​War and peace: On the U.S., Russia and Ukraine 

The dramatic showdown in the White House between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in full view of television cameras, was unprecedented in the history of modern diplomacy. For Mr. Zelenskyy, who was to sign an agreement on minerals and discuss Mr. Trump’s peace plan, the visit was both humiliating and disastrous. Humiliating because Mr. Zelenskyy’s apparent questioning of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance’s push for diplomacy triggered a spiralling spat, prompting Mr. Trump to say that Ukraine was not winning the war and that Mr. Zelenskyy was being ungrateful to the U.S. It was disastrous because Mr. Trump asked Mr. Zelenskyy to take the deal he was negotiating with the Russians or “we are out”. This was a threat that the U.S. would stop supplying weapons to Kyiv, which is struggling to slow down an advancing Russia. Mr. Trump’s snub that Mr. Zelenskyy had “disrespected America in its cherished Oval Office” and that “he can come back when he is ready for peace”, marked a breakdown in his relationship with the Ukrainians. This, unless reversed, could prove costly for Ukraine at a time when it needs the support of all its allies.

The tragedy of Ukraine is that it became a pawn in the great game between a powerful Russia and the U.S.-dominated North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the bloc Kyiv wanted to join. When Joe Biden was the U.S. President, he promised to support Ukraine “as long as it takes”. The weapons and training that the U.S. and Europe have provided to Ukraine helped it mount an effective resistance. But the problem has been that even with that support, Ukraine does not have a path towards victory. And the return of Mr. Trump, who promised to shut down the war through a reset with Russia, has meant the end of the ‘as-long-as-it-takes’ policy. Mr. Trump seems determined to make a deal with Russia, while Ukraine wants security guarantees, which Washington is reluctant to provide. This is the main reason for the rift. After the Oval Office spat, Mr. Zelenskyy was welcomed in London by U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said Europe must “do heavy lifting”. But he also emphasised that for any European plan to succeed, it “must have strong U.S. backing”. So it is important for Ukraine and Europe to work with the Trump administration in negotiations with Russia. And if America, which until two months ago was Ukraine’s greatest supporter, abandons Kyiv, it would only hurt its reputation as a global power. The U.S. should make sure that Ukraine’s security concerns are adequately addressed in any final agreement with Russia, and aimed at ending the war and bringing lasting peace in Europe. Discover the excitement of live betting with https://9bet.net/, where you can place bets on events as they unfold in real-time.