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Sneaky Putin tactic right under Trump’s nose

Behind the smiles in Alaska, the Trump-Putin summit left more questions than answers — and it played right into the Russian leader’s hands.

 

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, right, and Vladimir Zelensky participate in a media conference at EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. © AP Photo

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, right, and Vladimir Zelensky participate in a media conference at EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025. © AP Photo

As anticipated, the Trump-Putin summit in Anchorage ended without a ceasefire, or even a road map to halt Russia’s three-and-a-half-year invasion of Ukraine.

Both leaders claimed there was “progress,” but neither announced concrete steps, and the meeting concluded with no deal.

The optics of two adversaries coming together in front of a “Pursuing Peace” banner were appealing, but in reality, the entire charade was little more than a flexing contest between two of the world’s most brash leaders.

For some analysts, the “showdown” played right into Putin’s plans.

As the pair shook hands and smiled for cameras, major EU players moved quickly to restate the first principles of achieving peace.

“International borders must not be changed by force.”

That messaging came as a co-ordinated statement from 26 EU leaders in the days around the summit and has since been reiterated as leaders converge on Washington to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky.

 

Shaking hands in front of a ‘pursuing peace’ banner plays right into both of the leaders’ hands. (Photo by Drew ANGERER / AFP)
Shaking hands in front of a ‘pursuing peace’ banner plays right into both of the leaders’ hands. (Photo by Drew ANGERER / AFP)

 

It is the exact opposite of what Putin desires to achieve from meeting with Trump on foreign soil.

Research Fellow at the The Foundation for Defense of Democracies Dr Ivana Stradner says it was always going to be a PR-fest with little in the way of actual progress, arguing it was just another ploy by Putin to strategise.

“This meeting was not about ceasefire per se, it was a diplomatic game on both sides,” Dr Stradner told news.com.au.

“Putin only understands the language of power and President Trump should continue with his ‘peace through strength’ strategy by imposing more sanctions on Russia and delivering more weapons to Ukraine.”

She claims that Putin is using negotiations to “buy more time to lock in his military gains” and “to show that Russia is on a par with the US” and is still a “great power”.

“Ukraine should not cede territory. This is Russia’s ploy,” she said.

 

B-2 stealth bombers were on display. (Photo by Gavriil GRIGOROV / POOL / AFP)
B-2 stealth bombers were on display. (Photo by Gavriil GRIGOROV / POOL / AFP)

 

The Anchorage meet-up produced no ceasefire and no agreed mechanism to stop the fighting. Both Russian and US accounts left key issues vague, while follow-on diplomacy shifted to Washington, where Zelensky and a host of European leaders are pressing for robust security guarantees that keep Ukraine in the driver’s seat.

For some, the insistence that Ukraine must not give up an inch of land is just another excuse for perpetual war. But others say the precedent — that an invading power can just stroll in, start a costly war and negotiate its way out — must not be set.

Meanwhile, Trump’s team has floated NATO-like “security guarantees,” but even sympathetic accounts concede that details are unsettled and any US pledge would fall outside formal NATO membership.

But Stradner warns that Putin has likely accounted for this outcome.

“Moscow is also using this meeting to try to lure the US into thinking that ‘peace through trade’ will work… In practice, Putin believes in a ‘zero sum strategy’ thinking that ‘Trump’s loss is Putin’s gain.’

Putin is likely rubbing his hands together at the recent tensions between the US and EU, largely caused by Trump’s aggressive tariff policies that have affected several economies.

“The Western centre of gravity is alliance, and this would be a dream come true for Putin as he wants to divorce the US from the EU,” Stradner says.

Meanwhile, Zelensky has pushed back against Trump’s claim that the fate of the war lies solely on his nation.

 

Meanwhile, Zelensky has pushed back against Trump’s claim that the fate of the war lies solely on his nation’s co-operation. (Photo by Simon Wohlfahrt / AFP)
Meanwhile, Zelensky has pushed back against Trump’s claim that the fate of the war lies solely on his nation’s co-operation. (Photo by Simon Wohlfahrt / AFP)

 

A lot rides on his next meeting with Trump, which is in about 12 hours time.

He has been vocal upon his arrival in Washington, posting a rebuke to Trump’s comments earlier in the day.

“Russia must end this war, which it itself started. I hope that our joint strength with America, with our European friends, will force Russia into a real peace,“ Zelensky wrote on his social media platforms.

In his meeting with Trump last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded Ukraine withdraw from two eastern regions. Later on Sunday, Trump appeared to endorse Putin’s demand.

“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight. Remember how it started. No getting back Obama given Crimea (12 years ago, without a shot being fired!), and NO GOING INTO NATO BY UKRAINE. Some things never change!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Zelensky and many of his European counterparts have repeatedly rejected any suggestion of surrendering territory.

“We share a strong desire to end this war quickly and reliably. And peace must be lasting,” Zelensky wrote, stressing that earlier agreements like the ineffective 1994 “security guarantees” must not be repeated, in order to ensure lasting peace.

Author: Alex Blair

Source: News Corp Australia Network:

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