After the presidential meeting in Alaska, Russia's president Vladimir Putin is now reported to want parts of the Ukrainian Donbass area, including parts controlled by Ukraine, to be transferred to Russia. In return, Putin is said to have offered a written promise not to attack Ukraine or other European countries. On Monday, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyj will meet with US President Donald Trump in Washington to discuss the path to peace.
Ukrainians and Zelenskyj are much better prepared now, says Erik Åsard, who is a professor emeritus of North American Studies at Uppsala University.
Have learned
A few things distinguish Monday's meeting from the failed conversation in February between Zelenskyj, Trump, and US Vice President JD Vance, who meant that Zelenskyj had been ungrateful to the US.
After the phone call with Trump, Zelenskyj thanked him for the invitation to Washington, so it's a sign that the Ukrainians have learned a bit after that terrible experience, says Erik Åsard.
Åsard also hopes that Zelenskyj uses an interpreter in his dealings with Trump.
It was a big mistake last time. He was at a disadvantage when he couldn't speak his first language, says Erik Åsard, and means that it's constructive that Zelenskyj gets to bring a European leader to calm down the atmosphere.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced that she will participate along with other European leaders, including Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
Stubb and Trump have, through strange paths, gotten a good relationship. That's something Trump values when it comes to diplomacy.
Diplomatic front
Kjell Engelbrekt, a professor at the Defense University, notes that Russia has had the initiative on the battlefield during the summer but has been isolated in foreign policy. The summit with Trump gave Putin a chance to "open a diplomatic front in the war".
"I imagine that Zelenskyj will mostly need to focus on damage control at the meeting with Trump. He will need a lot of support from his European colleagues so that the starting position doesn't get weakened," writes Kjell Engelbrekt in a comment to TT.
Erik Åsard emphasizes that the meeting's main issue is whether Trump will already appoint a scapegoat for his own failure.
This is about what Trump wants and his intentions. Whether one will humiliate Zelenskyj again or if he has some understanding of Ukraine's demands, that's the most important question, says Erik Åsard.
