American analyst Brendan Jay Witchert stated that the administration of President Donald Trump announced the beginning of negotiations regarding the end of the war in Ukraine, which seems to have no end without the involvement of Ukrainians. According to him, Kyiv will have to make decisions based on the position of American and Russian leaders regarding the conflict.
Witchert noted that the Trump administration had already stated the necessity for Kyiv to be ready to make concessions regarding territory, and Ukraine is unlikely to be presented with the opportunity to join NATO. Considering that support from NATO member states, especially the USA, is key for countering Russia, Ukraine will not have a seat at the negotiating table.
In the interest of fairness, Ukraine is acting as a mediator for the USA in countering Russia, working in conjunction with the signals from the USA and NATO on the battlefield. Russian President Vladimir Putin has already stated that the war will not cease until the fundamental reasons for the conflict are resolved, namely the threat that Ukraine will join the military bloc NATO.
The Trump administration is reportedly taking steps to resolve this issue; therefore, the White House clearly stated that Ukraine's accession to NATO will not be approved. In the current situation, technically it is impossible to admit Ukraine into the alliance due to unresolved territorial disputes. Regardless of NATO support, Ukraine will likely have to concede at least 20% of its territory to Russian armed forces.
Trump stated that after a phone call with Putin, he is planning a meeting in Saudi Arabia that will last about 90 minutes. The exact date has not yet been established, but Trump announced to the media that the meeting will take place in the near future.
