After Trump/Putin meeting in Alaska:
Light at the end of the tunnel towards peace?
By Elisabeth Hellenbroich
Wiesbaden, 23.08.25
A review of last week’s breathtaking world events that began with the historic Alaska summit between President Trump and President Putin August 16th in Anchorage, indicates that a major shift is taking place on the road to world peace. The meaning of the summit, as senior British analyst Alastair Crooke put it (“Dialogue works” 24th August), is essentially “psychological.” What the American President Trump did was “huge”, given that he acted as someone who “cordially” received President Putin and his entourage, thus breaking the “Cordon sanitaire”- the “boycotting” of Russia and “disdain” against Putin which the Europeans since years up to this day maintain. Trump treated President Putin as an equal power on an eye-to-eye level with full respect and empathy. The very successful summit ended in what is to be seen as an “intellectual framework” for cooperation between the two powers, not only including the Ukraine issue but also cooperation in the arctic, space and in the sphere of economics, aside the potential for disarmament talks.
It was then followed on Monday August 18 by a meeting of European leaders and the Ukrainian President Zelenskyy with American President Trump at the White House. The meeting had been urged by a desperate and panicked European “coalition of the willing”, particularly Chancellor Merz and Ursula von der Leyen, who. faced with the idea that the US would disengage from the conflict in Ukraine, were determined to convince Trump with their point of view: a meaningless “ceasefire” (having been pushed by General Keegan) linked to security guarantees, including more weapons and the dispatching of forces on the ground in Ukraine, according to a NATO like Art 5 engagement. However, this last “desperate” attempt by the powerless “coalition of the willing”, cannot conceal the truth, that the tide of world history is “turning”- irrespective of the media hype in Europe, which is at odds with Trump’s foreign policy initiatives toward Russia and President Putin. The underlying psychological reality of this “panic” became visible when one looked at the European leaders and Zelenskyy sitting at the edge of their chairs in front of Trump, like “school children who talk to their headmaster” (Alastair Crooke). There is only the hope that Europeans will slowly begin to realize that they have catastrophically lost the war and will start again building trustful relations with Moscow.
Setting the frame for future peace negotiations
What US President Trump managed to do at the well- orchestrated Alaska summit, was to demonstratively bring Russia – i.e. Putin who had been “demonized” by the western Press during the last 4 years- out of the “isolation” which Europe and the rest of the West still want to maintain on him. While the majority of the European press was disqualifying the Alaska summit results, (Trump “rolled out the red carpet to a war criminal”) they did not report about the short, but very concise press conference that was given at the end by the two presidents. Putin’s speech was short, but poetically well composed, while Trump brought up the most important operation that had been waged against him and against Russia by a cabal of US secret service people and the democratic party (Obama and Hillary Clinton), when they began to launch “Russia gate” with huge investigation hearings already before and during Trump’s first term. This dirty intelligence warfare operation, as it today turns out (see Tulsi Gabbard’s findings) was based on false accusations against Trump who nonetheless won his first presidential terms (2017-2021).
The Russian president in a “profound speech” (President Trump) spoke about Alaska having been chosen as location for the summit, adding that the “two countries, even if separated by oceans, “are in fact close neighbors! (…) We are close neighbors, that’s a fact.” He further spoke about the shared history largely related to Alaska: “During World War II Alaska served as the starting point for the legendary air route that delivered lend -lease supplies, including military aircraft and other equipment. It was a dangerous and challenging route over enormous ice- covered territories. Nevertheless, the pilots and experts of both countries did everything they could to bring victory (against Nazi Germany and their allies E.H.). They risked and sacrificed their lives for our common victory.” He spoke about his visit of the city of Magadan the same day and its monument honoring Russian and American pilots, adorned with the Russian and American flags. And he spoke about a cemetery that is a few miles away, filled with graves of Soviet pilots who lost their lives in that heroic mission. Putin was shown on TV visiting these graves, laying a reef and meeting the Orthodox Archbishop from Alaska with whom he exchanged gifts.
In reference to the present situation, Putin during the press conference stated that “This period has proved exceptionally difficult for bilateral relations and let’s face it, they have deteriorated to their lowest point since the Cold War. And this does not benefit either our countries of the world in general.” He emphasized that President “Trump and I have established very good direct contacts … our aides and heads of foreign ministries have maintained regular contacts (…) And you are aware, the situation around Ukraine is one of the key issues. We acknowledge the commitment of the US administration and President Trump personally to help resolve the Ukrainian conflict and the President’s willingness to understand the root causes and its origins (!)”. The other highly important remarks he made, was when he spoke about the developments in Ukraine presenting “fundamental threats to Russia’s national security. We have always considered Ukrainian people as brotherly – no matter how strange it may sound in today’s circumstances. Therefor our country is sincerely interested in ending this. He particularly stressed that “We are convinced that for the conflict resolution in Ukraine to be long term and lasting, all the root causes of the crisis, which have been repeatedly explained, must be eliminated (!): all of Russia’s legitimate concerns must be taken into account and fair security balance must be restored in Europe and the rest of the world.”
