Trump Invited Putin to Alaska Summit, Seeking Ceasefire on Ukraine
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 24
Trump Invited Putin to Alaska Summit, Seeking Ceasefire on Ukraine
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 24
Summary
An Alaska summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin ended before lunch after Trump’s bid for an immediate Ukraine ceasefire ran into Putin’s demand that Kyiv cede territory.
That failure followed months of Trump treating Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the obstacle, overstating U.S. aid at $350 billion versus roughly $70 billion and pressing Ukraine for privileged mineral access.
The administration also voted with Russia’s backers against a UN resolution condemning the invasion, publicly humiliated Zelenskyy in the Oval Office and briefly cut intelligence to Ukrainian frontline forces.
Luke Harding’s account frames the summit as part of a broader U.S. abandonment of Ukraine, set against continued Russian attacks on cities and wider pressure on Europe through sabotage and airspace incursions.
The larger puzzle, Harding argues, is that despite Trump’s readiness to accommodate Moscow, Putin still has not secured the Ukrainian surrender he sought.