Washington, D.C. — U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned Alaska meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin risks becoming a “surrender summit” that pressures Ukraine into abandoning its NATO aspirations and rewarding Russian aggression, according to a new analysis from the Center for American Progress.
For the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion began, the Kremlin will get what it has wanted all along: a direct, in-person conversation with the U.S. president on American soil—without Ukraine at the table.
If the reported terms for the discussion are accurate, this so-called breakthrough meeting will not be a negotiated settlement worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize, but rather the terms of a weak surrender to Russia. And it would represent yet another in the long list of failures for Trump, as he struggles to broker a deal with Putin.
After years of war and investment, democratic leaders in the United States and throughout Europe must clearly and forcefully stand in opposition to this likely capitulation and unite in support of Ukraine. If Putin is allowed to pursue his goals by force, Ukraine will not be his last victim—a fact acutely felt by countries across Europe.
Russia does not get a veto over NATO membership. It is vital to oppose any deal that trades away Ukraine’s right to choose its own security arrangements for a hollow peace. If the United States is seen to pressure Ukraine into neutrality under Russian threat, it will undercut American deterrence everywhere.
Read the column: “The Trump-Putin Alaska Meeting: Preventing a Surrender Summit” by Robert Benson and Damian Murphy
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected].