Daily Sabah (21 August 2025)

Teoman Ertuğrul TULUN

Trump-Putin talks and the Zelenskyy meeting reveal shifts in U.S. policy and Russia’s growing leverage

Recent U.S.-Russia negotiations in Alaska, together with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s pivotal meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Aug. 18, have drawn global attention to the persistent challenges of ending the Russia-Ukraine war. These events highlight the shifting currents of international diplomacy and the potential emergence of new actors seeking greater influence. With traditional alliances under pressure and regional powers like Türkiye repositioning themselves, each leadership meeting and summit now carries outsized importance in shaping both the trajectory of the conflict and the evolving balance of global power.

The latest summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska concluded without a cease-fire agreement on Ukraine, despite both leaders claiming progress and expressing optimism for future negotiations. Discussions centered on the Russian proposal that Ukraine should relinquish full control of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in exchange for a halt to Russian offensives in Kherson and Zaporizhia, but Zelenskyy dismissed these demands and insisted on robust security guarantees for Kyiv. Notably, Trump has changed his stance, now agreeing with Putin that a definitive peace agreement should be sought rather than relying on temporary cease-fires, a shift from prior U.S. policy. No firm timeline for future talks was established, and Russia faced no new sanctions or deadlines, which analysts view as an advantage for Putin. The outcomes highlight ongoing disagreements over territory, security and the broader balance of power, marking this summit as a reflection of intensified multipolar rivalries and underscoring the persistent obstacles to resolving the conflict.

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