BEIJING, August 11. /TASS/. The upcoming meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump is unlikely to immediately settle the crisis in Ukraine, Cui Heng, a scholar from the Shanghai-based China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation, told the Global Times.
"Even if an agreement is reached between Trump and Putin, it could face rejection from Europe and Ukraine due to the deep-seated contradictions accumulated over the past three years. And resolving such complex issues through a single meeting between two leaders is unlikely," the newspaper quoted the expert as saying, commenting on the potential impact of the Russian-American summit on the Ukrainian conflict.
According to his colleague, Zhao Junjie, senior research fellow at the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Washington administration intends to reach a ceasefire. However, direct negotiations with Russia could provoke opposition not only from the EU and Ukraine but also "criticism within the US." He recalled that the White House's policy has "further marginalized Europe," causing "deep strategic anxiety" in Brussels.
On Friday, Trump announced that he expects to meet with Putin in Alaska on August 15. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov then confirmed the plans for these talks. According to him, the leaders will focus on discussing options for achieving a long-term peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. This will be the first face-to-face meeting between Putin and Trump since the latter's return to the White House in January 2025.