A planned August 15 meeting in Alaska between U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin is drawing sharp historical parallels to the 1938 Munich Conference, where the fate of Czechoslovakia was decided without its leaders present. Edward Verona, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told Ukrinform the summit risks echoing the politics of appeasement and could undermine Ukraine’s security.
Fears of concessions without guarantees
Verona argued the meeting is unlikely to yield a binding agreement protecting Ukraine. Instead, he warned, it could embolden Moscow. “It doesn’t slake Putin’s insatiable appetite for territorial expansion,” he said, adding that Trump’s willingness to host Putin on U.S. soil makes Washington appear “weak and vacillating.” According to Verona, U.S. officials have floated ideas of Ukrainian territorial concessions in exchange for only vague compromises from Russia, with little tangible benefit for Kyiv.
Possible “half-baked” ceasefire
The expert cautioned that one possible outcome could be a temporary ceasefire imposed on Ukraine under international pressure. He stressed such a pause would likely be short-lived, serving only as a prelude to renewed Russian aggression. Verona also noted domestic political ramifications: a ceasefire might encourage some in Ukraine to push for lifting the state of emergency and holding elections, a scenario he believes could weaken Kyiv’s negotiating and defensive position.
Alaska venue carries symbolic weight
Verona pointed to an ironic twist in choosing Alaska as the meeting site, recalling it was purchased from Russia in 1867 for what critics then called “Seward’s folly.” He noted that some Russian nationalists have jokingly suggested reclaiming the territory. While he spoke tongue-in-cheek, the comment underscored the historical and geopolitical undertones surrounding the summit.
Broader concerns from Kyiv and beyond
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Putin’s strategy is to trade a pause in fighting for international acceptance of Russia’s occupation of Ukrainian territory. Earlier, British lawyer and former ICC judge Howard Morrison voiced alarm over negotiations on Ukraine’s future proceeding without full Ukrainian representation. NBC News reported that the White House is considering inviting Zelensky to attend the Alaska meeting.
