ALASKA SUMMIT: PRESIDENT PUTIN - PRESIDENT TRUMP

Written by Michael Thervil

PHOTO BY ANDREW HARNIK/AFP/GETTY IMAGES/PICTURE ALLIANCE

[Alaska summit Putin Trump] The Alaska summit that was held between Russian President Vladimir Putin and American President Donald Trump in Alaska over the weekend, although  filled with pomp and circumstance, was considered by both Presidents to be a success. Beyond the application of American led sanctions, the subject of Ukraine's war of provocation was the most talked about issue between the two leaders. While America and NATO have been accused of using Ukraine as a proxy against Russia, Russia has stood steadfast in both how they have been handling the situation and their demands if Ukraine seeks to see an end to the war.

Steve Witkoff stated that the two leaders agreed to security guarantees in the favor of Ukraine. Additionally, land swaps were also discussed with emphasis on the following parts of Ukraine to be returned to Russian control; Donbas, Luhansk, Crimea, and an estimated 70% of Donetsk. President Putin also stated that Russia will not agree to any form of ceasefire. President Putin also demanded that Ukraine will never be allowed to join NATO with a cap on how large Ukraine's military can be in the future, something that Zelensky currently rejects. While the former Ukrainian President has protested all Russian demands by stating that there should be no discussion of deals without Ukraine being at the table’; his words have fell on deaf ears.

The reason for this is because although he currently leads Ukraine, he is far from being the legal and formal “President” of Ukraine and thus is seen as "illegitimate" from the perspective of President Vladimir Putin (and other world leaders) and therefore ineligible to sit at the proverbial “table”. According to sources, even though President Trump pushed for a ceasefire during his meeting with President Putin, President Trump has changed his perspective in this regard after his meeting with President Putin and insisted that both Ukraine and Russia enter into a Peace Agreement".

Historically peace agreements have demonstrated a low success rate, especially over time. Supporting this are the statements made by United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio: "The only way to have a ceasefire is for both sides to agree to stop firing at one another, and the Russians just haven't agreed to that." President Putin operated on the premise that for any long-lasting peace agreements to stand the test of time - the “root cause” of the tensions must be addressed and resolved.

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President Trump's shift towards a peace agreement is due to the fact that he appears to be unread when it comes to history. The same history lesson that President Putin rendered to Tucker Carlson during his well watched interview, is the same history lesson President Putin forwarded to President Trump. The reason why this is important is because understanding and addressing the root cause of the war between these two nations is critical for the ending of the war. While it’s true that Russia could have carpet bombed Ukraine back to the stone age, Russia didn’t and instead has opted for incremental escalations over time. In short, Russia has shown nothing short of mercy to Ukraine while presenting Ukraine the opportunity to rectify any wrongs on their part.

It should also be understood that the reason why Russia has and will continue to disagree to any kind of ceasefire is because they simply have no reason to trust the Europeans nor the Americans based upon past experiences of broken promises and failed peace initiatives. Russia simply will not give Ukraine time to rearm. Therefore, by keeping the momentum of pressure on Ukraine by executing counterstrikes, Russia seeks to stop Ukraine from accepting American and European weapons and aid, as well as crushing any desires of Ukraine to join NATO membership.