The Significance of Holding a US-Russia Summit Now

BALKANS AND EASTERN EUROPE, 18 Aug 2025

Sakai Tanaka – TRANSCEND Media Service

12 Aug 2025 – The US and Russian leaders, Trump and Putin, will meet in Alaska on 15 Aug. The meeting was reportedly agreed upon because a ceasefire in Ukraine appears likely. However, the current situation is such that a ceasefire in Ukraine cannot be achieved through discussions between the US and Russian leaders.（Russia Holds All Cards in Trump Talks） [Why are Trump and Putin meeting in Alaska?]    [The diplomatic efforts that led to the Trump-Putin meeting on Ukraine]

2. Trump’s proposal calls for Ukraine to abandon Crimea and Donbas, formerly Ukrainian territories occupied and annexed by Russia, and officially recognize them as Russian territory, in exchange for Russia withdrawing its troops from the rest of Ukraine and entering into a ceasefire. The core of Trump’s ceasefire proposal is a “(very uneven) territory swap” in which “Crimea and Donbas”, formerly Ukrainian territory, become Russian territory, and the territories occupied by Russian forces return to Ukraine. (Trump mulls territory swap between Russia and Ukraine） [Explainer: Donald Trump Pushes For ‘Land Swap’ But How Much Does Russia Control In Ukraine?]   [The territory at the heart of Russia’s war in Ukraine]   [How Crimea’s Complex History With Russia Dates Back to the 19th Century]   [Why Donbas is at the heart of the Ukraine crisis]    [We Might Now Know How the Ukraine War Could End]
3. The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has firmly refused to recognize Crimea and Donbas as Russian territory. Now, he has once again expressed his rejection of the territory swap proposal. Trump is reportedly considering inviting Zelensky to Alaska, but only if he agrees to the territory swap. Zelenskyy will not be invited to the Alaska summit as long as he rejects Trump’s proposal. Even if the US and Russia meet, there will be no ceasefire if Ukraine does not participate.（White House is considering inviting Zelenskyy to Alaska）（Trump slaps down Zelensky land swap excuses: Russia-Ukraine conflict）
4. I do not think that the “true” intention of the US-Russia summit is to bring about a ceasefire to Ukraine. Until now, the US and Europe (UK, EU, Canada, and NATO excluding the US and Turkey) have supported Ukraine in fighting Russia, but with this US-Russia summit, Trump’s America will withdraw from the framework of the Ukraine War and make a unilateral reconciliation with Russia, shifting to a new structure in which only the European countries continues to view Russia as their enemy and continue the Ukraine War. I believe this is the true intention of the US-Russia summit.（US is ‘done’ funding Ukraine – Vance）（英欧潰しの進展）  [Business projects of Donald Trump in Russia]    [Trump-Russia Business Ties and Financial Dealings]     [All of Donald Trump’s Ties to Russia and Putin, in 7 Charts]     [Donald Trump’s Many, Many, Many, Many Ties to Russia]   [Business projects of Donald Trump in Russia]     [Trump threatens countries that do business with Russia with 100% tariffs.]     [Why The Trump World Dislikes Europe So Deeply]     [Steve Witkoff meets Vladimir Putin as Donald Trump’s ceasefire deadline nears]     [Trump raised the prospect of future business deals with Russia post-war.]     [Witkoff as a businessman]    [Trump as a businessman]     [Trump’s Ukraine Business Ambitions—And Why They Never Took Off]     [Trump presidency financial profits: $3.4 billion payday? Report says Trump family cashed in big from White House years]     [Full List of Trump’s Foreign Real Estate Ventures Underway Around the World]
5. Trump is a closet multipolar advocate who has long wanted to reconcile with Russia, but was unable to do so due to repeated obstruction from mainstream (British) US politics and the UK and Europe, including the Russiagate fabrication. Since Trump returned to power, he has brought investigative authorities under his wing, allowing him to gather evidence that the Anglo-Americans in US politics, such as the Democratic Party, have been obstructing him over the Russiagate and the 2020 election fraud. Furthermore, the Anglo-Americans in the US, UK, and Europe, including the US Democratic Party, are self-destructing due to the radicalization and totalitarianism of liberal movements such as the Awakening Movement. With the Anglo-Americans weakening, Trump is now able to pursue his long-held goal of reconciliation with Russia. The Alaska summit is thought to be one manifestation of this.（Scholars & Schemers: How The Left Ruined Higher Education 日本も）(The US and Russia Pretend to Be False Enemies) [Donald Trump’s ‘Russiagate’ Documents: Read in Full]
