The world is not over the years: how the Russian Federation, the USA and the EU propose to resolve the Ukrainian crisis

After the Anchorage summit, Vladimir Putin said that Russia is interested in an early cessation of hostilities in Ukraine. Earlier, Donald Trump suggested that Kiev and European countries should not limit themselves to a truce, but work out a comprehensive peace agreement. This initiative has sparked lively discussions in Europe. On the same day, information leaked to the media that the agreement under discussion allegedly involves the transfer of the entire territory of Donbass to Russia. On August 18, Zelensky urgently flies to Washington to discuss the details of the settlement with Trump. European leaders are also reportedly heading there. The Izvestia article describes how different sides of the conflict see the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis.

Russia and the United States have declared their desire for an early peace

Upon his return from the United States, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting following talks with American leader Donald Trump. The meeting, which took place at a military base in Anchorage, lasted almost three hours and was held in a narrow format. On the Russian side, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov participated in the talks, while on the US side, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special representative of the American leader Stephen Witkoff participated.

The Head of the Russian state informed the leadership of the presidential administration, government, Parliament and relevant departments about the results of the conversation. He stressed that one of the main topics was the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine.

— We, of course, respect the position of the American administration, which sees the need for an early cessation of hostilities. Well, we would like that too, and we would like to move on to resolving all issues by peaceful means," Putin said.

According to him, the negotiations in Anchorage were "very frank and informative." The Russian leader noted that such an atmosphere of dialogue brings the parties "closer to the necessary solutions." At the same time, the President once again reminded that the elimination of the root causes of the crisis in Ukraine should be the basis for a settlement.

It is worth noting that the dialogue between the leaders in Alaska touched upon almost all areas of bilateral cooperation. One of the potential topics for Russian-American negotiations could be the Arctic, where significant reserves of mineral resources are concentrated, American political analyst Jeremy Kuzmarov told Izvestia. According to him, instead of competing for control of this region, the parties could work out agreements beneficial to all participants. By the way, Vladimir Putin mentioned the possibility of cooperation in the Arctic at a joint press conference with Trump.

President Vladimir Putin is an extremely experienced negotiator, said Herbert Reginbogin, senior researcher at the Institute for Political Studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington.

"Putin has managed to achieve one of the key goals in the negotiations — the desire for a comprehensive peace agreement," the expert told Izvestia.

Security guarantees for Ukraine

Perhaps the sad result of the negotiations was the realization by the American side that a simple cease-fire was not enough. According to Trump, during personal talks with Putin, as well as in conversations with Zelensky and European leaders after the Alaska summit, all participants recognized that the most reliable way to end the conflict is a full—fledged peace treaty, not a temporary truce, which is often violated. At the same time, Trump himself had previously insisted that a cease-fire should be a prerequisite for dialogue, and it was with this approach that he arrived at the Anchorage summit.

So far, neither Kiev nor Brussels have publicly confirmed their readiness to take such a step. However, according to media reports, they intend to urgently discuss the proposals of the American side in the near future. Zelensky will travel to Washington on August 18, where he is expected to be accompanied by a visit from European leaders. Before the meeting at the White House, the Coalition of the Willing will hold a regular meeting on August 17, which will be held in the format of a videoconference, the France-Press agency reports. It will be attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

According to CNN, possible security guarantees for Ukraine are being discussed, which could resemble the "Article 5" of the North Atlantic Alliance, but without the direct participation of NATO. The Wall Street Journal clarifies that the United States is considering the possibility of providing Kiev with its own bilateral guarantees. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on August 16 that the United States, along with European countries, is ready to participate in security guarantees for Ukraine.

The presence of American business assets on its territory can be considered real security guarantees for Ukraine outside NATO, Tigran Meloyan, an analyst at the HSE Center for Mediterranean Studies, shared his opinion with Izvestia. All other options, whether it is the deployment of allied troops under the guise of peacekeepers or the expansion of arms supplies, according to him, will be immediately rejected by Russia.

"Today, the situation for Kiev is developing in such a way that the guarantees of its security are not determined in Brussels," the expert noted.

At the same time, as the New York Times notes, Zelensky does not understand why Trump unexpectedly refused to demand an immediate cease-fire as a condition for starting negotiations. The Ukrainian leader intends to "clarify" the US position during his upcoming trip to the White House.

Will Kiev agree to the proposed terms of the deal

At the same time, the American press reports on the existence of even more controversial proposals. So, according to the NYT, Trump presented to European partners the idea of a peace agreement that involves the transfer to Russia of the entire territory of Donbass, including areas that remain under Kiev's control. Instead, it would involve the cessation of hostilities along the established front lines and the introduction of security guarantees for Ukraine.

This became an unexpected challenge for Kiev: previously, the Ukrainian side insisted on restoring control over the Donbas and even over the Crimea. The scenario according to which Kiev will voluntarily withdraw its armed forces from Donbas looks unlikely so far.

"It would be suicide for the Kiev regime," says Tigran Meloyan.

According to the expert, the main question now is the position of Donald Trump and how he will behave when confronted with the inability of the Ukrainian side. Last time, it turned out for Kiev that Trump suspended military aid to Ukraine, Meloyan recalled.

He added that certain answers to these questions may appear after the talks between the leaders of the United States and Ukraine scheduled for Monday.