Beware of Russia Using 'Peace' as Cover to Prepare for War

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United States President Donald Trump recently met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House. The August 18 meeting followed days after Trump sat down with President Vladimir Putin of Russia in Alaska.

Zelenskyy expressed his willingness to meet the Russian president without preconditions to reach a peace agreement. Trump then spoke with Putin by phone and invited him to meet Zelenskyy one-on-one, as well as for a three-way summit that would include the US president.

Trump is aiming to hold a summit within two weeks. However, it is unclear whether Putin will agree to attend.

An expanded meeting with European leaders and Zelenskyy also took place at the White House on Monday. Trump said the United States, with other countries, would commit to providing "security guarantees," as sought by Ukraine, to prevent Russia from engaging in aggression again at a later date.

Russia is an autocratic state. Since he is a dictator, Putin's participation is essential for negotiations to succeed. President Putin should agree to a summit meeting with Zelenskyy without preconditions.

And to create the proper environment for negotiations, Russian forces must be ordered to cease fire immediately.

Ukraine's Territory At Stake

Regarding territorial issues, the focus of attention at the moment, Zelenskyy told the press, "That is a matter between me and Putin." He thereby indicated his intention to make it a topic for discussion at any summit.

At the recent US-Russia summit, Putin proposed what he euphemistically termed an "exchange of territory." He would force Ukraine to cede the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts in eastern Ukraine. Those areas are already occupied to a substantial extent by Russian forces. Russia would halt fighting along the current front lines in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts in the south in exchange, he suggested.

*President Trump welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky upon his arrival at the White House on August 18. (©Getty Images via Kyodo)*

In an interview with Fox News, Trump urged Zelenskyy to "make a deal." He emphasized that "Russia is a very big power, and they're (Ukraine) not." Such an insult cannot be overlooked as mere loose talk.

In the first place, the United States already promised to protect the "territorial integrity" of Ukraine when Kyiv agreed to abandon its nuclear weapons under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum. That is a commitment that President Trump would do well to remember.

Like America 'Giving Up Florida'

A ceasefire line might be acceptable. But the cession of territory would amount to acceptance of Russia's "change of the status quo by force." That is unacceptable. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz rightly criticized the proposed cessions, saying, "The Russian demand that Kyiv give up the free parts of Donbass corresponds, to put it bluntly, to a proposal for the United States to have to give up Florida."

Trump has not spelled out exactly what kind of "security guarantees" he has in mind. There are naturally concerns that Russia will use any negotiated "peace" as a cover to prepare for war and further invasions.

There is no point in pursuing this path unless a strong posture to protect the peace is established.