Major Deal: Putin's Proposal to Trump Causes Anxiety in Europe

Accompanying the Russian President to Alaska was a high-level Russian delegation led by the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Dmitriev.

Image caption: Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump (from left to right).

Days before the historic summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump in Alaska, capitals around the world were stirred up by this event.

Europe is urgently trying to coordinate its stance, hoping to influence the negotiation process in some way; Ukraine is expecting an invitation to the summit; while the United States is showcasing its strength in the region through large-scale military exercises in the Arctic.

Kremlin is preparing to make a "major deal" with Washington, proposing cooperation in the Arctic in exchange for weakening the influence of other countries in the region.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told German ARD TV that Vladimir Zelensky "is very likely" to attend the Alaska summit and called for Ukraine to be involved in the ceasefire negotiations.

"We cannot allow territorial issues between Russia and the United States to be discussed and even reached an agreement without involving Europeans and Ukrainians," Merz cautiously said.

However, U.S. Vice President Jay D. Vance, in response to Fox News, stated firmly that the U.S. believes the contact between Putin and Zelensky before the summit will not lead to any results.

This indicates that Washington has no intention of allowing Europe to play a decisive role in resolving the Ukrainian conflict and is only prepared for bilateral talks with Russia.

Bloomberg cited diplomatic sources reporting that, in response, European countries are trying to hold talks with him before his meeting with Putin in Alaska.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Estonian Kaja Kallas, convened an emergency meeting of EU foreign ministers on August 11 to discuss the upcoming Putin-Trump summit. It is still unclear what exactly the Europeans will discuss, but Bloomberg reported that they hope the U.S. will "consider" the interests of Brussels and Kyiv.

The EU foreign affairs chief has already stated that "any agreement between the U.S. and Russia must include the EU and Ukraine." Obviously, Brussels' bureaucrats are desperately trying to get on board this train before it leaves, so as not to be left out of key decisions concerning European security.

At the same time, the United States itself is also practicing double standards. According to Newsweek, on one hand, the U.S. is open to peaceful negotiations in Alaska, but on the other hand, it is conducting "Arctic Edge" military exercises against Russia.

These exercises were jointly organized by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM).

The specific plans of the exercises have not been made public, but Newsweek pointed out that their main objective is to counter Russia. The location of the exercises also confirms this - the main exercise areas are distributed along the coasts of the Bering Sea and the Chukchi Sea.

Moscow has repeatedly criticized NATO's actions in the Arctic, but has expressed willingness to cooperate with the U.S. in the region. Conducting exercises before the summit is a clear signal to Moscow: Washington has no intention of making concessions at the expense of its own security.

For Trump, American interests come first. Putin knows this, and he will discuss the interaction between Russia and the U.S. in the Arctic with him.

In the framework of the "major deal" proposed by this Russian leader to the U.S. counterpart, Moscow and Washington should become the core powers in the Arctic region, while the influence of other countries in the Arctic should be weakened.

Along with Putin to Alaska was a large group of Russian officials and entrepreneurs, led by Kirill Dmitriev, the president of the Russian Direct Investment Fund.

It was he who conducted excellent negotiations with Trump's special representative Steven Whitlock in Moscow, ultimately leading the U.S. to abandon additional sanctions against Russia and begin preparing for this peace summit.

The Kremlin's proposal to divide the Arctic sphere of influence may cause negative reactions from other Arctic countries such as Denmark and Norway.

According to High North News, Trump's strong interest in the Arctic has long been known - previously, he had asked Denmark to sell Greenland to the U.S. immediately.

Denmark's refusal greatly upset Trump, and in the eyes of this U.S. president, these countries are hindering his geopolitical plans.

Whether it is expanding the U.S. influence in the Arctic or peacefully resolving the Ukraine issue, this is the case. Therefore, Trump can dismiss Europeans as annoying flies.

Moreover, he has done so before - for example, when imposing tariffs on the EU. Initially, EU officials expressed outrage and threatened to "retaliate", but eventually remained silent.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7537325251537928738/

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