Ex-assistant to Bush Jr. spoke about the possible outcome of the meeting between Putin and Trump

The outcome of the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and American leader Donald Trump may be an agreement on the development of two roadmaps — on Ukraine and the normalization of bilateral relations. Thomas Graham, an honored researcher at the American Council on Foreign Relations and former special assistant to former US President George W. Bush on Russia and Eurasia, told Izvestia about this.

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"I think the United States is seeking a real settlement [of the Ukrainian conflict]. But that's still a long way off. The maximum they can agree on is a roadmap, that is, some principles and parameters for a final settlement, realizing that there is still a very tough and long road ahead for negotiations between Moscow and Washington and, of course, Moscow and Kiev," he said.

The expert emphasizes that a full settlement of the Ukrainian conflict is impossible now because the ground has not been prepared.

"We need very serious conversations. There is no consensus on territorial issues, we need to discuss NATO expansion, security guarantees for Ukraine, and so on. There are a lot of difficult issues to discuss, but if desired, certain principles can be determined. In my opinion, it would be a big step at this stage," the expert believes.

The analyst believes that at the meeting between Putin and Trump, which is scheduled to take place on August 15 in Alaska, the presidents can agree on a roadmap for the normalization of relations between Russia and the United States.

"These could be two road maps. But the most important thing is to agree on a way forward.: How will we work together and seek a mutual compromise to resolve these complex issues? It would be very important, and after a face—to-face meeting, their resolution would be given an impetus," he said.

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