Today, U.S. and Russian leaders, Donald Trump and Putin, are set to meet in Alaska. Experts do not expect significant changes in the settlement of the situation in eastern Ukraine. For the Kremlin, the mere fact of holding negotiations is already important, as it allows them to influence the U.S. president.
Experts believe that Putin's main goal is to gain Trump's support for his initiatives and to alleviate the White House's dissatisfaction over the delays in ceasefire agreements. Predicting the summit, The New York Times emphasizes that Putin may attempt to portray Zelensky as an obstacle to peace. Trump, in turn, may underestimate the Russian leader's negotiation experience. The meeting itself is scheduled for today at 22:30 Kyiv time and will begin with one-on-one negotiations.
The Kremlin plans to discuss the possibility of restoring economic ties with the U.S. and a new nuclear weapons agreement
Despite the tension in NATO and the postponement of threats of new sanctions from Trump, experts believe that this summit represents a victory for Putin. Meanwhile, a peace agreement with Ukraine is not a top priority for Russia, which is focused on more important tasks.