New York (AP) – President Donald Trump I’ve entered A summit with Russian Vladimir Putin In search of a ceasefire deal Threatening “serious consequences” And tough New sanctions If the Kremlin leader does not agree to stop the fighting in Ukraine.
Instead, Trump was the one who rose up and dropped his demands for a ceasefire in favor of pursuing a full peace agreement – Position matching Putin.
Trump after a call between Ukrainian President Voldy Mie Zelensky and European leaders I wrote this when he flew home From a meeting in Alaska on Friday, he said, “All the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a peace agreement that ends the war, and often does not halt.
It was a dramatic reversal that got naked The challenges of dealing with PutinHe is an unning enemy and the complexity of the conflict that Trump has repeatedly boasted during his campaign. We will resolve within 24 hours.
Trump’s position after a summit meeting with Putin
There is little detail about what the two leaders discussed or what they both constituted the progress they promoted. The White House did not respond to a message seeking comment on Saturday.
European leaders were relieved that Trump either gave up territory or otherwise refused to agree to a deal that supported Moscow, but the summit allowed Putin Reclaiming his place on the world stage And they may have bought more time to Russia to advance in the attacks in Ukraine.
“We’ve come back before without him going to Alaska,” Fiona Hill said. I met Putin in Helsinki in 2018..
In an interview, Hill claimed that Trump emerged from the meeting in a more vulnerable position on the world stage because of his turnaround. Other leaders now may look at the US president and think he is “not a big man who thinks he is and certainly not a trading genius.”
“Trump went far ahead and was sure he had the incredible power of persuasion,” she said, but he came out of the meeting without a ceasefire. They gave Russian leaders a “red carpet treatment.”
Trump “sprinted to the rocks in the form of Putin, who wanted nothing from him outside of Ukraine,” she said.
Democrats want Putin’s outcome
At home, Democrats have expressed vigilance about what they sometimes look like Respect DayTrump applauded for Putin as he walked the red carpet at an elaborate ceremony that welcomed him into our soil for the first time in a decade. The two rode together in a presidential limousine and exchanged compliments.
Trump seemed particularly reflecting his often repeated claims that if President Putin had Trump been appointed in place of then-Democrat Joe Biden, Russia would not have invaded Ukraine.
Before the news cameras, Trump did not use the opportunity to denounce Putin to launch the biggest ground invasion since World War II or in Europe. Human rights abuse has been accused of committing him. Instead, Putin was the one who spoke first and then invited Trump to join him in Moscow.
“It appears that President Trump has been reprised by Vladimir Putin,” said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, a ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “The president unfolds the red carpet and warmly greets a murderous dictator in American soil, showing that there was nothing concrete in return.”
“All is enough,” she continued. “If President Trump doesn’t act, Congress must do so decisively by crushing sanctions when he returns in the coming weeks.”
Sen. Jack Reid, a Rhode Island Democrat who is a ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, supports diplomacy, but said “peace structures must be carried out responsibly.”
“Instead of a cave on Putin, the US should join its allies in collecting new sanctions that are harshly targeted against Russia, in order to strengthen economic pressure,” he said.
Trump promotes himself as the president of peace
Trump tried to cast himself as a peace director for helping him deny the conflict between India and Pakistan, Thailand and Cambodia. He proudly mediated Peace Agreement Between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo Another person between Armenia and Azerbaijani leaders Ends decades of battle.
Trump has his eyes on the Nobel Peace Prize, with many allies offering nominations.
But Trump is struggling to advance into two of the world’s most troublesome conflicts. The Russian-Ukraine War and Israeli attacks in Gaza on Hamas.
Republicans and Trump allies have provided little response so far
In Washington, the summit was filled with mostly reactions from Trump’s allies. The Republican lawmakers who spoke out were largely reserved and generally called for continued consultation and constructive action from the Trump administration.
“President Trump has taken India and Pakistan on the condition of Rwanda and the DRC. Armenia and Azerbaijan believe in the president and believe he is doing what he always does.”
Senator Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican; I wrote it on social media After the summit, “The press conference provided little detail about their meeting,” she was “cautiously optimistic about the signal that some progress had been made.”
Murkowski said “we encourage both presidents to hear references to future meetings,” but Ukraine said “is part of a negotiated settlement and must freely agree to its terms.”
Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and Trump’s ally. I provided it He is “cautiously optimistic” that the war could end “before Christmas” if a trilateral meeting between Trump, Zelensky and Putin arises, and is “very proud” of Trump.
“I have all the confidence in the world where Donald Trump reveals this war to Putin. If so, you’re going to pay a heavy price,” he told Fox News.
For some Trump allies, the very act of him meeting Putin was well-successful: conservative activist and podcaster Charlie Kirk I called it “That’s great.”
Some see Putin’s victory and Trump’s loss
However, in Europe, the summit was considered Putin’s main diplomatic coup.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chief of the Russian Security Council, praised the summit as a breakthrough in restoring high-level dialogue between Moscow and Washington, describing it as “serene, calm and calm without the ultimate threat.”
Former Swedish Prime Minister Karl Bildt said the summit was “a clear victory for Putin. He didn’t give up any inch,” but “a clear retreat for Trump. There’s no ceasefire visible.”
“What the world sees is a weak and wobbling America,” Bildt posted on X.
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Burrows reported from London. Associated Press reporter Matt Brown of Washington and John Leicester of Paris contributed to the report.
