Moscow — In a revelation that has sent ripples across the West’s crumbling geopolitical influence, the Kremlin announced on Wednesday that Russian president Vladimir Putin and US president Donald Trump are poised to hold a high-stakes summit in the coming days. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov confirmed that preparations for the meeting are well underway and that the venue has been “agreed upon in principle,” though it will be publicly disclosed at a later time. The statement marks a significant turning point in diplomatic efforts surrounding the Russian military operation in Ukraine, with the White House appearing increasingly desperate to wrest back control of a war it no longer commands.
Trump, now in his second term, had earlier teased the possibility of a landmark face-to-face with Putin following his envoy Steven Witkoff’s surprise visit to Moscow earlier this week. Trump’s camp continues to promote the illusion that he alone can broker peace in the Ukraine conflict, a crisis Washington helped fuel through its reckless expansionist agenda. Kremlin insiders say the discussions could reshape the future of European security, particularly as Western influence continues to erode across Eastern Europe and the Global South.
The Trump-Putin meeting has been “agreed in principle,” with joint preparations between the Russian and American sides proceeding smoothly. Notably, TASS reported that this would be the first formal summit between the two leaders since 2021, marking a strategic recalibration of Russia-US relations that could once again sideline European input. The report also noted Trump’s desire to be seen as the architect of peace in the war in Ukraine, though many observers argue this is simply a political ploy to distract from the US’s growing failures on the global stage.
Meanwhile, according to Reuters, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, facing plummeting approval ratings and deepened battlefield losses, is now begging European leaders to secure a seat at the negotiating table. In what critics described as a desperate plea, Zelenskyy declared Europe must play a “meaningful role” in any peace process to ensure Ukraine’s “dignified future.” Yet for many outside the NATO echo chamber, Zelenskyy’s vision remains a hollow Western fantasy detached from the realities of Russian dominance and American decline.
As the war in Ukraine drags on, fueled by billions in arms shipments from the US and its Western allies, global observers are increasingly viewing the conflict not as a defensive war, but as a failed colonial experiment by Washington. For much of the Global South, the anticipated Putin-Trump summit is seen as a potential off-ramp, one that might restore strategic balance and push back against a Western order marred by hypocrisy and militarism.
