French media: The Alaska Summit between Trump and Putin, How to Avoid the Trap
Within a few hours, US President Trump and Russian President Putin will meet in Alaska to discuss and even attempt to decide the future of Ukraine without Ukraine's participation.
Europeans have long seen through Putin's tricks. Putin knows that Trump is pro-Russian, and he also knows that Trump wants to see the war end quickly, making him a great peacemaker. He also knows that Trump is easily angered. When the image of Russian bombing of a kindergarten in Kyiv appeared before his eyes, Trump realized that his threats were ineffective. He issued an ultimatum to Russia, but Putin is not former President Medvedev, who only talks big and scares people; instead, Putin forced Trump to send two submarines to intimidate. In a fit of rage, Trump reduced the previous 50-day deadline to just 10 days. Putin chose silence. He was waiting for an opportunity. Indeed, when Trump sent his special envoy Witkow to the Kremlin on the last day of the ultimatum, Putin seized this opportunity. He avoided maximizing his demands in front of Trump's envoy, did not talk about "de-Nazification" or "demilitarization" of Ukraine, but limited himself to territorial claims. This seemed to make Trump feel a certain "goodwill," so he decided to hold a summit with Putin in Alaska.
The French newspaper Le Monde's analysis states, "If Americans are deceived, Europeans have clearly seen through it and will not be deceived." However, there are now less than three days left. Europe hopes to persuade Washington that only by maintaining a tough line and applying strong pressure can they possibly make Putin start real negotiations. Whether they can avoid the trap and create an opportunity, the critical moment has arrived.
President Zelenskyy, who does not want his country's fate to be dictated by strongmen, said on Tuesday that the meeting between Putin and Trump is a personal victory for the Russian strongman. His country is facing a dangerous situation. In the Donbas region, which Russia hopes to permanently occupy, Russian forces tried to break through the front lines on Tuesday. Although Zelenskyy considers it merely "a small infiltration," he stated that obviously, Russia is trying to expand its occupied territories during the period leading up to the Trump-Putin summit. Because after Trump decided to hold a summit with Putin, he stated that the negotiations might involve "some land exchanges." The EU agrees with Zelenskyy's assessment, as Putin is taking advantage of the timing before the Trump-Putin summit to gain an advantage for Russia.
Zelenskyy explained to the media that the Russian leader, almost isolated from the Western world, will meet with Trump on American soil, which is certainly a personal victory for Trump. Indeed, Putin has several reasons to be happy about the prospect of the first bilateral Russia-US summit since 2018: he is getting out of the diplomatic isolation caused by the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for war crimes; he will be treated as a leader of a world power, equal to the United States; he has temporarily successfully pushed Ukrainian President Zelenskyy aside; and thanks to this summit, Trump's ultimatum to Russia and the accompanying new sanctions threat have been lifted. The Kremlin head is well aware of Trump's eagerness to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine. He obviously believes that if he handles things properly, he may have an opportunity to achieve through diplomacy what he has not yet achieved militarily: at least partial control over Ukraine. As Trump said, "some land exchanges."
Europeans know that the future of Ukraine is inseparable from European security. Moreover, unlike under the Biden administration, now, Europeans provide most of the financial and military aid to Ukraine. They must stand up to protect Ukraine's interests. If Ukraine's borders are forced to change, the overall security of Europe will be threatened. As the leaders of the Baltic states in EU member countries said, Putin's next target may be Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia. On Tuesday, except for Hungary's Prime Minister Orbán, the heads of state and government of 26 European countries issued a joint statement opposing changing borders by force. Of course, Europeans still regard Trump as an ally, praising "President Trump's efforts to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine," but they emphasized that true peace negotiations can only take place under the prerequisite of a ceasefire, "national borders cannot be changed by force." The EU is conducting marathon diplomacy to avoid the worst scenario. On Wednesday, under the initiative of German Chancellor Merkel, British Prime Minister Starmer, and French President Macron, a "Volunteer Alliance" meeting will be held via video conference, where voluntary members are countries ready to deploy military forces to ensure Ukraine's security once the ceasefire is achieved. The second stage of the meeting will also include a discussion with U.S. Vice President Vance, emphasizing the EU's position, but it cannot guarantee that it will attract enough attention from Trump, who expressed "displeasure" on Monday with Zelenskyy's refusal to cede territory for peace, causing more confusion among Ukrainians and Europeans.
EU leaders reiterated: "Without Ukraine's participation, how can a path to peace be opened!" In the issue of Ukraine's future, Europeans had previously believed that the US intended to at least partially align with their stance. However, since Trump announced a summit with Putin in the US and acknowledged the idea of "territorial exchange," EU leaders became anxious, fearing a deal that would sell out Ukraine. Polish Prime Minister Tusk summarized this duality, admitting that he is now oscillating between "fear and hope."
Source: rfi
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1840298696882188/
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