The decision by the United States to engage in discussions with Russia regarding Ukraine without the inclusion of Ukrainian representatives encapsulates the prevailing power disparity that is destabilizing security expectations across Europe.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, has persistently insisted that Kyiv must be included in any negotiations aimed at resolving Vladimir Putin‘s conflict for any potential resolution to be credible. His counterparts in Europe also seek a role in the discussions.
Nevertheless, these appeals were disregarded by Donald Trump and his authoritarian approach to foreign relations, as he opted instead to send his senior diplomat along with two other high-ranking officials to engage with Russian representatives in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
(L-R) The U.S. delegation in Riyadh featured Steve Witkoff, Marco Rubio, and Mike Waltz. Pic: Reuters
Latest updates on the Ukraine conflict: Trump expresses increased confidence in reaching a peace agreement
Mr. Zelenskyy, seemingly by coincidence, was preparing for a previously arranged visit to the kingdom on the same day.
However, he opted to postpone the trip to avoid appearing to confer any legitimacy on the bilateral discussions between Moscow and Washington.
Tragically for Kyiv, apart from vocal opposition, it possesses only limited avenues to influence the disruptive dynamics of the Trump administration in its favor.
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The Ukrainian armed forces remain heavily dependent on U.S. armaments to counter Russia’s invasion, and Mr. Zelenskyy has indicated a preference for the inclusion of American personnel in any future international peacekeeping mission that may be established to oversee a ceasefire – despite the fact that the U.S. has shown reluctance to undertake this role and the Kremlin has deemed it “unacceptable.”
This grants Mr. Trump considerable influence over his Ukrainian counterpart, a leverage he is likely to exploit to push negotiations, potentially on terms disadvantageous to Kyiv.
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Ukrainians respond to US-Russia discussions
Reports indicate that the U.S. has already attempted to compel Ukraine to relinquish a substantial portion of its natural resources as payment for American assistance – an unsettling proposal that Mr. Zelenskyy has thus far rejected, highlighting the emerging transactional nature of U.S. foreign policy.
Mr. Trump has consistently promised to bring the war in Ukraine to an end – even asserting during his campaign that he could achieve this within a mere 24 hours.
Yet he never articulated a clear plan for achieving that.
Recent developments over the past week, however, suggest an unfavorable trend for Ukraine.
From unilaterally initiating calls with Vladimir Putin to endorsing such a high-profile meeting with Russian officials in Riyadh, it appears that the only metric of importance to the White House is power; and at this moment, both Kyiv and its European allies appear to be in a position of significant weakness.
