Otomatik Haber
WASHINGTON – In a high-stakes diplomatic maneuver at President Donald Trump's Palm Beach estate, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once again found himself walking a tightrope, securing critical, albeit uneasy, support from the United States. The meeting highlighted the persistent challenge for Kyiv: maintaining a united front with its most powerful ally, even as the American president expresses views often sympathetic to Moscow.
The encounter at Mar-a-Lago saw President Trump making remarks that reportedly stunned his Ukrainian counterpart. “Russia wants to see Ukraine succeed,” Trump told reporters, before asserting that Vladimir Putin’s desire for peace was genuine. Zelensky, standing silently alongside his host, could only manage a smirk and a grimace, carefully avoiding any overt offense.
Despite the palpable tension and the lack of significant progress towards a peace agreement, Zelensky emerged from Sunday’s meeting with renewed, if fragile, assurances that Ukraine could “fight another day.” This came after Zelensky presented significant compromises, including a plan to put territorial concessions to Russia before the Ukrainian people for a vote – a strategic move designed to appease the U.S. president.
In a reciprocal concession, Zelensky also secured a reprieve from Trump, who had for weeks been pushing for a Christmas ceasefire, threatening to cut off vital U.S. intelligence that would leave Kyiv vulnerable on the battlefield. “I don’t have deadlines,” Trump stated on Sunday, offering a crucial lifeline to Ukraine.
President Trump expressed optimism following the talks but acknowledged the potential for negotiations to break down. This dynamic is not new; throughout Trump’s political career, Zelensky and other European leaders have repeatedly worked to convince him that President Putin is, in fact, an aggressor responsible for an unprovoked invasion that ignited Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.
Historically, Trump has often appeared to come around, even questioning Ukraine’s ability to reclaim lost territories while simultaneously vowing "we're with them all the way" to NATO allies. Yet, these shifts have consistently proven temporary, with Trump often reverting to an embrace of Putin’s worldview, including proposals that Ukraine preemptively cede sovereign territories Russia has sought to occupy by force.
“Zelensky’s willingness to offer concessions in his latest meeting with Trump has, at least temporarily, managed to keep President Trump from tilting further towards the Russian position,” commented Kyle Balzer, a scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. “But Trump’s position — his repeated insistence that a deal is necessary now because time is not on Ukraine’s side — continues to favor Putin’s line and negotiating tactics.”
Adding to the diplomatic complexities, U.S. intelligence agencies maintain that Putin’s revanchist war aims – to conquer all of Ukraine and reclaim parts of the former Soviet empire – remain unchanged. However, Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, whose own sympathies towards Russia have been scrutinized, recently dismissed these assessments as products of “deep state” “warmongers” within the intelligence community.
Hours after the Trump-Zelensky talks, the stark reality of the ongoing conflict was underscored. On Monday, Putin ordered the Russian military to push toward Zaporizhzhia, a city of 700,000 before the war, situated far outside the Donbas region Moscow claims would satisfy its war aims in a negotiated settlement.
Brian Taylor, director of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs at Syracuse University, highlighted Trump’s inherent leanings. “Trump’s instincts are to favor Putin and Russia,” Taylor stated. “Ukraine and its European partners still hope to convince Trump of the obvious fact that Putin is not interested in a deal that doesn’t amount to a Ukrainian surrender.”
Taylor added, “If Trump was convinced of Putin’s intransigence, he might further tighten sanctions on Russia and provide more assistance to Ukraine to try to pressure Putin into a deal. It’s an uphill battle, one might even say Sisyphean, but Zelensky and European leaders have to keep trying. So far, nearly a year into Trump’s second term, it’s been worth it.”
Meanwhile, the information war escalated, with Moscow claiming on Monday that Ukraine orchestrated a massive drone attack targeting Putin’s residence, vowing it would force a reconsideration of its negotiation stance. Kyiv vehemently denied any such attack, further illustrating the deep chasm of distrust and conflicting narratives that define the ongoing conflict.
" }
No comments