Five takeaways from a week of Trump’s Ukraine diplomacy

Negotiations are in, a ceasefire is out, the EU is sidelined and Moscow is upping the ante

A sudden and frenetic period of diplomacy began with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s trip to attend a summit with his US counterpart Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday.

While both leaders welcomed the “warm” and “constructive” talks, the aftermath saw Trump and his officials, notably envoy Steve Witkoff, reveal Washington’s sense that a breakthrough was possible.

Vladimir Zelensky was then summoned to the US capital to discuss a deal that could reportedly involve territorial exchanges, recognition of the existing front lines and international security guarantees. He arrived accompanied by his key Western European backers, for a bilateral with Trump and a wider discussion.

While much of the talk around the talks should be regarded with suspicion, especially from the Western commentariat, here are some of RT’s key takeaways from the recent developments.