Alaska Summit raises stakes as Putin and Trump explore terms to end Ukraine war
Preeminent historian: Trump using Putin talks on Ukraine to pursue a Nobel Peace Prize?
President Trump plans to meet Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15 in a bid to end the war in Ukraine. Trump says ?we have a shot,? but Ukrainian President Zelenskyy insists there will be no peace deal without Ukraine, warning that ?Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier.? In The Interview, Hilary Golston speaks with preeminent historian Dr. Ronald Suny, who says ?Ukraine then might have to capitulate because it will be pushed into a corner.? Watch as Europe pushes back and Suny weighs whether this summit could be about peace and posturing for a prize.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - President Donald Trump is preparing for an August 15 meeting in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin in what the White House is calling a high-stakes effort to end the war in Ukraine. European leaders have warned that any agreement must uphold Ukraine’s borders and security, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said there will be no deal without Kyiv at the table.
Dr. Ronald Suny, distinguished University of Michigan historian and a preeminent expert on Soviet and post-Soviet history, spoke with Hilary Golston for The Interview about the hidden dynamics shaping the Alaska summit and what could happen next.
"The whole situation in Ukraine is tragic. Ukraine didn’t want this war," Suny said. "It’s the Russians who started the war. They invaded because of the perceived danger they felt from NATO, from the United States, from the West, from the Ukrainians becoming a base for the West."
Suny said Ukraine has "fought heroically" but has lost a large amount of territory and does not have many cards left to play. Prolonged fighting, he argued, will likely lead to even more territorial losses. The deciding factor, in his view, is not just in Kyiv but in Washington. "It’s the Americans who will decide. It’s Trump who will decide in his own capricious way, changing his mind almost on a daily basis whether or not they’ll send weapons to Ukraine or whether they won’t send weapons to Ukraine."
Suny believes Trump and Putin may already see the outlines of a possible settlement. "I’d in fact Trump agrees with Putin that there has to be a settlement in which Russia keeps the territories that it has, most of them, and secondly there will be no NATO admissions for Ukraine, and there will be some adjustments internationally in relations between Russia and the rest of Europe and the United States. If that happens then Ukraine is pushed into a corner."
Such a deal would leave Kyiv facing stark choices. "Ukraine then might have to capitulate because it will be pushed into a corner," Suny said. He added that the Trump administration treats foreign policy "as any businessman would a deal and that is profitability is also something that they think about. The minerals deal is a good example of that."
Suny also pointed to other diplomatic moves that may be part of a broader strategy. He cited the recent peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan that includes a corridor linking the two sides, saying it could serve as a smaller example of Trump’s approach. "What if in fact he carries this out, establishes peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan… and my goodness that’s small potatoes. What if he actually brings about a cease fire and some kind of eventual peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, which changes the whole architect of European and American security?"
In Suny’s view, this could be part of a larger personal ambition. He believes it is possible that resolving the war in Ukraine and brokering peace elsewhere could be a play for Donald Trump to win a Nobel Peace Prize.
However, he warned that events in the Middle East could complicate that goal. "The war in Gaza," he said, "could thwart those plans because of an ongoing genocide." Suny said the administration’s support of Israel at this stage does not reflect favorably on Trump.
The Alaska summit will take place as Russian forces continue to occupy about one fifth of Ukraine’s territory, and as U.S. and European leaders try to navigate the balance between ending the war and protecting Ukraine’s sovereignty. The outcome could reshape not only the map of Eastern Europe but the entire framework of European and American security. (edited)