Already next week Trump meets Putin - but expert sees only one real winner
US President Donald Trump wants to meet Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in person next week - without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. Experts warn that this will be very convenient for Putin diplomatically.
08.08.2025, 07:53
08.08.2025, 07:54
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- Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin want to meet in person for the first time in years.
- The meeting will take place without preconditions and Zelensky is to be included at a later date.
- Political analysts see this as a diplomatic success for Putin without him making any concessions.
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin want to meet in person next week to discuss a possible end to the war in Ukraine. The date and venue have yet to be decided, but both sides have declared that the time is ripe for such a summit. According to information from Washington, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi will only be involved at a later stage.
When asked by journalists whether Putin would have to meet with Zelensky first, Trump replied curtly: "No." He also left open whether he would stick to his self-imposed ultimatum that a ceasefire must be reached by August 8 in order to avoid sanctions against Russia's trading partners. "We'll see what he has to say. It's entirely up to him," said Trump.
Political scientist Thomas Jäger sees the planned summit as a gift to the Kremlin leader. "Putin's tactics - repeatedly playing for time and signaling a willingness to talk without actually doing so - have worked once again," he said on NTV. Putin was thus "given this meeting as a gift without conceding anything". Sanctions and ultimatums no longer played a role for the time being.
Selensky insists on European say
The Ukrainian president was cautious. In his evening video message, he emphasized that the decisions regarding the end of the war and security guarantees affect the whole of Europe. "This is a war by Russia not only against Ukraine, but in Europe and against Europe." He announced telephone calls with Italy's head of government Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Meanwhile, Russia continued its attacks. According to the news agency RBK Ukraine, the large city of Kharkiv in the east of the country was attacked with drones late on Thursday evening. According to Mayor Ihor Terekhov, there were explosions and a fire in a company; no injuries were initially reported.
