By Samuel Talabi
When U.S. President Donald Trump flew into Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday, August 15, 2025, to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, his stated mission was simple: secure a ceasefire in the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war.
Trump even admitted he would be “disappointed” if a truce failed, warning of “severe consequences.”
Yet, after the meeting, Trump’s tone shifted dramatically. Writing on social media, he declared that both sides had agreed the best way forward was not a fragile ceasefire but a permanent peace agreement. In his words, “the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement… and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which oftentimes does not hold up.”
This pivot revealed much about Trump’s approach. His long-standing personal rapport with Putin—often criticized as blurring the line between diplomacy and friendship—appears to be shaping his new peace push.
Trump, Putin, and the Zelenskyy Dilemma
Trump’s new position places him firmly in alignment with Putin, but squarely at odds with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Their relationship has been strained since a tense White House encounter on February 28, 2025, when Trump bluntly told Zelenskyy, “You don’t have the cards right now.” Trump insisted that Ukraine would need to compromise with Moscow to avoid total devastation.
In recent months, however, Zelenskyy sought to rebuild ties with Washington. Publicly, he praised Trump’s peace overtures. Behind closed doors, Ukraine conceded to a U.S. request for access to its valuable mineral reserves, seemingly as a goodwill gesture. Still, trust between the two leaders remains fragile.
Zelenskyy Meets Trump After Putin Talks
Just days after Trump’s sit-down with Putin, Zelenskyy arrived in Washington for high-stakes talks on Monday, August 18. The meeting brought together Trump, Zelenskyy, and several European leaders. The outcome: Zelenskyy agreed to a direct bilateral meeting with Putin, followed by a trilateral summit including Trump himself.
According to the Kremlin, Trump’s subsequent call to Putin lasted 40 minutes. Trump later announced that security guarantees for Ukraine would be provided by European allies, “coordinated” by the United States. Notably, while Trump dismissed the need for a ceasefire to begin peace negotiations, European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, urged otherwise, pressing for an immediate halt to hostilities.
Despite the differences in approach, the Washington meeting was deemed a breakthrough. For the first time in months, Zelenskyy signaled readiness to sit across the table from Putin—a step that may prove decisive.
Opinion: Ceasefire or Peace Deal?
The question now is whether Trump’s gamble—skipping over a ceasefire in favor of a direct peace settlement—will hold. History shows that fragile ceasefires often collapse, but rushing into a deal without one carries its own risks. For Ukraine, agreeing to negotiate without battlefield breathing space could mean entering talks from a position of weakness.
Yet, if Trump’s unconventional diplomacy succeeds, these closed-door meetings may mark the beginning of the war’s end. If it fails, Ukraine could find itself isolated, pressured to compromise under unfavorable conditions.
For now, the world watches as Trump, Putin, and Zelenskyy play out the latest chapter in a conflict where the line between friendship, politics, and power has never been thinner.
*Talabi, a final year student of International Relations at the Anchor University, Lagos, is also an intern at the Media Career Development Network, Lagos.
