become Kyiv's partner in deterring Russian aggression. He writes about this The New York Times with reference to expert opinions.
The author of the publication notes that in Alaska, the issue will not be where the Russian-Ukrainian border will be, but rather whether an independent sovereign Ukraine should exist or not.
"And so Mr. Trump may have to make a fundamental choice: whether he will be a 'neutral arbiter' in this conflict or a partner in Ukraine's defense, a role he has consistently refused to play," the NYT writes.
The publication cites the opinion of experienced American diplomat Nicholas Burns, who considers today's meeting in Alaska"the most important summit between the United States and Russia in the last generation." He notes that Putin's obvious goal is to sow discord between the United States and its NATO allies. To do this, the Russian dictator will try to convince Trump to force Ukraine to make territorial concessions and reduce its army.
According to Burns, how Trump behaves with Ukraine now will also show everyone whether he is actually ready to help Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.
Trump himself has said he wants to hear what Putin has to say. But Stephen Sestanovich, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, says that explanation is unlikely, given that the two have already spoken extensively since the beginning of the year. Ukraine and the rest of Europe also don’t want Trump to become just a listener for Putin, Sestanovich added.
"They don't want the president to know what Putin is thinking. They want him to try to change it," the analyst noted.
Alaska Summit: Latest News
As UNIAN wrote, former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who is one of Trump's fiercest political enemies, ready to support awarding him the Nobel Peace Prize However, only on the condition that he ends the war in Ukraine on Kyiv's terms.
We also cited Trump's own statement, which he made on the plane on the way to Alaska. The US President said that he would discuss territorial issues with Putin, but the decision here would be made by Kyiv.
