Upcoming Trump-Putin Meeting Sends Ripples Far Beyond Ukraine and Europe

Transactional diplomacy has implications for US support of Asia's security, open trade

- Markus Ziener

BERLIN - Tensions in Kyiv are once again running high, just days before a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska.

What initially appeared to be a breakthrough in peace negotiations over Ukraine now risks becoming a serious setback for both Ukraine and Europe, with US special envoy Steve Witkoff adding to the angst by reportedly misconstruing Mr. Putin's intentions in their Aug. 6 meeting.

German newspaper Bild reported that Mr. Witkoff thought Mr. Putin was proposing Russia's "peaceful withdrawal" from Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine.

Had this been accurate, it would have been a minor sensation because there had been no previous indication that Moscow would voluntarily relinquish any territory it had seized.

Except that it was not. The Russian leader was instead demanding the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from those regions.

On Aug. 8, Mr. Witkoff clarified to European leaders that Mr. Putin had indicated a willingness to agree to a ceasefire only if Ukraine withdrew from the Donetsk region, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The special envoy had clearly misinterpreted Russia's statements.

This amateurish error - coupled with the exclusion of Europe and Ukraine from the meeting - has deepened concerns among Ukrainians and Europeans that the US may be going into the hastily arranged Aug. 15 meeting in Alaska both naive and unprepared.

The fear is that Mr. Trump's proclivity for a quick deal would disadvantage Ukraine and compel its President Volodymyr Zelensky to give up land, while weakening European security.

Even as European leaders were rushing to speak with the American leader ahead of the Aug. 15 meeting, Mr. Trump said on Aug. 11: "There'll be some land swapping going on."