Kyiv’s reaction to Trump-Putin Ukraine talks

Wednesday’s phone call between US President Donald Trump and the Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated a radical shift in Washington‘s stance. Prior to Trump-Putin Ukraine talks, there had been no direct communication between the US and Moscow since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Now, Trump has said that he hopes to meet President Putin in Saudi Arabia for “US-Russia peace talks” to end the war. However, he did not say anything to suggest that Ukraine would be included in the meeting.

Trump foreign policy on Russia

Trump’s secretary of defence, Pete Hegseth, has declared that Ukraine must be prepared to cede territory currently under Russian occupation in exchange for peace. He also made clear that the US “does not believe that Ukraine NATO membership is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement.”

Trump foreign policy on Russia is a U-turn on the previous administration’s policy. Trump’s foreign policy on NATO and Ukraine is indifferent. He is prepared to get the job done, with or without them, with the reward of rebuilding Ukraine on the table, the European leaders are considering their options.

The complex history of US-Russia diplomatic talks seem not to bother Trump at all.

Kyiv’s reaction to Trump-Putin Ukraine talks

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that Kyiv “will not accept” any agreements made without Ukraine’s involvement. It was crucial, he said, that “everything does not go according to Putin’s plan.” In this case. Putin apparently wishes to conduct bilateral negotiations exclusively with the US.

Zelensky sees Europe as his saving grace and is urging European leaders to come to the table and participate in negotiations to end the war with Russia. His conversation with Trump took place only after the US president had first called Putin. However, the Ukrainian leader said he did not believe that Trump was favoring Russia in doing so. He did, however, concede that it was “not pleasant.”

Meanwhile, Iryna Herashchenko, a member of Ukraine’s parliament for the opposition party European Solidarity led by former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko, criticised Zelensky on social media. “At such a difficult time for Ukraine, I wish the president would follow the example of our European partners, who issued a joint statement demanding Europe’s participation in future negotiations,” she wrote. Herashchenko also expressed concerns that the bilateral US-Russia peace talks was “a violation of the principle ‘Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”

Trump foreign policy on Russia

However, while some politicians and media outlets see Trump Putin Ukraine talks as a “betrayal” of Ukraine, experts speaking with DW News did not agree. “I do not share the opinion that the US will negotiate with Russia without Ukraine,” said Volodymyr Fesenko, of Penta, a center for political studies in Kyiv. “If that were the case, Trump would not have spoken to Zelensky immediately after Putin. The fact that he informed Zelensky about the next steps means that Ukraine is still involved.”

Nonetheless, Fesenko does fear that Trump foreign policy on Russia is considerably different to what it was and Trump may negotiate first with Russia and then involve Ukraine, or put pressure on Ukraine to accept.

“Putin will try to pressure Trump on key issues at the meeting in Saudi Arabia, and force the US to put pressure on Zelensky. At present, though, the US still maintains the position that Ukraine has to be part of the negotiations. So it’s too early to draw dire conclusions,” he said.

On Ukraine NATO membership

The European allies have been blindsided by Trump-Putin Ukraine talks on Ukraine and the fact that he has already ruled out NATO membership suggests the two leaders have an understanding.

The former Ukrainian foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin expects that Putin will try to limit Ukraine’s sovereignty in negotiations with Trump. He also believes Trump used the phone call with Putin to elevate unofficial contacts between his administration and the Kremlin to an official level. 

Has Trump already played all his cards?

“It’s as if Trump has been hypnotized by Putin,” commented Oleksiy Melnyk from the Razumkov Center, a public policy think tank in Kyiv. He said he was astonished by the US president’s phone call with Putin, and the ease with which core issues such as Ukraine NATO membership and territorial integrity were passed over.

With some commentators suggesting that before even entering into negotiations, he had played all his cards. Normally this would make you wonder which concessions he’ll still be willing to make. But the way this has been presented suggests the president has had this plan brewing for a while. This does make sense, Trump and putin have always had a cordial and considered relationship. 

Russia’s territorial claims and what they mean for Ukraine implies Putin got what he wanted. The policy expert Oleksiy Melnyk said “If he’s willing to abandon Ukraine’s right to territorial integrity and its right to independent foreign policy, what demands is he still able to make of Putin?”. 

Will the US force Ukraine into a bad peace deal with Russia?”>The US will force Ukraine into a bad peace deal with Russia, perhaps, but Trump’s only objective is to be seen as the peacemaker or dealmaker

The Future of NATO: US and European Tensions

Europe must present a united front in this regard. Some European countries are making it clear that the Trump administration’s position is not really acceptable, but If the majority of EU partners agree on a common position, then you may have a policy that can persuade Trump to involve the EU.

This must be proactive role backed by concrete measures and resources and Ukraine should focus on preventing any restrictions to its sovereignty or its foreign policy choice to align with the West.

But Trump is also planning on using Starmer in this equation, as Stamer heads off to have a private audience with the President, Trump will expect Starmer to support him and thus break the EU’ resolve so that he can pick them off one by one, with trade incentives. 

What will President Putin want?

Putin will call for Russia’s annexation of occupied Ukrainian territories to be recognised, if not by law, so its irreversible. He will also Putin demand the limitation of Ukraine’s military potential and that no Western weapons or troops be stationed in Ukraine.

His next aim will be to restrict Ukraine NATO membership or joining the EU, and seek the amendment of the Ukraine’s constitution to make Russian an official language, and try to impose federalisation.

Analysing the mood of Trump Putin Ukraine talks, the latter maybe concessions he is willing to accept since he must also give and take. The optics must appear that Ukraine has won something, or else two years of fighting and thousands of deaths will mean nothing.