6. Prior to the summit, Trump dispatched Vice President Vance to Europe. Vance pointed out that a new system is emerging in which the US no longer supports Ukraine and that the UK and Europe support Ukraine by purchasing weapons from the US. Ukraine’s military death toll is rising and its strength is depleted. No matter who supports it, it can no longer defeat Russia. Britain and Europe are paying huge amounts of money to the United States for weapons, squandering their finances in a war they cannot win and self-destructing. This is also a ploy by Trump and Putin. The process of shifting the lead in Ukraine support from the United States to Britain and Europe is nearing completion, which may have led to Trump and Putin meeting face-to-face.（Vance Says US ‘Done Funding Ukraine War’ – Demands Europe Step Up） [Is the War in Ukraine About to End?] [Russia has won war in Ukraine, Hungary’s Orban says]
7. Another reason for the current timing of the Trump-Putin meeting may be to create a political climate for the United States and Russia to cooperate in clearing up the aftermath of the Gaza War and cooperating to establish Israel’s hegemony in the Middle East. Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who arranged the US-Russia summit, traveled to Israel and Gaza before visiting Russia. The President of the UAE, who is friendly with Israel, also visited Russia. The US-Russia summit is connected to Israel. Witkoff is officially a US special envoy, but in reality he is a special envoy conveying Israel’s requests to the United States and Russia. The UAE also seems to be an Israeli (and Saudi Arabian) envoy.（What Triggered The Upcoming Putin-Trump Summit?）（UAE president expects ‘positive results’ from his visit to Russia）[How Israel evolved from the Middle East’s David to its Goliath] [Israel Inherits the US Hegemony in the Middle East]
8. As the US and Russian leaders prepare to meet, global criticism and economic sanctions against Israel’s Gaza massacre and Palestinian erasure policies are intensifying. Trump and Putin are defending Israel. Anglo-Americans, liberals, leftists, and the media in the UK and Europe are increasingly hostile to Israel. This has led to a conflict between the US, Russia, Israel, and the Anglo-Americans.（Israel’s Gaza City plan sparks global condemnation and domestic protests）
9. Even within the non-American side of the BRICS, Russia, India, and the UAE are pro-Israel, while China, Brazil, and South Africa are anti-Israel, creating a hidden internal divide. However, unlike the US and UK, the BRICS get along well despite internal conflicts. For example, the relations between China and India, once arch-enemies, have rapidly improved since India’s Modi’s visit to China.（Putin and Xi discuss Ukraine ahead of expected Russia-US summit）（Modi to visit China amid Trump tariff onslaught）
10. A scenario is conceivable in which Trump and Putin hold a summit meeting at Israel’s request to resolve their public discord (though behind the scenes they have been on good terms since the beginning of the year), and the US and Russia cooperate to do various things for Israel.（Lebanon Agrees to Disarm Hezbollah, But US Plan Hinges on Israeli Compliance) （Trump set to announce initial deal to end conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia）
11. Israel (Likud faction) has spent the 25 years since 9/11 taking over the US and UK Intelligence Community, which was once the center of the US sole hegemony. Israel is gaining tremendous power in international politics and the military. Trump and Putin cooperate to strengthen Israel, and in return maintain and expand their own power and hegemony. The British-affiliated powers/people, who had previously held the sole hegemony in the United States, wanted to somehow thwart the Likud offensive and tried various ways to oust Trump, but Trump ultimately returned to the presidency and what may well be called a “Trump-Likud coalition government” was established in the United States. The British-affiliated powers/people are being crushed.     (Expansion of Israel’s Hegemony)  [Likud minister says Gaza war won’t end, Israel shouldn’t be ‘afraid’ of occupation]    [Israel wants to occupy and ‘cleanse’ Gaza, Likud lawmaker says]    [Trump joins the Likud campaign? This is how the US will influence the Israeli elections]     [‘Netanyahu is essentially an Israeli Republican’]    [A guide to Trump’s pro-Israel cabinet and Jewish advisers]   [Knesset Speaker: Trump and his dream team cabinet fill the people of Israel with hope]    [Likud, coalition gain ground following Trump’s Gaza plan, poll shows]    [Support for Netanyahu’s coalition, Likud surge following Trump’s Gaza plan, survey finds]
12. In order to retaliate, those British-affiliated powers/people may try to cozy up to the Likud and sabotage it under the guise of cooperation. To prevent this, the Likud is intentionally committing heinous crimes against humanity in the Gaza War, creating a situation in which liberal British cannot get close to Israel and are forced to condemn and sanction it.（英国系潰し策としてのガザ虐殺） [Israel’s deputy Knesset speaker calls for killing ‘subhuman’ Palestinians]

