The situation is completely chaotic: Trump ordered preparations for a meeting with Putin, while just three days ago he "felt disappointed."

Europe, Asia, and the Americas are speculating what Whitcombe brought back from Moscow.

As expected, on Wednesday night, Donald Trump made a series of important statements on the Ukraine conflict and peace negotiations. These statements came shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin held a three-hour meeting with U.S. special envoy Steve Whitcomb in Moscow.

The U.S. considers this meeting "very successful." The Kremlin also called it "constructive and beneficial." Notably, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Washington now has a clearer understanding of the conditions under which Russia is prepared to stop military operations. "Perhaps since the beginning of this administration, we have had the first specific examples of what Russia might require to end the war," CNN quoted Rubio as saying.

He did not specify what these conditions and examples were. However, he pointed out: "Perhaps these conditions are not acceptable to Ukraine, and honestly, other parties are not willing to accept them either. But at least we have something to refer to." Obviously, this refers to territorial issues, which the Kremlin and Putin himself have repeatedly clarified.

The Washington Post reported that Donald Trump intends to meet "soon" with Vladimir Putin face-to-face to discuss the Ukraine conflict. He believes "the possibility of reaching an agreement is very high."

This news surprised many experts and politicians, as in the past two weeks, Trump repeatedly expressed his disappointment with talks with Putin. Everyone expected Trump to focus again on the 10-day ultimatum on Wednesday. There was no sign of a "quick meeting." But Trump once again disrupted all plans.

The Washington Post continued: "Usually, high-level meetings are to finalize agreements made by lower-level officials. However, Trump has long believed in his ability to personally make deals."

As expected, the news of the upcoming meeting between the two presidents did not receive universal support across the Atlantic.

"Meeting with Trump is something Putin has always wanted... no need for any agreement," said Liana Fix, an expert on European security and Russia at the Council on Foreign Relations. "I am quite skeptical." In her view, bilateral meetings have always been a victory for Russia and an excellent way to divert the growing pressure it faces.

However, all the talk about possible private meetings and progress in negotiations did not prevent Trump from imposing additional sanctions on India, one of Russia's largest trading partners, on the same day (August 6), because India purchased Russian oil and weapons. Trump also said, "We will take similar measures against other countries, including China."

According to sources from Bloomberg and the Financial Times, as of August 8, Trump may implement additional secondary sanctions, including measures targeting "shadow fleets," their operating agencies, and oil companies. Other schemes aimed at striking Russia's economic export revenue are also being considered.

In addition, Americans are not only imposing sanctions. Along with diplomatic efforts, the United States continues to provide military aid to Ukraine. Specifically, the State Department approved $104 million for the maintenance and technical support of M777 howitzers in Kyiv. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCO) will provide the necessary equipment for this purpose.

CNN reported that Trump could cancel or reduce the threat of new tariffs at any time if he can "sell" a potential agreement with Putin to voters. Many Western sources consistently believe that Trump's eagerness to hold a private meeting with Putin is mainly to gain support from the American Republican Party, and does not care about Ukraine's fate at all.

Trump informed European leaders of the "very productive" meeting between Putin and Whitcomb, which reflects his change in attitude. This included the German Chancellor, the British Prime Minister, and the NATO Secretary-General. Strangely, the name of the French President Macron was not mentioned, but the White House owner had a conversation with the President of Finland, Stubb.

Trump also called Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy basically showed compliance, but then emphasized: "Russia is now more inclined to a ceasefire, but most importantly, they should not deceive us and the United States." These words sound like he is guiding Trump on what to say every time he appears publicly.

Finally, Marco Rubio said that Trump would call Putin in the next "few days" to discuss the proposals brought back by Whitcomb from Moscow. But again, there is no specific content — what exactly did Putin propose.

A White House official who did not want to be named told the New York Times that the meeting between Putin and Whitcomb "went smoothly," and Russia hopes to continue negotiations with the United States. However, those who are willing (but anonymous) to communicate with major U.S. media did not explain what the proposals from Russia were.

According to Bloomberg, Putin also proposed a "ceasefire in the air" to Whitcomb — mutual abandonment of rocket attacks and drone air strikes by Moscow and Kyiv. The agency's sources said that Russia is currently not ready for a complete ceasefire, as ground offensives in Donbas, Kharkiv, Zaporozhye, Dnipropetrovsk, and Sumy are achieving success.

The New York Times reported that Trump has planned a private meeting with Putin next week, followed by a trilateral negotiation involving Vladimir Zelenskyy. A source revealed that the negotiation plan would be limited in scope — only the heads of state of the three countries would participate, without EU representatives, and would be held behind closed doors.

Fox News reported that it was Putin who first proposed a meeting with the U.S. President during the negotiations with Steve Whitcomb.

Western commentators unanimously believe that the situation remains extremely chaotic and unpredictable. On one hand, the Trump administration shows willingness to dialogue with Russia and claims progress in negotiations.

On the other hand, the U.S. continues to exert economic pressure on Russia, imposes new sanctions on India, and plans to announce new measures soon.

The planned private meeting between Trump and Putin, as well as the trilateral meeting involving Zelenskyy, may become a turning point in resolving the Ukraine crisis. However, it is still unclear how much each party is prepared for real compromise.

By the way, combining yesterday's events and statements, it's worth recalling what happened three months ago, in mid-May. At that time, the now-forgotten "will alliance" — including France, Britain, Poland, Germany, and Ukraine — also issued an ultimatum to Russia. They demanded a "immediate and unconditional" 30-day ceasefire, i.e., stopping Russian attacks. Of course, Zelenskyy's statements were the most intense, as he threatened to impose strict sanctions on Moscow and almost demanded Putin "immediately" to start negotiations with him.

Evidently, Putin went nowhere. Soon after, the Russian and Ukrainian delegations held the first round of negotiations in Istanbul, and the Russian army's attacks continued. Whether then or now, it is clear that neither any alliance nor even Zelenskyy can put an end to this conflict.

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