Ukrainians went to bed on Friday night with the unsettling thought that Donald Trump could be tempted into making significant concessions during his summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Upon waking, they soon discovered the meeting had concluded without any strategic or political breakthroughs, turning what could have been dire news into a rare sigh of relief.
However, the absence of any real dialogue quickly shifted attention to the presentation and atmosphere of the summit—what political insiders refer to as the "optics." Trump welcomed Putin with a full display of pomp, even rolling out a red carpet for the Russian president, while American soldiers showed their deference by kneeling for the occasion. As they arrived at Trump’s presidential limousine, the two leaders shared laughter, further emphasizing the friendly tones of their encounter.
In Ukraine, this warm welcome was nothing short of disturbing. Maria Drachova, a lawyer from Kyiv, stated, "Red carpets and this level of ceremony are normal at international events, but for an aggressor responsible for the deaths of millions, it should not have happened." She further expressed, "The rational world is behaving irrationally in giving him this welcome," indicating a deep sense of dismay at the stage-managing of events meant to please the Russian leader.
Putin's arrival in Alaska was marked by an impressive military display, with four American fighter jets escorting his plane. The imagery of a B-2 bomber flying overhead as he and Trump shared jovial conversation did not sit well with many Ukrainians. Oleksandr Kovalenko, a political analyst, described the summit as the "legitimisation of a war criminal at the highest level," criticizing the excessive pomp for someone responsible for significant civilian casualties.
During their press conference, a pointed question directed at Putin asked if he would halt the attacks on civilians. His smirk and dismissive gesture suggested a disregard for the question, leading Serhii Orlyk, a resident of the war-torn Donetsk region, to feel crushed by the display. Having lost his home and relatives to the conflict, he found the warm interactions difficult to stomach, stating, "It was a very unpleasant spectacle—especially his smirks."
The dynamic of the summit continued to unfold awkwardly as Trump allowed Putin to dominate the subsequent press statements. The Russian leader spoke for eight minutes without addressing the root cause of the war initiated by Russia—an omission glaring in its absence. Trump managed only a brief two-minute address, with observers noting he appeared deflated, having failed to secure any significant agreements.
According to Kier Giles, a senior fellow at the Russia and Eurasia program at Chatham House, the meeting inadvertently offered a substantial victory for Putin, reinstating him on the world stage in a manner that should not have been possible for a leader viewed as an internationally wanted war criminal. He suggested that the US approach could further complicate European leaders' strategies towards dealing with Putin's demands over Ukraine.
In response, Ukrainian President Zelensky emphasized the necessity for European leaders to be involved in negotiations, forming a bulwark against potential undue influences from the US. He is set to return to Washington shortly, hoping this time for a more favorable outcome during negotiations.
While some analysts see the summit as merely Trump’s whim, they stress that extravagant ceremonies for Putin should not factor into US strategies in the region. Kovalenko remarked, "Perhaps this was all intended to deceive and flatter Putin, but I doubt it. More likely it is Trump’s whim, without any strategy at all."
