How Trump was "dragged" in the US for concessions to Putin and whether this could help Ukraine

The actions of US President Donald Trump in Alaska drew heavy criticism, but during his talks with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin there was no "catastrophe." The final outlines of a peace deal that the world will offer (or impose) on Putin are not yet defined. These were among the issues discussed last night at the Zelensky–Trump meeting.

And here Ukraine may gain a strong ally.

In the days following his meeting with Putin, the US president has come under significant pressure at home. Combined with European support, this may help Ukraine, though it does not guarantee success.

Read more in the article by Sergiy Sydorenko, European Pravda's editor: Trump under pressure: how Americans are becoming Ukraine’s key ally in influencing the White House.

According to the official US version, the talks between US and Russian leaders, held Friday (Saturday night Kyiv time) at a military base in Anchorage, Alaska, were an incredible success for the president. Trump himself declared this at a strange, brief press conference alongside Putin.

But doubts about the sincerity of that statement arose immediately.

First, American commentators noted that the usually emotional Trump, despite his claims, did not "radiate joy" over the supposed victory.

Second, Trump and Putin inexplicably canceled their official lunch and expanded-format talks.

Third, despite claims that peace deal details were "almost agreed," virtually no specifics were presented.

Most importantly, during the meeting Trump abandoned his earlier promises of immediate "serious consequences" for Russia if Putin refused a ceasefire.

Facing the press, Trump did not once mention either a ceasefire or sanctions. Later, in an interview with Fox News, he clarified that he was suspending pressure on Russia for at least several weeks, arguing this would allow not just a ceasefire, but a comprehensive peace deal.

Few in the US found this explanation convincing.

By Saturday, the White House was engulfed in a wave of criticism. Every major political media outlet in the US published scathing accounts of the Alaska talks and the criticism only intensified.

"The president came to the summit promising ‘serious consequences’ if no ceasefire deal was reached. He left having abandoned that position, without any consequences (for Russia)," reproached the business daily Wall Street Journal.

Even media normally loyal to the president joined in.

"Pressure is the only language Putin understands," explained the New York Post in an editorial–remarkable since NYP is believed to be the only print newspaper Trump regularly reads.

Another signal that Republicans rejected the Alaska shift was coverage on Trump-friendly Fox News.

The only defenders of Trump’s strategy on air were current government officials.

For example, Trump’s former special envoy for Ukraine, Kurt Volker, dispensed with diplomatic niceties on Fox News, telling viewers: Donald Trump lost these negotiations.

"I hate to draw analogies with the 1930s, but this is exactly it. This looks very much like the Munich Agreement with Hitler," Volker concluded.

This wave of criticism forced the White House into "crisis management" mode.

On Monday, Trump personally tried to extinguish the media firestorm, tweeting to reassure voters that criticism of the Alaska meeting was baseless. But his defence offered no arguments.