On August 21, the Veza Public Analytics Center held an online discussion with political scientist Petro Oleshchuk regarding the outcomes of the recent Washington summit.
The main topic was the interaction of world leaders — notably Trump, Putin, and China — around the issue of Russia’s war against Ukraine and security on the European continent. The discussion analyzes how Russia seeks to impose territorial concessions as a basis for ending the war, while the US and European diplomats propose alternative agendas focusing on concrete security guarantees for Ukraine.
Special attention is paid to diplomatic tactics: how Ukraine and Europe leverage Trump’s leadership style to promote their vision, emphasizing security guarantees and temporarily postponing territorial issues. The role of China, which is increasingly determining Russia’s vector of action and reducing Putin’s role in negotiations, is also explored.
Russia's response to Western initiatives is discussed, including its reluctance to accept real security guarantees for Ukraine and its preference for collective decision-making structures that allow for vetoes.
Key is the announcement of the development of specific Ukraine security guarantees under US leadership, designed as a strong response to Russian challenges. Commentators highlight that the final political direction will depend on both Western diplomacy and the stance of China and internal Russian developments.
Experts conclude that the future course of events is hard to predict: the positions of the US, Europe, and China may prove decisive. Western security guarantees for Ukraine could be a major irritant for the Kremlin, as this issue is strategic for Russia, not merely symbolic.
