KYIV AND EUROPE FACE A DILEMMA
For its part, Europe, caught off balance by the announcement of the summit, has been scrambling, fearful of being presented with a done deal.
European leaders have reiterated their strong support for Ukraine, insisting that Kyiv must be involved in any negotiations concerning Ukraine’s security. Together with Zelenskyy, they plan to hold a “virtual” meeting with Trump on Wednesday this week, Aug 13, seeking to shape the outcomes of the summit.
Zelenskyy has declared that any agreement reached at the summit without input from Kyiv would amount to “dead decisions”. Kyiv sees no evidence on the battlefield that Russia is ready to end the fighting – indeed warning that any concessions to Putin would only encourage Russia to continue the war.
Yet Kyiv (and its European backers) face a dilemma: While wary of being presented with an unpalatable deal, they don’t want to risk angering Washington by appearing to be the obstacle to a negotiated agreement.
For Putin, Washington’s agreement to hold the summit is itself a gift – an unrequited concession. Such meetings, echoing past US-Soviet high-level encounters, give the Russian leader the status and respect as an equal partner he craves, and accords with Putin’s view of how great powers should dispose of world affairs between themselves, deciding spheres of influence.
Moreover, Washington’s comments to media, suggesting possible “territorial swaps” before the summit has even occurred, and absent any credible signs of Russia’s willingness to stop the fighting, fuels unfortunate speculation that the talks will be held on Moscow’s terms.
To be sure, Kyiv may indeed have to accept Russian de facto control of parts of eastern Ukraine as part of any eventual settlement to end the fighting.
But to concede this likelihood up front is a puzzling negotiating tactic. It will alarm those who suspect that Ukraine, and Washington’s European allies, will be presented with a fait accompli, and fuel speculation that the administration’s main objective is to reach a quick deal, and promote normalisation of relations with Russia.
