Monday, August 11, 2025
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Monday, August 11, 2025

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https://nordictimes.com/world/trump-and-putin-in-alaska-peace-agreement-or-continued-war/

World

Trump and Putin in Alaska – peace agreement or continued war?

The war in Ukraine

Published today 13:48
– By Editorial Staff
Putin and Trump in an earlier meeting in 2017.
3 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Alaska on August 15 to discuss the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the EU wants the US to increase pressure on Russia, and Ukrainian President Zelensky refuses to give up territory.

The meeting is marked by uncertainty, and a Russian negotiator warns of the risk that it could be sabotaged.

The summit in Alaska between the US’s Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin is one of the most talked-about diplomatic initiatives since the war in Ukraine began over three years ago.

On the agenda is the possibility of finding a path to peace – or at least a ceasefire – in a conflict that has cost hundreds of thousands of lives, destabilized European security, and drained the economies of many countries, especially in Europe.

So far, it is planned as a bilateral meeting, but the White House has expressed openness to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also participating in a trilateral discussion.

Zelensky himself has said clearly that he will never approve of Ukraine giving up territories to end the war. He emphasizes that a peace solution without Ukraine’s involvement would be meaningless.

EU opposition and Russian skepticism

Several European leaders have given their clear support to Zelensky and demand that the US increase pressure on Russia to force real peace negotiations.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas recently said that the US holds the tools to bring Russia to the negotiating table and that all talks must involve both Ukraine and the EU to ensure the continent’s security.

Meanwhile, Russia expresses skepticism about the meeting’s possibilities. A prominent Russian negotiator has warned that the meeting risks being sabotaged by forces that do not want to see an end to the conflict.

“Certainly, several nations that have a vested interest in prolonging the conflict will take titanic efforts (provocations and disinformation) to torpedo the planned meeting”, warns Kirill Dmitriev.

The continued Russian military offensive in eastern Ukraine and the annexation of territories deepens the divisions and makes diplomatic efforts extremely complicated.

Ulf Kristersson Volodymyr Zelenskyj
Volodymyr Zelensky thanks Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson for all the economic support and all the weapons deliveries that Sweden has given to Ukraine. Photo: Ninni Andersson/Government Offices of Sweden

What can we expect from the meeting?

The meeting will be the first face-to-face meeting between Trump and Putin since the Russian invasion in 2022, and has attracted broad international attention. Critics argue that any real breakthroughs are difficult to expect, while there is some hope that diplomatic channels will be opened further.

Expectations are therefore cautious but still clear: Trump wants to pressure Putin into a ceasefire, while Russia has set high demands that the Ukrainian government and the Western world are unwilling to accept. Zelensky and European allies emphasize that peace must be built on Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

How much this can be combined with Putin’s ambitions and Trump’s own negotiation tactics remains to be seen.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/world/7-out-of-10-ukrainians-want-to-negotiate-for-peace/

World

7 out of 10 Ukrainians want to negotiate for peace

The war in Ukraine

Published 9 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's tone toward Russia has changed markedly in recent times - a sign that peace may be near?
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

A clear shift in public opinion is evident in Ukraine after more than three years of war. In Gallup’s latest poll, conducted in early July, 69% of respondents say they want to end the war as soon as possible through peace negotiations.

Only 24% prefer to continue fighting until victory. This represents a complete reversal compared to 2022, when 73% wanted to continue fighting for victory and only 22% advocated for negotiations.

Despite the desire for negotiations, few Ukrainians believe the fighting will end soon. 25% consider it likely that active fighting will end within the next twelve months, but only 5% see this as “very likely”.

68% believe that an end to fighting within a year is unlikely. Meanwhile, daily missile and drone attacks continue, and fighting remains intense along several front sections.

