The Trump-Zelensky meeting held in the US was at the center of international attention. Despite the optimistic statements made after the meeting, the lack of concrete progress regarding the fate of the Russia-Ukraine war, which was the main topic of discussion, raised questions among experts. Experts believe that the persistence of significant differences between the parties' positions weakens expectations for an early end to the conflict.
Security expert Ilham Ismayil stated in his comments to Modern.az that there is no real situation regarding Ukraine's agreement to a ceasefire:
“Simply put, Russia is not agreeing to a ceasefire. The conditions put forward by Moscow effectively envisage Ukraine's capitulation. In such a case, the continuation of the war is inevitable.”
The expert noted that this process was expected and that Trump's Russia and Putin-oriented policy is not yielding results:
“The war will continue. Europe will continue its support for Ukraine at this stage. It is possible that the rest of Donbass may also be occupied. This process could take at least another year.”
According to Ilham Ismayil, Russia's military capabilities are not as extensive as it believes:
“If Russia cannot take a single city like Pokrovsk in 18 months, it will be difficult to capture other cities. The situation in Russia itself is also severe. It simply has more resources compared to Ukraine.”
The expert emphasized that even if Donbass is fully brought under control, Russia will continue to put forward new conditions:
“Putin will not stop before either Europe or the US. Trump, on the other hand, is trying to gain interests related to Siberia and the Arctic with a more business-oriented mindset. It is precisely this approach that has brought the war to its current point. Trump bears as much responsibility here as Putin.”
Political scientist Elkhan Shahinoglu stated that no serious results emerged from the recent meetings held in the US. According to him, although US President Donald Trump expressed positive views and held a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the main issue – the territorial problem – still remains unresolved.
The political scientist noted that Russia demands the entirety of Donbass, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky does not agree with these demands:
“I do not believe that Putin will agree to Ukraine's current demands. He is not even agreeing to a ceasefire. In such a case, it can be predicted that the conflict will continue.”
Elkhan Shahinoglu emphasized that Trump's initiatives of this type come to the agenda repeatedly throughout the year, optimistic statements are made, but they do not have a continuation:
“Because Putin neither agrees to a ceasefire nor gives up the territories he does not control in Donbass. This indicates that the war will continue for some time.”
