ANKARA, August 19. /TASS/. Agreements on Ukraine in the context of a peace settlement may be reached under US guarantees by the end of this year, Mehmet Seyfettin Erol, head of the Ankara-based Ankasam think tank, said, following the Washington meeting between US President Donald Trump, European leaders and Vladimir Zelensky.

"The EU, Europe, including Great Britain, still have no influence over US foreign policy. They accepted most of Trump’s demands and currently remain passive players. They will keep waiting for a ceasefire in Ukraine without full accord or any role in the context of the US and Russia building a new world order. So the issue of a ceasefire or a peace agreement is tied to the shared vision of two people - Trump and Putin. One might expect that with great probability, a truce or peace will be reached under US guarantees by the end of this year," the Milliyet newspaper quoted him as saying.

Speaking of the US’ goals and Ukraine’s situation, the expert noted that by taking advantage of the Ukraine conflict, the US achieved several goals at once, while Kiev ended up being a victim. In his opinion, Washington managed to use the conflict to "destroy the Russia-EU alliance directed against the US," weakened the EU’s positions as the US’ competition in the new world order and made the European Union dependent. Additionally, according to Erol, Trump managed to turn Russia into its "Eurasian partner" in return for "potential perks for its distancing from China."

Trump held a meeting with Zelensky and several European leaders on resolving the Ukraine conflict in the White House on Monday. The talks involved Finnish President Alexander Stubb, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

The White House hosted such a large number of top leaders simultaneously for the first time in history. This unprecedented lineup of participants, which underscores the importance of the issue under discussion, was also noted by the US president.

In addition, Trump held a phone call with Putin during the meeting. According to the US leader, they discussed, among other things, the prospects for a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, followed by trilateral talks. Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov said that the leaders of Russia and the United States spoke in favor of continuing direct talks between Moscow and Kiev, including the possibility of elevating their level.