Ukraine peace talks risk rewarding Putin whose red lines haven’t shifted
Europe is concerned that Vladimir Putin could be left to fight another day.
Meanwhile Donald Trump clearly wants to be remembered as the president who ended
the war – but at what cost?
By Mark Stone, US correspondent, and Ivor Bennett, Moscow correspondent
Thursday 13 February 2025 00:22, UK
Donald Trump has promised peace talks and teased the prospect of ending the war
in Ukraine but, in the background, there are potential complications.
Here’s what Sky News’ experts think about what America’s new military policy
[https://news.sky.com/story/us-troops-will-not-be-used-to-secure-ukraine-peace-following-ceasefire-deal-with-putin-trumps-defence-secretary-tells-allies-13307774]
and these planned negotiations
[https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-war-donald-trump-says-peace-negotiations-with-russia-to-start-immediately-13307967]
could mean for Russia [https://news.sky.com/topic/russia-5803], the US
[https://news.sky.com/topic/usa-10059], and Ukraine
[https://news.sky.com/topic/ukraine-6556] – along with its aspirations to join
its European allies in NATO [https://news.sky.com/topic/nato-5921].
A short-term win that risks rewarding Putin
by Mark Stone, US correspondent
In the Oval Office, President Trump
[https://news.sky.com/topic/donald-trump-5711] refused to say that Ukraine is an
equal member of the negotiation with Russia to end the war. That refusal marks
the end of a remarkable day.
I think what we have seen over the day, from an American perspective, is the
confirmation of a profound shift in American influence, power and footprint in
Europe. A ground-shifting moment.
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The post-WWII principle of American leadership, of America as the leading
protector of Western principles and Western territory, seems to have been deeply
eroded, maybe abandoned.
For the first time, America has said that its priorities prevent it from being
focused on Europe.
Europe must finally get serious when it comes to its own defence
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Greenland claims
US defence secretary signals dramatic shift in American military policy away
from Europe, warning allies about ‘stark strategic realities’
The call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin
[https://news.sky.com/topic/vladimir-putin-5972] is the first by a US president
since Biden [https://news.sky.com/topic/joe-biden-7848] spoke to Putin in
December 2021 – before the invasion.
Ukraine latest: Trump and Putin plan to meet
[https://news.sky.com/story/ukraine-russia-war-latest-putin-trump-moscow-zelenskyy-kremlin-live-sky-news-latest-12541713]
President Trump was effusive in how he framed the call which was an hour and a
half long – it was positive and we’re told he sees Russia as a ‘great competitor
and at times an adversary’.
We don’t know what President Trump said to President Putin, what he committed to
him, what he didn’t. The US defence secretary certainly seems to have conceded
some key bargaining chips to Russia – land, no NATO membership or protection for
Ukraine.
Trump’s mission has been to stop the fighting. He might do that – a big
short-term win for him to trumpet to the American people.
The concern in Europe is that it’s a short-term win; that it will reward Putin;
that America’s retreat will weaken Europe and maybe leave Putin to fight another
day.
Putin’s red lines on NATO expansion haven’t shifted
by Ivor Bennett, Moscow correspondent
We knew there’d be contact between the two leaders at some point but this is
still a hugely significant moment.
It fires the starting gun on the negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, and it
may prove a watershed moment for other matters too – NATO unity, Ukrainian
sovereignty and Russia-US cooperation.
Ukraine seems to be the issue on which everything else hinges when it comes to
Washington and Moscow resuming ties – unlock that and Trump seems to believe a
relationship can blossom: “We each talked about the strengths of our respective
nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together”.
But at what cost? It’s a question Kyiv will be asking itself with trepidation.
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Donald Trump clearly wants to be remembered as the president who ended the war
and healed the world, and it seems he’s even willing to travel to Moscow in
order to make that happen.
For Bill Clinton [https://news.sky.com/topic/bill-clinton-8212] and George W
Bush [https://news.sky.com/topic/george-w-bush-7186] it was a regular port of
call, visiting five times and seven times respectively. Barack Obama
[https://news.sky.com/topic/barack-obama-5905] came twice, but after his trip in
2013 for a G20 summit, the visits suddenly stopped. The reason – Russia annexed
Crimea.
So given everything that’s happened since then, it would be quite the coup for
the Kremlin if Donald Trump did visit.
Russia’s so-called special military operation wasn’t supposed to end in
negotiations, but the leader of the free world flying into Moscow on a peace
mission? You can see how Russia could spin that as a victory over the collective
West.
But that’s not to say that a peace deal will be easy.
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There’s one line in the Kremlin’s read-out of the call that makes you wonder. It
reads: “President Putin, for his part, mentioned the need to eliminate the root
causes of the conflict”.
When Vladimir Putin talks about root causes, he means NATO expansion.
That’s what he claims is the reason for the war in Ukraine. And stating this in
the call with Trump suggests his red lines haven’t shifted – no NATO membership
for Ukraine, and that Kyiv must withdraw its troops from the four Ukrainian
territories Russia currently occupies.
