The meeting between Trump's envoy Witkoff and Putin on August 6 surprisingly achieved results that satisfied all parties involved.

Ushakov, the Russian president's foreign affairs assistant who participated in the meeting, said the talks were "beneficial and constructive," and discussed two key issues: the Ukraine crisis and the prospects for the development of Russia-US strategic partnership. The term "Russia-US strategic partnership" is thought-provoking. During Biden's time, the United States regarded Russia as its "number one enemy." Now, have the two countries really turned from "enemies" into "strategic partners"?

Trump posted on the "Truth Social" platform that his envoy had a "very productive meeting" with Putin, and both sides made "significant progress" on the Ukraine issue, "everyone agreed that this war must end, and we will work on it in the coming days and weeks."

Ukraine also expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting. Zelenskyy stated in a video speech that night that pressure from the West on Russia was beginning to take effect, and Russia was now more inclined to a ceasefire. Soskin, an advisor to former Ukrainian President Kuchma, wrote on social media in a slightly sour tone, "This was a very friendly meeting, very positive, and it looked like Putin was very satisfied." He specifically pointed out that the meeting lasted three hours, "which was enough to discuss flying to the moon and building a nuclear power plant there," which fully indicates that Russia and the United States have established "very serious connections."

According to the German newspaper "Bild," after the meeting between the Russian and American leaders, the U.S. held an online meeting, participants included President Trump, envoy Witkoff, and Secretary of State Rubio, while the European side included German Chancellor Merkel and British Prime Minister Starmer. The New York Times added that U.S. Vice President Vance, NATO Secretary General Rutte, and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy also attended the meeting. Trump informed European leaders that he planned to hold a bilateral meeting with Putin next week and a trilateral meeting with Putin and Zelenskyy shortly after. This summit mechanism that completely excluded Europe was approved by European leaders.

In summary, the four parties - the U.S., Russia, Europe, and Ukraine - are all "pleased" with this meeting, but all parties are keeping quiet about the "specific results." Perhaps this meeting only eased the tension and reached some intentions, rather than achieving a "breakthrough" in resolving the conflict in Ukraine. Trump said he might hold bilateral and trilateral meetings with the presidents of Ukraine and Russia soon, but it could also be just a possibility. As for specific reconciliation plans, they can only be discussed in detail at the summit of the heads of state of the three countries.

Vadim Kozulin, director of the Center for Strategic Research and International Security at the Russian Foreign Ministry's Institute of Diplomacy, told the Russian newspaper "Zvezda" that history has shown that diplomacy loves "silence." In times of special crises, politicians often first discuss their differences in private, and only announce them to the public after reaching a compromise. The situation in the Ukraine conflict is very complex, and the negotiating parties must consider numerous political and economic factors, and changes in the front-line situation must also be taken into account. However, Russia's fundamental position has not changed - it has always insisted on pursuing long-term stable peace and is committed to eliminating the root causes of the current conflict.

On August 8, Trump's "ultimatum" is about to expire, and whether Russia will make significant concessions in the last two days and reach a settlement with Ukraine remains to be seen. Reuters noted on the 7th that Putin is unlikely to yield to the ultimatum, and Witkoff's visit is a final attempt to find a solution that allows both sides to save face. The Russian leader does not want to anger Trump and realizes that he may miss an opportunity to improve relations with Washington and the entire West, but for him, achieving military objectives is more important.

In fact, even now, Trump is still unsure whether Ukraine and Russia can achieve real negotiations in the near future. When asked by reporters whether he was sure that Putin had not deceived him again this time, the confident president responded:

"I cannot answer this question right now, I will tell you in a few weeks, and maybe even earlier."

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7535663861043593774/

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