Trump's Peace Talks and the Future of Ukraine

Iruni Kalupahana JadeTimes Staff

I. Kalupahana is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Russia-Ukraine war

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Image Source: AP/AFP

Former President of the United States Donald Trump has commented on the ongoing war in Ukraine, mentioning that the country could have avoided the war if it had agreed on a deal earlier. Trump's remarks came after the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, complained about not being invited to Saudi Arabia for talks on how to put an end to the war. Trump reacted to Ukraine's reaction by commenting that he believed the war would have been simple to solve. His words have sparked debates on Ukraine's role in the war and whether diplomacy would have ended further conflict.

Separately, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Riyadh in the first high level contact between the two countries since the war began. The result of the meeting was an agreement to appoint teams for future peace negotiations. Lavrov firmly ruled out NATO peacekeeping forces in Ukraine as part of any deal. The Riyadh discussions also marked a shift in U.S. foreign policy, away from the strongly pro Ukraine stance of President Joe Biden's administration.

The European NATO countries have reacted cautiously to Trump's solo peace initiative, bitter at being left out of the decision making. At another Paris meeting, the European leaders discussed deploying troops to Ukraine. But key European leaders like Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk dismissed the idea as premature or not necessary. Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was also skeptical about the utility of deploying troops. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer emphasized the need for a strong U.S. presence in any security agreement to deter future Russian aggression.

Zelensky responded to the developments with seeming frustration, stating that Ukraine's future could not be decided in the absence of Ukraine. He criticized the Russian Riyadh delegation for spreading disinformation and reiterated that Ukraine should not be bullied into an unjustified peace deal. Despite his misgivings, he acknowledged Ukraine's heavy reliance on American support in fending off Russian attacks. Without continued aid and military equipment, the ability of Ukraine to defend itself is uncertain.

The war, which began when Russia launched a full scale invasion in February 2022, has imposed catastrophic loss and destruction. Russia's forces now control about a fifth of Ukrainian land, as Ukraine has waged counterattacks, including artillery and drone strikes. Casualty numbers are difficult to verify, but the war has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries, as well as the displacement of millions of Ukrainian civilians. While peace talks continue, the world watches to see if a lasting peace agreement is possible.