U.S. President Donald Trump is showing strong support for Russian President Vladimir Putin as important peace talks on the Ukraine war are set to happen in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Trump’s actions have ended Putin’s isolation, weakened Western unity on Ukraine, and raised doubts about how much the U.S. is willing to defend Europe. This shift favours Russia over America’s traditional allies.
There are concerns that Trump might agree to any deal with Putin, even if it is not good for Ukraine or Europe.
Reports suggest that the U.S. may leave European allies out of the peace talks, despite expecting them to provide security support. This has caused worry in Europe, leading France to hold an emergency meeting in Paris.
There are also fears that Ukraine may not be included in these talks, even though the war is happening on its land.
On Sunday, Trump hinted at a possible meeting with Putin, saying, “We’re moving along. We’re trying to get a peace with Russia, Ukraine, and we’re working very hard on it.”
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made it clear that Ukraine will not accept any agreement made without its involvement.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz, and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will represent the U.S. at the talks. Saudi Arabia, which has good ties with both Russia and Trump’s team, will host the meeting.
Rubio said the outcome of the talks will determine if peace is possible. However, he also contradicted Trump’s Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, who earlier claimed that Ukraine would be included in discussions, but Europe would not.
Trump’s actions have raised concerns that he is siding with Russia too much. Last week, he appeared to support Putin’s reasons for invading Ukraine and suggested that Russia should rejoin the G8, a group of major world economies that expelled Russia in 2014 after it took over Crimea.
European leaders are worried that Trump’s stance could weaken Ukraine’s position in negotiations.
Vice President JD Vance’s speech at the Munich Security Conference also caused concern, as he met with a far-right German politician before the country’s elections.
In addition, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested that Ukraine would not be allowed to join NATO and that U.S. troops would not be involved in any peacekeeping mission.
All of this benefits Putin. The growing divisions in NATO and Trump’s softer approach could help Russia secure a deal that keeps the land it has taken.
Alexander Gabuev, a Russian expert, described the situation as a major win for Putin. “It’s indeed like Easter, Hanukkah, Christmas, (the) birthday of Vladimir Putin and everything is happening in one day,” he told CNN.
