Russia and Ukraine summits show Trump can push for peace

By hosting an unprecedented short-notice summit with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and key European leaders on Monday, President Donald Trump significantly raised the prospects for ending Russia's three-and-a-half-yearlong war against Ukraine.

- Mikhail Alexseev, Tribune News Service

The vibe at the opening was affable and positive. The participants genuinely looked determined to work out compromises that only a few weeks ago appeared illusory. It was a good sign for long-term Euro-Atlantic security cooperation in the face of challenges that, in Trump's words, we have not faced since World War Il, Toward the end, Trump’s call to Moscow brought a followup US-Ukraine-Russia summit within reach.

But the rising expectations also reveal formidable obstacles on the path to peace. As the world’s leaders were heading to Washington, Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s forces unleashed 182 infantry assaults, |52 massive glide bombs, more than 5,100 artillery rounds and 5,000 kamikaze drones on Ukraine's defenses and 40 long-range drones and four Iskander ballistic missiles on Ukraine's cities. The attacks claimed at least IO civilian lives, including a small child. This show Russia attacks Ukraine daily, signaling disrespect for Trump's diplomacy.