No tripartite summit for peace Putin triumphs thanks to Trump - is that it for Ukraine?

Donald Trump does not want to take on a direct mediating role between Russia and Ukraine for the time being. Instead, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky are to negotiate a way out of the war themselves.

On August 18, Trump received Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European heads of government at the White House. He promised support for security guarantees for Ukraine, but clearly ruled out the deployment of US troops.

A new line is now emerging: Trump wants to take a step back and only step up to the negotiating table once Putin and Selenskyj have completed an initial bilateral meeting.

blue News answers the most important questions.

According to the Guardian, Donald Trump has told his closest advisors that he will not seek a three-way meeting with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky until the two have spoken to each other. He is thus abandoning the role of direct mediator and leaving the initial rapprochement to the warring parties themselves.

In an interview, Trump also emphasized that he wanted to "see what comes out of this meeting". For him, it currently seems more important to observe the dynamic between Moscow and Kiev than to exert pressure himself.

"Politico", on the other hand, writes that the Kremlin chief insisted on this. "You don't have to come," Putin is quoted as saying, "I want to see him alone."

Special envoy Steve Witkoff is to make this meeting possible. This course is also described in the White House as "wait and see". According to government officials, there is as yet no fixed location or date for a possible meeting.

We don't really know. During the election campaign, Trump had promised that he would be able to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours. He now admits that the reality is far more complex and that his ideas were too ambitious. This reality check is forcing him to adjust his strategy.

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After his meeting with Putin on August 16, he made an important U-turn: Instead of focusing on an immediate ceasefire as demanded by European states, he now advocates a comprehensive agreement, which should even be negotiated in parallel with ongoing fighting. At the same time, he emphasized that security guarantees for Ukraine should primarily be provided by European countries. The USA would contribute, but not send ground troops (Guardian).

Yes, initial steps have already been taken. On August 18, Trump received Zelensky and several European heads of government at the White House. There he promised "a lot of help" with security guarantees for Ukraine (Reuters).

Afterwards, Zelensky spoke of a "milestone" and announced that the agreements should be set out in writing within a week. A few days earlier, Trump met Vladimir Putin for talks in Alaska.

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According to Trump, he also spoke to Putin several times on the phone and informed him of the plans. He spoke of a future bilateral meeting between Moscow and Kiev, which could then be followed by a tripartite meeting with his participation. According to the Guardian, the conversation with Putin lasted around 40 minutes. Both sides agreed to appoint high-ranking negotiators for direct negotiations.

The chances are difficult to assess at the moment, but they are probably extremely low. Vladimir Putin is currently doing well on the battlefield, his troops are gaining ground and advancing. His interest in a ceasefire is therefore likely to be very low - without external pressure anyway.

Russian officials are further dampening expectations. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called European attempts at mediation an "aggressive escalation" and made it clear that Russia itself must be part of any security solution. At the same time, he avoided mentioning a summit with Zelensky.

Russian analysts believe that a meeting is only realistic if Kiev first accepts key Russian demands, such as officially recognizing the Crimean peninsula as Russian. In addition, Lavrov questioned the legitimacy of Selenskyj, which in his view further worsens the prospects. In view of simultaneous Russian airstrikes, observers see the chances of peace in the near future as very dim.

In terms of content, it is about far more than just ceasefires. In addition to security guarantees, territorial issues are also being discussed. Trump has already indicated that Russia's withdrawal from Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, is not on the table. Observers therefore believe it is likely that a compromise could include land swaps or Ukraine renouncing its NATO membership.

Selensky, on the other hand, publicly rejects cessions outright, but has indicated that he could only address the territorial issue in direct talks with Putin. The road to a possible agreement is therefore likely to be extremely rocky.