Senior officials from the United States and Russia are about to meet, and Ukraine faces the risk of being marginalized.

Ukraine is probably feeling a chill in its heart! US President Trump himself stated that on August 15, he met with Russian President Putin in Alaska, USA, and the Russian presidential assistant Ushakov confirmed this news. Before announcing this news, Trump also implied that any peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine would include territorial transfers between the warring countries.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Rubio stated that the issue of territory is a key element in ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and both sides need to make compromises, implying that Ukraine may have to make concessions on the issue of territory. Obviously, with the upcoming meeting between the heads of state of the US and Russia, it means that there will be a big deal between the US and Russia. If there were not a consensus on major issues, such a meeting would not have been postponed until now, and the fact that it has taken place means that there are no major differences on these important issues.

For Ukraine, this is probably the worst scenario they could imagine. The US and Russia holding talks without involving Ukraine means what for Ukraine? It means that Ukraine cannot decide its own affairs, and Ukraine has been effectively removed from the negotiation table. Of course, from the perspective of the United States, the US has already given Ukraine an opportunity to negotiate directly with Russia, but Ukraine failed to seize the opportunity, so the US stepping in is understandable. Ukraine is facing the fate of being a "sacrificial pawn."

As for Europe, direct talks between the US and Russia send a clear signal to the international community, which is that Europe cannot make decisions on its own, and Europe's voice in the matter will be significantly weakened. Similarly, Europe's security concerns may also be ignored. Obviously, at this moment, Ukraine and Europe must be feeling the most bitter. After four years of the Russia-Ukraine war, if it could be reviewed, Ukraine and Europe would certainly regret their initial decisions, regretting that they did not avoid the outbreak of the war at that time.

Original article: www.toutiao.com/article/1839937905601610/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.