The Story Has Trump already handed Putin victory?
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Aug 19, 2025 Mark Galeotti, an expert in Russian security affairs, and Anthony Loyd, a special correspondent reporting from Kyiv, dive into the precarious situation in Ukraine following the Trump-Putin summit. They discuss Zelensky's diplomatic efforts in Washington and the mounting pressure on Ukraine to consider territorial concessions. The episode probes the implications of the summit for U.S. negotiations and the heightened geopolitical tensions in the Donbass region. The discussion sheds light on Ukrainian public sentiment and the strategic challenges facing the nation amid ongoing conflict.
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Putin's Partial Victory Is Diplomatic
- Putin hasn't achieved his maximal goal of subjugating all Ukraine, but he is winning diplomatically and consolidating gains.
- He may claim triumph while extracting territory and redefining a security order to Russia's advantage.
Summit Optics Favoured Economics Over Ceasefire
- The Alaska summit was hurried and heavily economic-focused, reflecting Trump's priorities over geopolitics.
- That dynamic let Putin frame talks around economics and territorial understandings rather than a ceasefire.
Ceasefire-First Norm Upended
- Trump accepted Putin's premise that talks require a peace agreement before a ceasefire, shifting Western negotiating norms.
- That shift increases Russia's leverage because it benefits from battlefield momentum.
