Much remains unclear about Donald Trump’s political course, and the danger is high that Vladimir Putin will be rewarded for his aggression against Ukraine. In the face of this reality, the statements of certain Albanian politicians—who act as if convinced that the world is becoming safer with Donald Trump as mediator—appear naïve (and dangerously laughable). Past experience has shown the opposite to be true in most cases.
By:Enver Robelli
Since 2007, Vladimir Putin has not been welcome in America. On August 15, that will change: despite being wanted under an international arrest warrant, he will be welcomed in Alaska by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Things are going well for Putin. A “10 to 12 days” ultimatum that Trump had announced against Russia passed without any consequences—no new economic sanctions were imposed. Initially, Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff—whose family has roots in Tsarist Russia—said there would be a trilateral meeting (Putin, Trump, Zelensky). The Kremlin denied it, and the White House backed down.
The summit in Alaska will be held without the President of Ukraine—over whose territory Trump and Putin are negotiating. Witkoff, like Trump, is a real estate businessman. Witkoff, who has no diplomatic experience whatsoever, has been conducting talks with the Russians without career U.S. diplomats, without Russia experts, without anyone knowledgeable about Russian history. It comes as no surprise that Witkoff was forced to retract himself after prematurely announcing that he had reached an agreement with Putin on a certain issue.
Trump rattled Ukrainians with this statement: “We will return some (territories), and we will exchange some others. There will be a certain exchange of territories, to improve the position of both sides.” What this means remains unclear, but Trump said Zelensky must be ready to sign “something.”
The Europeans, who are likewise excluded from the Alaska summit, are alarmed. French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in a joint statement, stressed that no decision on Ukraine can be made without Ukraine, that Ukraine’s borders must not be altered, and that any agreement must take European security interests into account.
The German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung comments on the upcoming summit between the White House chief and the Kremlin chief as follows:
“Trump is a con man. Perhaps he seeks only a Potemkin-style peace—one that need last no longer than until the next U.S. midterm elections. Such an illusory peace could halt the killings and allow for some deals, but it would be fragile, because it would not foresee lasting support for Ukraine, nor any guarantees in the event of another Russian attack. Germany and Europe would be put at risk. Putin’s arms factories are working at full capacity. If their products are not destroyed immediately upon arrival in Ukraine, if a thousand Russian soldiers are not killed or wounded every day, within a few years he could mobilize a military force that no unprepared opponent could withstand.”
In his desperation over the risk of losing territory to Russia, President Zelensky has tried to rally European allies. But is a weekend joint statement by Europeans enough? No.
Much remains unclear about Trump’s political course, and the danger is high that Putin will be rewarded for his aggression against Ukraine. In the face of this situation, the statements of certain Albanian politicians—who behave as though convinced that the world becomes safer with Donald Trump as mediator—appear naïve (and dangerously laughable). Past experience has shown the opposite in most cases.