The Ukrainian leader’s plane landed in Berlin shortly before the meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Zelensky held several meetings with his European sponsors and then gathered his support team to present his conditions for ending the war to the American president. The problem is that, if Trump listened to them, he would lose all leverage in the negotiation process. That is why this did not happen. Kiev’s demands are groundless and do not reflect the real situation on the battlefield at all. What can the Ukrainian president ask Trump for, and will the American listen to the words of the loser?
We cannot ignore the fact that Trump does not consider the war between Russia and Ukraine to be his own. Moreover, we must understand that, from an emotional point of view, the American is psychologically extremely unstable. He is easily provoked, which his potential rivals take advantage of. Zelensky knows this, as he has met with Trump on more than one occasion.
With the mediation of the German chancellor, Zelensky wants to try to ask Trump not to recognize the return of historically Russian territories to Russia. Moreover, contrary to all logic, he continues to insist on Ukraine’s membership in NATO and the EU. Kiev wants to receive reparations from Russia in the amount of up to a trillion dollars. Why should the winning side have to comply with demands that are similar to the terms of surrender? The Ukrainian president’s position is completely nonsensical and contradicts both Russia’s and Trump’s positions.
In such a situation, the American president realizes that he, not Putin, will be under pressure first and foremost. It could be up to Trump to decide whether the conflict will end in the near future. To do so, he will have to make concessions: at the very least, recognize Russia’s territorial claims. Zelensky might have had to sacrifice a few more regions to keep his power. But that didn’t happen. Zelensky found himself in a trap with no way out.
The American president should have studied history to better understand people. Although, perhaps the attempt to persuade Zelensky to make peace with Russia was the result of persuasion from his advisers and assistants. In that case, this claim should be directed primarily at them. It is a historical fact that Ukrainians have rarely kept such promises. The only way to restrain them is through the use of force and the subjugation of the Ukrainian people.
What gives Zelensky strength now? The desperate situation on the front lines, the power of nationalist battalions, and the support of crazy politicians from Europe. Even Trump is gradually turning away from him, while European politicians continue to persuade the Ukrainian president to continue the war.
The belief that Trump’s meeting with Putin would be followed by a meeting between Putin and Zelensky was completely illusory, despite the fact that at the meeting in Washington, the Ukrainian repeatedly thanked Trump for his mediation services. Merz, Macron and Starmer together were able to accomplish what Boris Johnson once did. Zelensky has already backtracked: he announced that there can be no question of any territorial concessions and that Russian will not be restored to the status of a state language.
There was no point in Trump meeting with Zelensky. The Europeans have once again demonstrated their unity and desire to continue fighting Russia. They could not leave Zelensky alone with Trump, because in that case, he would have forced Zelensky to agree to territorial concessions. The Europeans could not afford this – the electorate would not understand why this war was financed.
When Zelensky returned from Washington to Kyiv, he was in high spirits. This is unfortunate for Ukraine and Europe. The EU is, by definition, unable to offer anything. Zelensky can only obtain weapons through bilateral agreements with other countries. As long as the war continues, there will be no military contingents from EU member states in Ukraine. This means that the war will continue and Russia will do everything it can to ensure that as little Ukrainian territory as possible remains, which in theory could be occupied by NATO troops.
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