Was ist auf dem Gipfel zu gewinnen – und kann Trump Outsmart Putin übertragen?

***From The Sunday Times:***

Is peace in Ukraine finally within reach? After so much blood, grudge and disappointment, it seems hard to hold much optimism, but as with anything involving President Trump, prediction is difficult.

What is clear is that even if a deal can be agreed it would really only be the starting point, not the end, of a long-term effort to persuade him to buy into a lasting peace process.

The first meeting between Russian and US presidents since 2021 will take place on Friday in Alaska. Putin might have preferred to see Trump on Russian soil, but the choice of Alaska is a minor concession to his American counterpart.

What do the two men have to discuss, though?

The implication is that there is a proposed peace plan. What might this be? According to the Polish media outlet Onet, it includes a ceasefire, de facto recognition of Russia’s territorial gains, and the lifting of most US sanctions on Russia, perhaps linked to some kind of privileged access to Russian oil and gas for American companies. This aligns with the main direction of travel among the Washington peacemaking community.

If these latest suggestions are true, then the terms are a gift to Putin. Even if they are not accurate there is no doubt that any deal would be trumpeted by Putin’s tame media as a triumph, a victory over not just Kyiv but the serried ranks of a hostile Nato, for whom Ukraine was just a proxy weapon. It would also be greeted with genuine relief by the Kremlin technocrats running the system, who have been increasingly vocal in their efforts to warn Putin of tough economic pressures ahead.

No.

Why are you assuming that Trump and Putin are opponents, Times?