U.S. President Donald Trump didn¡¯t end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours like he promised, but his team took a first step last week, meeting with Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia.
Notably absent were the Ukrainian side and its European backers. We are told that this U.S.-Russia conversation will eventually encompass not only Ukraine but also arms control, sanctions on Russian hydrocarbons, Moscow¡¯s status in the Group of Seven, cyberattacks and other contentious issues.
Still, Ukraine is clearly the main issue and unfortunately it looks like Trump¡¯s idea of ending the war fast means doing very little for the people who were actually invaded. U.S. officials seemed to lean toward accepting many of Russian President Vladimir Putin¡¯s positions, e.g., no NATO membership for Ukraine and allowing Russia to control the 20% of Ukrainian territory it occupies. Trump even seems to blame Ukraine for the war.
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