In a telling remark, President Donald Trump stated that before achieving peace, “we’re going to have a meeting with Russia” first. This prioritization of Moscow in the peace process has confirmed the fears of many that Ukraine and its European allies are being treated as secondary players.
The comment, made to reporters at the White House, reveals Trump’s strategic thinking: that the key to ending the war lies in a direct bargain with the aggressor, Russia. It suggests he believes that if he can get Putin to agree to a deal, the other parties, including Ukraine, will have to fall in line.
This “Russia first” approach is a significant departure from the strategy favored by allies, which is often summarized as “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.” By positioning the U.S.-Russia meeting as the primary and initial step, Trump is effectively sidelining Kyiv from the most critical stage of the negotiations.
This prioritization has fueled anxiety in Europe and could create resentment in Ukraine, making any final deal harder to sell. It frames the conflict not as a matter of Ukrainian sovereignty, but as a great power dispute to be resolved between Washington and Moscow, a perspective that deeply worries many of Kyiv’s supporters.
Photo By Presidential Press and Information Office, via wikimedia commons