 Notes:

1. The hyperlinks with the parentheses ( ) at the end of some paragraphs were added by the original author. Those hyperlinks in the paragraphs and those with brackets [ ], with the italic letters at the end of some paragraphs were added by the translator for the convenience of the reader.
2. The views and/or opinions in those hyperlinks added by the translator do not necessarily reflect those of his. In addition, it is either impossible or unavailable for the translator to verify the genuineness of the information in those links. He does not take any responsibility for the contents in those relevant links at all.
3. The paragraph number was added to the head of each paragraph (except to that of the first paragraph) by the translator for the convenience of the reader.
4. One or a few supplementary words, phrases or sentences in Italic letters without underlines in brackets [ ] were added to show the original author’s message in some contexts or sentences clearer where deemed necessary, while the essential meaning in the message was retained, neither modified nor changed at all. 
5. The views and/or opinions expressed in the above-mentioned article are those of Sakai Tanaka, who is the original author. His views and/or opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the Transcend Media Service (TMS) or those of the translator. Therefore, the reader is kindly requested to understand, interpret or judge those views and/or opinions at his or her own responsibility.
6. The original article in Japanese was published more than a few days or a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, the situations and/or conditions mentioned in the article might have been changed. This also means that the author’s argument expressed and/or the information provided in the article might have become inadequate or less or least adequate, obsolete, out of date or no longer valid by the time the TMS reader reads the same article in English. 

______________________________________________________

Original author: After graduating from university, Sakai Tanaka started working at the Kyodo News  Agency in 1986. From 1997 he joined Microsoft Network (MSN) and in 1999, due to change of policy at Microsoft, he became an independent journalist. Tanaka has published more than twenty books on international affairs, some translated and published in China, South Korea and Taiwan. He studied at Harvard University from 2000 to 2001 and in 2005 was invited to serve as a senior researcher at the Royal Faisal Institute in Saudi Arabia. Website: tanakanews.com

Satoshi Ashikaga is a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment. Having worked as researcher, development program/project officer, legal protection/humanitarian assistance officer, human rights monitor-negotiator, managing-editor, and more, he prefers a peaceful and prudent life.  His previous work experiences, including those in war zones and war-torn zones, constantly remind him of the invaluableness of peace.

Translation: Satoshi Ashikaga – Google Translate

Original in Japanese: 米露首脳会談を今やる意味

This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 18 Aug 2025.

Anticopyright: Editorials and articles originated on TMS may be freely reprinted, disseminated, translated and used as background material, provided an acknowledgement and link to the source, TMS: The Significance of Holding a US-Russia Summit Now, is included. Thank you.

If you enjoyed this article, please donate to TMS to join the growing list of TMS Supporters.

Share this article: email mastodon facebook 🔗 copy link

This work is licensed under a CC BY-NC 4.0 License.

There are no comments so far.