 "Did Donald Trump just sell out Ukraine and switch to Russia's side?")
US President Donald Trump’s call with Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent shockwaves through Europe.
The two men agree to begin talks to end the Ukraine war and visit each other’s nations.
The Kremlin said that Putin invited the US president to Russia.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has protested – saying Ukraine would not accept any peace deal hammered out between by Trump and Putin without Kyiv.
European leaders too have been vehement about the need for Ukraine to be part of any lasting solution.
But did Trump just sell out Ukraine for Russia? What does this mean for Kyiv?
Let’s take a closer look:
What happened?
Trump called both Putin and Zelenskyy on Wednesday.
Trump said he spent more than an hour on the phone with Putin.
“I think we’re on the way to getting peace," Trump said.
He noted that he later spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but he was noncommittal about whether Ukraine would be an equal participant in US negotiations with Russia.
Though Trump initially hinted that he and Putin would meet in Saudi Arabia, he later clarified that it would be top officials from both countries, as per The Washington Post.
Trump insisted that everyone just wants peace.
“I think President Putin wants peace and President Zelenskyy wants peace and I want peace," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “I just want to see people stop being killed.”
Of his conversation with Putin, Trump said, “People didn’t really know what President Putin’s thoughts were. But I think I can say with great confidence, he wants to see it ended also, so that’s good — and we’re going to work toward getting it ended and as fast as possible.”
As per NDTV, Trump said Ukraine would be ‘part of’ the talks.
“Russia is going to be there with our people,” the US president said, as per BBC. “Ukraine is also invited, by the way, not sure exactly who’s going to be there from any country - but high-level people from Russia, from Ukraine and from the United States.”
But Zelenskyy adviser Dmytro Lytvyn said Ukraine had ‘no plans’ to attend such a meeting.
Zelenskyy himself struck a downbeat note.
“We cannot accept it, as an independent country,” he was quoted as saying by BBC.
He added that “security guarantees” without US support were meaningless.
Zelenskyy is set to meet Vance in Munich.
What does this mean for Kyiv?
Experts say this is terrible news for Kyiv – and great news for Moscow.
“It’s a bad sign that he has talked first to Putin, not to Zelenskyy,” Oleksandr Merezhko, a member of the Ukrainian parliament and the chair of the body’s foreign affairs committee, told ABC News.
“Such a phone call is in itself a reward for Putin,” he added. “It’s sort of a break in his political isolation.”
A Ukrainian military officer, speaking to The Washington Post on condition of anonymity, slammed “the greatest disappointment from the actions of the United States.”
“Your politicians have lost their dignity,” the officer said. “Ukraine’s betrayal after Afghanistan will have catastrophic consequences for America’s perception in the world.”
Mykola Bilieskov, a Ukrainian political analyst at a think tank linked to the presidential office, said it was “frightening” that Trump seemed “to do everything in terms of settlement at [the] price of Ukraine, its security, well-being and all else.”
“We only now understand what Ukraine might be asked to sacrifice.”
“Russia would pocket everything and then violate all promises,” Bilieskov added. “I just can’t understand that people want to repeat the same mistake — placating [Russia] at our cost. … It didn’t work numerous times. Why will it work this time?”
But some remain defiant.
Richard Kemp, who commanded British troops in Afghanistan, told BBC it remains “unclear how long Russia will be able to do this for".
“I think Russia needs to end the conflict. But I think the outcome of peace talks is far more likely to be in Putin’s favour than Ukraine’s,” Kemp added.
“We might end up with an occupied or partially occupied Ukraine and Russia in a position where it can lick its wounds and then potentially rebuild its armed forces, hope to rebuild its economy so that it can start again perhaps on Ukraine or perhaps on somewhere else in the future.”
“The tragic reality is that it is going to look like a victory for Russia than for Ukraine or NATO.”
Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko told BBC it is “highly unlikely” Russia and the US will be able to reach an agreement without Ukraine.
“This is two major superpowers who have a lot of weight over what goes on Ukraine. But let me just remind you that in 2022, when Russia escalated the aggression, Ukraine had no military aid, Ukraine had no financial aid,” Vasylenko said.
“The world - including the United States - were expecting Ukraine to collapse, and yet we stood. And this is what will happen in this case as well,” Vasylenko added.
Leaders in US and Europe have slammed Trump.
Ex-Trump NSA John Bolton, told CNN “they’re drinking vodka straight out of the bottle in the Kremlin tonight. It was a great day for Moscow.”
“By making these and others concessions before negotiations even started, Trump has effectively surrendered to Putin on Ukraine,” Bolton was quoted as saying.
“I warned many times that Trump will favor Russia in negotiations between Zelensky and Putin. Russia’s military performance has been miserable, but Trump is vindicating Putin’s decision to invade. The harm to US security interests will extend well beyond Central Europe, as our adversaries in the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific can plainly see.”
Trump’s ex Vice-President Mike Pence wrote on X, Mr. President, Ukraine will only “be Russian someday” if the United States abandons them to Putin’s brutal invasion…. Stand Firm. If Ukraine falls, it will only be a matter of time until Russia invades a NATO ally our troops will be required to defend.”
French President Emmanuel Macron told the Financial Times only Zelensky could negotiate on behalf of his country.
Macron said a “peace that is a capitulation” would be “bad news for everyone”.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas added, “Any quick fix is a dirty deal.”
The Washington Post quoted Kallas as saying the US had given Russia “everything that they want even before the negotiations.”
“If there is agreement made behind our backs, it will simply not work,” she said. “You need Europeans and Ukrainians to implement this deal.”
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Europe is essential to any “emerging order” and should not sit at the “kids’ table.”
Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, added, “This is not how others do foreign policy, but this is now the reality. Any negotiations should not “go over the heads of the Ukrainians.”
The Guardian quoted Keir Starmer’s spokesperson said there could be “no negotiation about Ukraine without Ukraine.
However, the newspaper noted that this is precisely what occurred.
With inputs from agencies
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