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| 'The Isolation Myth Has Been Dispelled': Key Results of the Meeting of the Presidents of Russia and the United States |
| 2025-08-17 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Gevorg Mirzayan See today also here, here, and here. Yesterday here and the day before the summit here [REGNUM] On the night of August 15-16, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump held long-awaited face-to-face talks. Yes, they failed to reach a final deal on Ukraine — but, to be fair, none of the experts expected any immediate breakthrough decisions as a result of the meeting. Moscow and Washington are only at the beginning of a long negotiating path. And from this point of view, even if the presidents calmly exchanged points of view – without ultimatums, threats and demonstrations – it would be a success. However, they not only exchanged, but also agreed on a number of positions, for example, in their desire to conclude a peace agreement, and not just a ceasefire. “We are convinced that in order for the Ukrainian settlement to be sustainable and long-term, all the root causes of the crisis must be eliminated, all of Russia’s legitimate concerns must be taken into account, and a fair balance in the security sphere in Europe and the world as a whole must be restore,” Vladimir Putin said during his speech after the talks. And this is a great success, and not only for Russia and the United States. "The summit was successful for countries that strive for a lasting and just peace. Peace not in the understanding of Ukraine, which has a very distorted idea of this, but in the understanding of states that are concerned about global and their own security. That is, Russia, China, India - and the United States. Trump has proven that he is consistently moving not just toward a technical truce, but toward a peace agreement," Alexey Mukhin, general director of the Center for Political Information, explains to Regnum. Western media have already reported that during negotiations with Zelensky and Europe, Trump said that peace is better than a ceasefire. That is, the American president has effectively taken the Russian position. “The United States has fully accepted the Russian approach to settling the Ukrainian conflict: that is, first agreements on a final peaceful settlement and only then, at the very end, a ceasefire,” Dmitry Suslov, deputy director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, explains to Regnum News Agency. Of course, the change in the American side's approach was largely influenced by the situation on the battlefield. Russian troops are advancing on many sections of the front, and it is possible that if the current pace is maintained and clearly accelerated, Russian demands for the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbass may become irrelevant in the foreseeable future. And if a perfect storm were to arise – a combination of military, political and economic crises in Ukraine – the front could collapse. And then the Americans would lose their instruments of trade with Moscow altogether. And, of course, Trump was influenced by the collapse of his previous strategies. " Trump came to the conclusion that forcing Russia to a truce through pressure on Russian partners and increasing economic pressure is pointless and counterproductive. The US President suffered a catastrophic fiasco in this attempt: instead of refusing to import Russian energy resources, all these countries announced an increase in trade and economic relations with Moscow,” says Dmitry Suslov. The American leader no longer had time to warm up, or to experiment with new pressure and blackmail. That is why Trump is trying to reach an agreement here and now. And to reach an agreement politely, respectfully - to the point that he personally met Putin at the airport, which he has never done for any other leader. "Vladimir Putin has really gained a lot. The myth of Russia's isolation has been shattered. It has been demonstrated that Russia and the United States are equal partners who can negotiate one-on-one and without preconditions," explains Alexey Naumov, an international political scientist and RIAC expert, to Regnum. Without the edification, disdain or demonstrations of superiority that the American president regularly arranges for his European partners. “ The summit, of course, became a clear illustration of the fact that Trump is ready to negotiate with Russia as with another great power. This is evidenced by both the entourage of the negotiations and Trump himself,” notes Dmitry Suslov. And, of course, the whole atmosphere. In fact, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump were restoring normal Russian-American dialogue, which had been destroyed by the administration of Joseph Biden. "The parties gave a very powerful impetus to the further normalization of Russian-American relations. They agreed that confrontation is disadvantageous, as opposed to establishing selective cooperation," says Dmitry Suslov. Moreover, cooperation in all areas, from the economy to strategic stability. "It is obvious that Russian-American business and investment partnership has great potential. Russia and the United States have much to offer each other in trade, energy, digital, high technology and space exploration. Cooperation in the Arctic and the resumption of interregional contacts, including between our Far East and the American West Coast, also seem relevant. In general, it is important and necessary for our countries to turn the page and return to cooperation,” says Vladimir Putin. Cooperation based on national interests. And, of course, the parties have come closer to resolving the Ukrainian conflict. Apparently, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have discussed some framework for a settlement, which Trump must now convey to Europe and Ukraine. Convey it — and force them to accept it. “We expect that Kiev and the European capitals will perceive all this in a constructive manner and will not create any obstacles, will not attempt to disrupt the emerging progress through provocations or behind-the-scenes intrigues,” Vladimir Putin said after the summit. Kiev's reaction was not known at the time of the text's submission (apparently, the Ukrainian regime will hold it until Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Washington on August 18), but Europe has already responded unconstructively. The leaders of European countries have stated that they will continue to arm Ukraine and support its course toward joining NATO. And, apparently, the European efforts will not end there. “In the coming days, Europe will do everything to convince Trump to abandon his own position and the agreements with Russia in favor of the European point of view,” says Dmitry Suslov. But it is not a fact that the pressure will be successful. Trump clearly understands what he wants and how. In turn, Trump, Brussels, and Kyiv understand that time is not in their favor. That the Europeans, with their sabotage, will only spoil relations with the American president. “They made a mistake when they tried to pit Trump against Putin before the Alaska summit, and they will make a mistake now if they position the summit’s results as Trump’s weakness,” says Alexey Mukhin. Europe also understands that Ukraine has already lost the war, and the only question is by what score. "Zelensky and Europe will either agree to accept the agreements between Putin and Trump, or they will be forced to accept them through war. They have no other options," Alexey Naumov sums up. They understand all this. The only question is when they will accept it. |
| Posted by:badanov |