The truce won't last long! Ukraine urgently needs security guarantees

There is great concern in Ukraine, Europe and among Kiev's American supporters about the meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, August 15, as US security interests, as well as the future of Ukraine and NATO, are at stake, writes The Wall Street Journal, quoted by Focus.

According to the publication, presidential summits are useful, albeit risky, when there is no clear outline of an agreement in advance.

In this case, the newspaper notes, the cause of concern is the change in position of Donald Trump, who, after weeks of expressing disappointment with Putin's refusal to negotiate a ceasefire, did not take appropriate action after his ultimatum to Russia expired on Friday, August 8.

Trump sent his special envoy Steve Witkov in Moscow, after which the media revealed controversial details of a land swap agreement between Ukraine and Russia.

According to one version, Russia is ready for a ceasefire if Ukraine agrees to give the Kremlin the entire Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, including territories that are not currently controlled by Russia. It is indicated that Putin explicitly insisted on control over the entire Donetsk region, since Ukraine built a key defensive line there back in 2014.

The article also states that Ukraine may also regain some of the territories in the east that are currently controlled by Russia. However, it is not known which regions are in question and when this will happen.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has already stated that he rejects such a plan, and the publication indicates that this position is understandable, given Putin's numerous previous broken promises. In Ukraine, people do not believe that the Russian president will keep his word this time.

Therefore, Ukraine needs security guarantees from the West, not from Putin, if it still agrees to territorial concessions.

Also worrying is the fact that US President Donald Trump and the Kremlin leader will meet without Ukrainian representatives.

The article points out that it is difficult to imagine how real peace can be achieved without the participation of Zelensky and his government. The US President explained that the Ukrainian president could be invited to the next meeting with Putin.

At the same time, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte suggested that the US president had decided to meet Putin personally to check his sincerity and seriousness.

Rutte noted that the US was coordinating its actions so that everyone was "on the same wavelength", including support for the continuation of arms supplies to Ukraine.

According to the publication, the Russian president does not want Ukraine to emerge from this war as an independent state and be able to join the European Union later in time if the Ukrainians want it.

Instead, Putin wants Ukraine to become part of Russia, another Belarus. Therefore, the Russian side may agree to a short-term truce, but on conditions that are favorable to it.

'Real peace is possible only if Putin believes that the war is beginning to threaten his political control in Russia,' the publication writes.

To achieve this result, the publication points out, it is necessary to increase economic pressure on Moscow, as well as provide Ukraine with all the means of self-defense.

Trump's tough ultimatum probably attracted Russia's attention because the head of the White House took a risk with relations with India and introduced duties on the purchase of Russian oil.

At the same time, the US president did not impose tariffs on China and did not agree with the European Union on the fate of the confiscated $ 300 billion of Russian reserves located in the West.

So, the publication points out that Trump wants to be considered a peacemaker, but peace is easy to achieve if you give in to what the aggressor wants. Instead, for lasting peace, he must conclude an agreement that will give Ukraine the freedom to determine its future and so that Russia no longer returns to the idea of seizing new territories.

Zelensky speaks about the meeting between Trump and Putin

Earlier, UNIAN reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that it is necessary to understand Putin's goals and the meanings that he constantly demonstrates and speaks about. The leader of the Ukrainian people added that the issue of exchanging territories cannot be separated from security guarantees. Zelensky does not trust Putin and is sure that he does not need Ukrainian territories, but the destruction of sovereignty.

Zelensky also announced that productive negotiations are possible only with the participation of Ukraine, so he insisted on a trilateral format for the meeting. The Ukrainian president does not know what Trump and Putin will talk about in Alaska. He added that Ukraine expects serious sanctions from the United States against Russia.