WASHINGTON, August 11. /TASS/. Plans to hold a Russian-American summit in Alaska may suggest that Moscow and Washington have already agreed on a solution to the Ukraine crisis, Director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University Peter Kuznick told TASS.

"Despite all the objections coming from [Ukraine’s Vladimir] Zelensky, the 'coalition of the willing' who seem willing to fight to the last Ukrainian, and Democrats and Republicans back in the US, this is a very positive step in the right direction," the prominent political analyst and historian said on Sunday, commenting on the announcement that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, will hold talks in Alaska on August 15. "There must be at least the outline of a deal in place or else I don't think they'd be holding such a meeting. A failed meeting between Trump and Putin would be pretty disastrous," Kuznick stated.

According to him, "the resisters, who don't want to see this [Putin-Trump] meeting take place, object to the idea of Ukraine being forced to give up land, to Zelensky not being present at the meeting, to Ukraine having to relinquish its desire to join NATO, to Ukraine being forced to make other concessions, to the possibility of the US lifting sanctions [on Russia], and especially to Putin coming away the 'winner'." "They don't want to see normalized relations between Russia and the United States," the expert noted.

Kuznick’s proposals

He also proposed holding talks involving the leaders of Russia, Brazil, India, China, and the United States. "What I would like to see is a follow-up meeting between Trump, Putin, and [Chinese leader] Xi Jinping at the WWII commemoration in China," Kuznick stressed. "It would be even better if [Indian Prime Minister Narendra] Modi and [Brazilian President Inacio] Lula [da Silva] also join," the expert argued.

"I would also like to see Russia, the US, and possibly others begin working on join development projects in the Arctic and perhaps a Bering Strait Tunnel connecting Russia and the US with high-speed rails. Such collaboration can put the world back on the path toward peace and begin easing the tensions that have made our world so insanely dangerous of late," Kuznick concluded.

Trump said on Friday that he expects to meet with Putin in Alaska on August 15. The date and venue for the upcoming talks were later confirmed by Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov, who said that Putin and Trump will focus on discussing scenarios of reaching a lasting peace in Ukraine. Ushakov stressed that the Kremlin expects any follow-up meeting between the two leaders to take place on Russian soil after their talks in Alaska.