Fewer and fewer Ukrainians believe in victory on the battlefield. Illustration: Gallup

“Support for the war effort has declined steadily across all segments of the Ukrainian population, regardless of region or demographic group. This shift comes as diplomatic efforts gain new traction. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signaled readiness for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, proposing renewed negotiations, while U.S. President Donald Trump is attempting to pressure the Kremlin with the threat of sanctions”, writes Gallup analyst Benedict Vigers, continuing:

“Despite these moves, the conflict continues largely unabated. Daily missile and drone attacks persist, and fighting remains intense along multiple sections of the front line”.

Fewer believe in NATO and EU

Ukrainians’ view of US political leadership has also shifted dramatically. In 2025, 16% say they are satisfied with US leadership, while 73% disapprove – the highest level to date. The strong sympathies that existed in 2022, when 66% approved of US leadership, have thus practically disappeared.

The Ukrainian people have a very negative view of current US leadership. Illustration: Gallup

Belief that Ukraine will join the US-led military alliance NATO has also fallen sharply. In 2022, 64% believed in membership within ten years; in 2023, the figure rose to 69%. Last year it had dropped to 51%, and in 2025 it stands at 32% – roughly half the level of three years earlier.

Meanwhile, the proportion who believe Ukraine will never become a NATO member has increased to 33%, which matches the proportion still expecting entry within a decade.

Regarding the EU, expectations are stronger, though dampened compared to earlier. A narrow majority, 52%, believe in EU membership within ten years in 2025, compared to 61% last year and 73% in both 2022 and 2023.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Gallup poll – July 2025

  • 69% want to end the war through negotiations
  • 24% want to continue fighting until victory
  • 25% believe the fighting will stop within a year (5% "very likely")
  • 68% believe the fighting will not stop within a year
  • 16% approve of US leadership, 73% disapprove
  • 32% believe in NATO membership within 10 years
  • 33% believe Ukraine will never become a NATO member
  • 52% believe in EU membership within 10 years

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/nordic-countries-unite-on-new-major-aid-package-for-ukraine/

The Nordics

Nordic countries unite on new major aid package for Ukraine

The war in Ukraine

Published 6 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The support package will include ammunition for the Patriot air defense system, among other items.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Sweden, Norway and Denmark are joining forces in a new military aid package for Ukraine. Sweden is providing the largest portion of the assistance, which includes air defense systems, anti-tank weapons and ammunition.

In July, Donald Trump and NATO agreed on an aid package for Ukraine – an initiative where the US delivers advanced defense equipment to selected NATO countries, which in turn coordinate and finance further deliveries to Ukraine. So far, about ten NATO countries, including Sweden, have endorsed this arrangement.

Now Sweden, Norway and Denmark have decided to jointly contribute a military aid package totaling $500 million – Sweden’s share amounts to around $275 million.

— We welcome the US decision to provide equipment to Ukraine, including ammunition for the Patriot air defense system, and that NATO is coordinating the support. Ukraine has a great need for support from allies and partners to defend itself against Russian aggression, says Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson (Moderate Party) at a press conference.

— Ukraine stands on the front line for our freedom and democracy. Blue-yellow solidarity is therefore the single most important thing right now. We stand by their side for as long as it takes, aid package after aid package – military and humanitarian. Together in NATO, together with Ukraine, we continue to defend freedom, claims Swedish Education and Integration Minister Simona Mohamsson (Liberal Party).

The aid package will include air defense systems, anti-tank weapons and ammunition that will be procured by the US and delivered to Ukraine. Sweden has previously contributed military support worth nearly €8 billion since the war in Ukraine began.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/greene-ukraine-support-a-betrayal-of-the-american-people/

World

Greene: Ukraine support a betrayal of the American people

The war in Ukraine

Published 6 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Greene is highly critical of the neoconservative "war hawks" within the Republican Party - and their influence.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene directs harsh criticism at party colleagues and other politicians who continue to want to send American aid to Ukraine.

In a post on X, she describes the support as a “complete betrayal” of the American people – and argues that voters have already said no to financing foreign conflicts.

“Funding, fueling, and ultimately fighting Russia in Ukraine would be a complete betrayal to the majority of Americans”, she writes, referring to the recent presidential election where Trump defeated Joe Biden and returned to the White House.