He expressed hope that the understanding we have reached “will bring us closer to this goal and open up the road to peace in Ukraine. (…) We hope that Kiev and the European capitals will take this currents developments constructively and will neither try to put up obstacles nor attempt to disrupt the emerging progress with provocative acts or behind the scenes plots.(!)” He pointed out that US – Russian business and investments partnerships hold tremendous potential: Russia and the US have a lot to offer in trade, energy, digitals, and high technologies and space development …cooperation in the Arctic and the resumption of region to region contacts, including between the Russian Far East and the West Coast of the US are also relevant.” And he qualified the relations between him and Trump as “a general very good businesslike and trustworthy contact. And I have every reason to believe that, as we move along this path, we can reach the sooner the better – the end of the conflict in Ukraine.”
President Trump who announced that he would call up NATO and European leaders as well as President Zelenskyy to brief them about the summit underlined, that “we really made great progress today. I have always had a fantastic relationship with Putin, with Vladimir. We had many tough meetings, good meetings. We were interfered with by the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax(!) …We had to put up with the Russia, Russia, Russia hoax. He knew it was a hoax and I knew it was a hoax, but was done was very criminal, but it made it hard for us to deal as a country in terms of the business and all the things that we would like to have dealt with.” He called it a good and “productive” meeting and emphasized that it would be good to have soon a direct meeting between Putin and Zelensky.”
In a meeting with nuclear scientists of Rosatom in Sarov (Nizhny Novgorod Region), which Putin visited August 23, Putin talked at length about the significance of Russia’s nuclear power plant buildings and the widening cooperation with the South. When being asked about Russia’s s relationship with the US, he replied that: “The light is at the end of the tunnel, it still is there.” The meeting in Alaska was qualified as “very good”, very “significant” and “open” and he emphasized that the “countries have finally begun to work on the level of the ministries. I hope that the steps taken are just the beginning. Trump’s leadership qualities are a good guarantee that relations get restored.” He added that: “It is not up to us, but mainly to our Western partners in the broad sense of this term, because the United Stats is also bound by certain obligations within various associations, including the North Atlantic Treaty block. This is why the next step depends on the US leadership. I am certain that President Trump’s leadership skills are a good prerequisite for a potential recovery. I hope that we will maintain the pace of cooperation on this platform.”
“European reaction formation – an obstacle to bring about peace”
On the background of fairly blocked meetings which the Europeans and Zelenskyy had with President Trump and their obsession to reject Trumps peace option, the “coalition of the willing” is trying to have their view would prevail over what was discussed in Alaksa. Chancellor Merz led the chorus by emphasizing that instead of Trumps proposed “peace negotiations” taking into account all the legitimate security concerns of Russia (as Putin had outlined), the Europeans would favor a “ceasefire” deal, including “robust security guarantees and the possible dispatch of troops from Europe,” to watch the ceasefire. This “Russophobia” on Europe’s side will only lead to a deterioration and a prolongation of war in Ukraine, that could widen into a general war with Germany becoming the main battlefield.
The “Ukraine war will be decided on the battlefield”
General (ret.) Erich Vad, former military advisor of Chancellor A. Merkel, (who wrote his doctoral thesis about the famous Prussian military theorist von Clausewitz) in discussion with various journalists last week was commenting the Alaska event very optimistically, deploring the fact that Germany and all the other European members of the coalition of the willing have “cut their relations with Moscow in the last 4 years and keep sending only weapons and more weapons.” He regretted that there was “zero peace initiative from Europe” and strongly advised that “Europe should join these peace initiatives by Trump and Putin.” He added that Putin wants to occupy the entire Donbass, and make some territorial adjustment, while Europe is fixated on a ceasefire which goes nowhere. According to Vad “what is clearly ‘off’ the table, is a Ukraine NATO membership” which itself was a trigger for the war to break out in the first place. He referred to the famous Bukarest summit 2008 where he was present as advisor together with Chancellor Merkel and where Merkel and Sarkozy adamantly opposed any NATO membership for Ukraine and Georgia, given that (in Merkel’s words) “for Russia this is a red line and cause for war.”
