By Alaska summit excellent first step, tensions ease, expert believes
Talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump in Alaska became an “excellent first step” in improving relations between Moscow and Washington and settling the Ukraine crisis with the easing of tensions being apparent, Peter Kuznick, director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University, said, commenting on the summit’s results.
“Not only did the meeting not fail outright, as some hoped it would — especially most European leaders, US media, many Congressional representatives, and certain Ukrainian leaders — but both presidents indicated that they made progress and agreed on more than they disagreed on. They also indicated that they would meet again soon, which is positive,” the political scientist said. “I would say that, on balance, this is an excellent first step and I hope they follow up sooner rather than later with another meeting that leads to them hammering out a productive framework for ending the Ukraine War and going beyond that to ease global tensions and walk us back from the terrifying precipice of WWIII,” Kuznick emphasized.
He stated that “it’s great that the tensions that were so palpable during the Biden presidency have begun to ease and we’re at least talking again. The Russia-Ukraine war is a disaster for everyone involved and the sooner it ends, the better for everyone. Getting the US and Russia, the world’s two nuclear-armed behemoths, sitting down together and talking instead of making threats, is an enormous step in the right direction.” Additionally, Kuznick reiterated that the Alaska summit was attended by “businessmen and economic advisors,” indicating that the sides are discussing “sanctions relief and joint economic development projects, including Arctic development and perhaps a Bering Strait tunnel connecting the two countries.”
“I also thought it extremely encouraging that there seemed to be interest on both parts to work toward a new nuclear arms control treaty, especially with the New START treaty expiring in February,” the expert concluded.
Zelensky confirms plan to visit Washington for meeting with Trump
Vladimir Zelensky announced that he plans to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on August 18.
“I am going to discuss all the details of the conflict resolution with President Trump in Washington on Monday. Thank you for the invitation,” Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel following a phone call with Trump and European leaders. He added that the conversation lasted an hour and a half and was substantive. According to Zelensky, Trump outlined the key points of his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We support Trump’s proposal for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the US, and Russia. Ukraine wants to underscore that key issues can be discussed between the leaders trilaterally,” Zelensky noted. He also emphasized “the importance of European involvement at all stages to ensure reliable security together with the US.”
EU envoys convene in Brussels to discuss Alaska summit results
Ambassadors from 27 EU countries have convened for an emergency meeting in Brussels to discuss the results of the Russia-US summit in Alaska, a diplomatic source reported.
“An emergency meeting of COREPER (the Committee of Permanent Representatives) began on Saturday morning to discuss further steps on Ukraine,” the source said. The committee is in charge of drafting all ministerial decisions for the Council of the European Union.
Trump refrains from escalating pressure on Russia for at least some time, says Medvedev
Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev identified US President Donald Trump’s refusal to increase pressure on Moscow over the situation in Ukraine as one of the outcomes of the Alaska summit.
1. A full-fledged mechanism for high-level meetings between Russia and the US has been restored. It is peaceful, free of ultimatums or threats.
2. The Russian president presented our conditions for ending the conflict in Ukraine to the US leader in person and in detail.
3. Following nearly three hours of talks, the White House host has refused to escalate pressure on Russia. At least for now, Medvedev wrote on his Telegram channel, summing up the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump.
US, Russia have chance to restore relations, but all depends on Ukraine deal, expert says
The US administration and the Russian government have a unique opportunity to normalize relations between the two nations, but whether this can be achieved will depend on resolving the situation in Ukraine, Forrest Nabors, PhD, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Alaska Anchorage, explained.
“One important factor in these negotiations that nobody in the news is discussing, is the effect on American politics of the recent revelations about the American intelligence community. More Americans are learning that our intelligence community falsely accused the Russian government of interfering in our elections in 2016 and falsely accused [US President Donald] Trump of cooperating with Russia to destroy our democracy,” the expert remarked, commenting on the outcomes of the Alaska summit between the Russian and US leaders. “As Americans learn this, they will see that Russia and Trump were victims of this conspiracy, and probably will be more open to normalizing relations with Russia,” the expert pointed out.
He also noted that most US residents still hold a negative view of Russia because of the conflict, but that attitudes toward Putin, Zelensky, and the crisis in Ukraine overall have become more mixed compared to three years ago. “In other words, an opportunity is opening to normalize relations, but this opportunity will depend on ending the war,” Nabors concluded.
US presidential election of 2016
On July 18, Tulsi Gabbard, Director of US National Intelligence, published a report stating that the administration of the 44th US president, Democrat Barack Obama, had effectively fabricated intelligence data after Republican Trump won the 2016 presidential election, allegedly proving Russian interference in the electoral process. This was done in an attempt to deprive Trump of power, Gabbard noted. According to her, several months before the election, US intelligence was unanimous: Russia had neither the intention nor the ability to interfere in the US election. However, in December 2016, following Trump’s victory, the Obama administration ordered a new report to be prepared that contradicted previous assessments. Gabbard explained that the intelligence community’s key conclusion — that Russia did not influence the election results — was removed and classified.
In 2016, US intelligence agencies accused Russia of interfering in the electoral process. Special Counsel Robert Mueller investigated these alleged attempts to influence the election. On April 18, 2019, the US Department of Justice released his final report, in which the special counsel acknowledged that he had not found any collusion between Trump, who won the election, and Russia. Trump has repeatedly rejected allegations of improper contacts with Russian officials, while Moscow has dismissed accusations of attempting to influence the US election as groundless.
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