According to Greene, one of the voters’ clearest signals was to put a stop to US involvement in foreign wars.

“America voted to end funding and fighting foreign wars”, the Republican adds.

Her statement came the day after a new bill was presented in the Senate, where $54.6 billion is proposed to be earmarked for Ukraine for budget years 2026 and 2027.

“Don’t want to pay to murder people”

Greene accuses politicians on both sides of the aisle of ignoring the message voters conveyed in the election. She argues that young Americans in particular feel betrayed:

“Republicans supporting such policies could lose the younger generation of voters and may never get them back”.

She argues that people under 50 increasingly feel unrepresented by both Republicans and Democrats, not least because of how tax money is used:

“Various taxpayer-funded initiatives have made life unaffordable and the future bleak for the vast majority of average American”, she continued.

In the same post, Greene criticizes the moral foundation for American Ukraine support:

“American taxpayers do not want to pay to murder people in some foreign land over a foreign conflict that has absolutely zero effect on our lives”.

Corrupt leadership?

She also supports the president’s line, where European countries are expected to bear greater responsibility for the war in Ukraine. Trump has since his return to the White House opposed continued economic support to Kyiv and has repeatedly questioned how the money is used and warned that billions from the Biden administration’s previous aid packages may have been embezzled.

Trump’s former advisor Steve Cortes has also expressed harsh criticism. He has called Ukraine “corrupt” and warned that its leadership “cannot be trusted,” referring to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acting against independent anti-corruption bodies.

Greene has in previous statements called Zelensky a “dictator” and accused him of blocking all peace initiatives.

The Russian government has in turn repeatedly warned that the Western world’s military and economic support to Ukraine only prolongs the war and leads to more bloodshed. According to Moscow, every new aid package is an obstacle to peace negotiations.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/russia-rules-out-talks-between-putin-and-zelensky-without-final-agreement/

World

Russia rules out talks between Putin and Zelensky without final agreement

The war in Ukraine

Published 25 July 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Moscow says no to a meeting between Putin and Zelenskyj before a finished agreement is on the table.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Russia currently rules out a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, unless the parties first agree on the draft of a finished memorandum. This was stated by Vladimir Medinsky, the Kremlin’s lead negotiator in talks with Ukraine, in connection with the latest peace talks in Turkey.

Medinsky, one of the most prominent representatives of the Kremlin in the ongoing peace negotiations, emphasized that a personal meeting between the two leaders is only meaningful if they have already agreed on the terms of a peace agreement and are ready to sign it.

– There’s no point in meeting only to begin negotiations from square one, he said, referring to previous summits that in practice prolonged the conflict rather than resolved it.

He also brought up historical cases where heads of state only met to sign already negotiated agreements, not to initiate new processes.

As an example, Medinsky mentioned the Chinese civil war in the 1940s:

– Chiang Kai-shek constantly insisted on meeting in person to discuss everything. I believe they met five times, smiled, and posed for photographs, but it did not bring an end to the civil war. The core issues remained unresolved, and the war went on.

The Kremlin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed Medinsky’s line and stated that Russia considers such a meeting relevant only when a final agreement is in place.

The statements come at a time when the question of a meeting between Putin and Zelensky is once again being discussed internationally as a possible path to peace in Ukraine.

Parties far apart from each other

Many diplomats and international actors, not least in the West, have for a long time advocated direct talks between the two leaders to break the diplomatic deadlock in the conflict.

Volodymyr Zelenskyj has previously expressed a willingness to meet Putin to discuss peace, but has also set demands including the withdrawal of Russian forces and confirmation of Ukraine’s sovereignty as prerequisites.

Russia, for its part, has consistently demanded that the talks should be based on Russian security interests, including control over certain territories – something that the Ukrainian government rejects.

Medinsky’s and Peskov’s statements underscore that Russia does not see any immediate room for a summit as long as the fundamental prerequisites for peace are not already established, which makes the conditions for direct dialogue continue to be difficult.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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