Vad strongly advised to forget about the idea of “dispatching” German or other European troops on Ukrainian soil, in response to the demand for security guarantees. The best “security guarantee” would be USA /Russia relations. Aside the fact that Russia clearly had stated that they are against any deployment of European troops, “the framework for peace will be decided by the US and Russia. We in Europe are nothing but bystanders.” He stated that we (in particular Germany) would have to give a lot of money for reconstruction and training in Ukraine. “We Europeans should support present US peace efforts. Reality is: There is not going to be a victory for Ukraine on the battlefield, given the immense manpower shortage but also the strong desertion of young men who flee Ukraine and receive ‘citizen’s allowance’ (Bürgergeld) in Germany.”
Vad had very harsh words for Germany: “Our (German) Ukraine policy catastrophically failed – this became evident in Alaksa. We completely disgraced ourselves in Germany. We only could deliver weapons, pursuing a one- dimensional foreign policy- which in essence is militaristic. It’s a lot of war mongering but in reality, a huge disgrace for us!” He particularly blamed the previous government under SPD Chancellor Scholz. At the same time, he presented his new book “War or peace. Germany in front of a decision” (Westend Publishing House August 2025). The book was written in form of a dialogue between Vad and former SPD Education Minister and Mayor of Hamburg, Klaus von Dohnanyi. Both concluded that Germany needs to define above all its “national interests”, instead of following the line of an “altruistic” foreign policy as in the case of Ukraine. “There is no alternative but peace in Europe and in particular in Germany, given that Germany would become the main battlefield for the next war. In addition, we urgently need to reestablish contact and communication channels with Moscow.”
Vad’s advice: “Given that Russia also wants to be part of the security guarantees, we should accept Russian interests as well as redefine out relation with Russia. Trump does not want to see Ukraine in NATO. What will happen now is an “Arrondierung” (adjustment) in the Donbass by Russian forces. Russia clearly does not want all of Ukraine nor Eastern or Western Europe. This however means that we understand and take into account the “legitimate Russian security concerns”, that became the cause for war: Above all Ukraine in NATO and NATO expansion up to the Russian border.
Prof. John Mearsheimer: War in Ukraine will be decided on the battlefield
Similarly outspoken was an interview Aug 19th between Swiss Weltwoche magazine- editor Roger Köppel and political scientist Prof. John Mearsheimer- expert on geopolitics and representative of the political realist school in the USA. In terms of the summit in Washington between Europeans, Zelenskyy and Trump, Mearsheimer emphasized that it became clear for him, that “President Trump distanced himself from Europe and Ukraine. He dealt with adversaries, i.e. leaders who dislike Trump. The meeting was Trump versus Europe and Ukraine and he tries to distance himself from the war. He may not be able to manage to end the war.” According to Mearsheimer, there was a fundamental shift in how Trump reacted to the war. “Trump understood that he can’t coerce Russia. He has faced reality. The Russians are not going to agree to a ceasefire. It’ effectively off the table(!)” The big Russian demand is that Ukraine be neutral: that Ukraine recognizes that Russia occupied 4 oblasts and that Ukraine can’t be in NATO”, Mearsheimer emphasized. The reason why the Europeans and Zelenskyy are not on the side of Trump, is according to Mearsheimer: “Because European leaders and Zelenskyy are irrational! They have convinced themselves that Russia is in deep trouble, that it has severe economic problems and that on the battlefield Russians are suffering enormous collapse. And at some point, the Russian army is going to collapse… While sanctions didn’t work against Russia, a look at the battlefield shows, that the Russians are not far away from winning the war! Ukraine is in deep trouble. America slowly withdraws from the conflict. They -the Europeans and Ukrainians tell each other fairy tales. (…) Europe and Zelenskyy are motivated to tell themselves a happy story, waging the war for 3 and half years which turned out to be difficult, i.e. the leaders look for stories, some miracle – like they did in Afghanistan or Vietnam. “They didn’t want to admit defeat then! Europe and Zelenskyy don’t want to lose on the battlefield. So they look for some miracle…”
Opposite to this there is Trump who “wants to improve relations with Putin. He likes him. He sees him as powerful, as a first- class strategist. He respects Putin. Yet Europe is filled with Russophobia, which never stopped in Britain. The reason is to use an “inflation of threats” coming from Russia (which in reality is a lot of nonsense) with which European elites want to mobilize their public since 2014. The reality is, as Mearsheimer put it, “the Ukraine is now turning into a rump state and will not be in NATO. In the end Putin will have achieved his objectives. What he tried in December 2021 was to ‘avoid a war.’ But it was the Americans(!) who had no interest in negotiating about this with Putin and who told the Ukrainians to walk away from the first Istanbul talks in March / April 2022.” With Russia being now in the “driver seat” we should, according to Mearsheimer, realize that the problem of the European coalition of the willing is “Europe’s fear is that this will be a devastating defeat for them. It’s a humiliation defeat for them and Europe will have to pay a major economic price.”
