Will the U.S. Use Its Consensus with Russia to Pressure Ukraine? Expert Analyzes the Focus of the "Trump-Zelensky Meeting"

Zelensky last visited the White House in February of this year, when he had a heated argument with Trump and Vance, leading to an unpleasant parting. Nearly six months later, Zelensky is about to meet with Trump again. What will this meeting discuss? How is it connected to the previous U.S.-Russia summit? Cui Hongjian, a professor at the Institute of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, shared his analysis.

Cui Hongjian, Professor at the Institute of Regional and Global Governance, Beijing Foreign Studies University: Following the U.S.-Russia leaders' meeting, a U.S.-Ukraine leaders' meeting will soon take place. Regarding this meeting, it is clear that the U.S. and Ukraine have different expectations. Based on the information revealed by various parties, the U.S. side hopes to bypass the so-called "ceasefire" issue, which Ukraine is deeply concerned about, and instead directly facilitate a so-called peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.

Cui Hongjian: In this case, I believe it would be very difficult for Ukraine to accept. According to Ukraine's goals, a comprehensive ceasefire should first be established, serving as the foundation and condition for further negotiations with Russia. This approach would not only alleviate Ukraine's battlefield pressure in the short term but also provide greater flexibility for Ukraine and its supporters—Europe. If the U.S. plan to bypass the so-called ceasefire agreement is followed, a sharp conflict may arise between the two sides over the question of "whether ceasefire or negotiations should take priority."

Cui Hongjian: Additionally, the U.S. intends to hold a trilateral U.S.-Russia-Ukraine meeting shortly after the U.S.-Russia and U.S.-Ukraine leaders' meetings. This can be seen as a crucial step for the U.S. to quickly end the conflict and achieve its policy objectives regarding the Ukraine crisis.

Cui Hongjian: However, from Ukraine's perspective, given the current tense battlefield situation and Russia's lack of clear sincerity in so-called peace talks, Ukraine has significant hesitation and concerns about whether a U.S.-Russia-Ukraine meeting would be appropriate or capable of meeting its demands.

Cui Hongjian: The U.S.-Ukraine leaders' meeting is clearly closely linked to the previous U.S.-Russia leaders' meeting. It is precisely the U.S.-Russia meeting that has created the conditions for the U.S.-Ukraine meeting. Evidently, the U.S. is now attempting to leverage the consensus it has reached with Russia to pressure Ukraine, aiming to expedite the so-called political resolution it seeks to achieve.