Trump wants peace deal between Russia and Ukraine at G20, even if it means pressuring Kyiv – The Atlantic
US President Donald Trump dreams of standing between Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as they sign a peace agreement at the G20 summit in Miami in mid-December, even if it means putting pressure on Kyiv.
The Atlantic reports this, Censor.NET reports.
Trump’s plan
According to the publication, Trump’s ideal timing for a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine is December, when the G20 summit will take place at one of his own properties near Miami. Trump has also invited Putin to attend.
If the Kremlin leader attends, it will be his first multilateral summit in a Western country since the invasion of Ukraine began. Putin has not yet agreed.
Zelenskyy has already confirmed his participation in the G20 summit and made clear that he is ready to sit down with Putin anywhere to negotiate an end to the war. But if Trump gets his way, the publication writes, this could turn out to be a capitulation rather than a negotiation.
Three events that could determine Ukraine’s fate
According to The Atlantic’s assessment, three events could affect Ukraine’s future over the next eight weeks, as winter arrives and Russia plans to use the cold as a weapon:
- the US elections: Kyiv fears that if the Democrats win, Trump will turn even further against Ukraine in a final move while Republicans still fully control Washington;
- a proposed summit in mid-November in southern China, where, according to the publication, Putin wants to meet Trump and Xi Jinping to plan an end to the war without Ukraine’s participation;
- the G20 summit in mid-December.
One Ukrainian official, speaking anonymously, said: "It looks like all of this is happening without us."
Trump’s demands
Three people in Trump’s circle told The Atlantic that he is convinced Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries are partly intended to hurt Republicans in the elections.
One of the president’s allies said: "He could get distracted at any moment. But right now, he is furious with Ukraine and wants Zelenskyy gone."
According to the publication, some in Trump’s circle see the war not as a struggle over the world order but as an obstacle to future deals with Russia; Ukraine’s relinquishing of Donbas would open the way for trade in Russian diesel, rare-earth metals and other resources.
Zelenskyy refuses to make territorial concessions.
"We fear they see this as a new Yalta Conference, to divide the world into spheres of influence," another Ukrainian official said.
