Putin has been continuing a major bloody war with Ukraine for the fifth year, with the battlefield largely at a standstill and the Russian economy showing growing strain, writes Bloomberg.
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The US president is pushing for a quick end to the war after 13 months of failed diplomacy that has drawn criticism in Europe for pandering to Putin.
Trump and Zelensky spoke ahead of a meeting of U.S. and Ukrainian officials in Geneva on Thursday. The Ukrainian president said they agreed that the next round of U.S.-led talks with Russia in early March should “create an opportunity to move the talks to the leadership level.” In other words, a summit.
The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaia Kallas, spoke about Prospects for peace between Russia and Ukraine.
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“America has made it clear that it wants this war to end. So if you want this war to end, then we really have to do everything to put pressure on the aggressor,” Kallas said.
While Russia appears incapable of a military breakthrough, Putin shows no signs of compromising his demands for Ukrainian territory. But he also cannot risk alienating Trump.
This gives Zelensky leverage to insist on an end to the war on existing positions, while simultaneously negotiating complex agreements on a demilitarized free economic zone in eastern Donetsk, which is supported by the US.
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The parties also still have to resolve the future of Ukraine's Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. None of this is easy for Ukraine, the victim of this war. And it doesn't give Putin what he's always demanded.
Trump is likely to be increasingly preoccupied with domestic issues as the November midterm elections approach. He barely mentioned Ukraine in his address to Congress. This creates a dilemma for Putin: whether to bet that the Russian military and economy can withstand another year or more of war, or to ease the pressure and save face by making a deal now.
Previously, “FACTS” reported that Trump is insisting on a timetable for ending the war.
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