Footage from the frontline in southeastern Ukraine appears to show attacking Russian military vehicles donning the United States’ flag
Footage from the frontline in southeastern Ukraine appears to show attacking Russian military vehicles displaying the United States’ flag, just days after Donald Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Putin.
The U.S. President concluded a week-long European visit with a highly-anticipated meeting with his Russian counterpart – their first encounter since a 2018 summit.
“Our relationship has never been worse than it is now. However, that changed as of about four hours ago. I really believe that,” Trump told reporters during a brief press conference following the meeting.
Before the summit, Trump had issued a 50-day ultimatum to Putin, demanding he halt his invasion of Ukraine or face severe tariffs against both Russia and its trading partners.
Since the beginning of the year, Russia has intensified missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, redirecting military efforts away from the stalled frontlines and instead targeting civilians deep within Ukrainian territory, reports the Mirror.
Trump’s three-hour discussion with Putin seemingly failed to produce the sought-after ceasefire agreement the 78-year-old had repeatedly vowed to secure within 24 hours of returning to office.
Rather than ending hostilities, Russia continues its assault on Ukraine, with new footage apparently showing troops on the Zaporizhzhia front carrying the U.S. flag shortly after Putin’s meeting with Trump. Experts at the Royal Institute of International Affairs think tank, also known as Chatham House, believe Putin has been “rewarded” by Trump after their summit, giving his military the confidence to boldly display the U.S. flag.
“The Alaska summit…failed to produce any tangible outcome to stop Russian aggression against Ukraine,” noted Orysia Lutsevych, Deputy Director of the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House.
“Russia has received a reward for its invasion. Trump called Russia a ‘great country’ and said there is strong mutual understanding between the two parties. This represents a further fissure in the already shaky Transatlantic alliance, the rupture of which is a primary Russian aim. The Alaska Summit represents another step towards this goal.
“Alaska has emboldened Putin, who is likely to prolong, not end, the war.”
On Monday (August 18), Trump welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky along with various European leaders from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Finland, plus officials from NATO and the EU Commission.
Early indicators from the gathering between the allied nations, which included a private meeting between Trump and Zelensky before expanding to broader talks, suggest Europe’s Coalition of the Willing is ready to offer Article 5-style security assurances to Ukraine.
This provision, mirroring NATO’s framework, would mean the European countries would consider an assault on Ukraine as an assault against them all. “During the meeting we discussed Security Guarantees for Ukraine, which Guarantees would be provided by the various European Countries, with a coordination with the United States of America,” Trump shared on his Truth Social platform.
Trump also suggested “land swaps” between the warring nations. This idea has been met with criticism from Ukraine, as it would essentially allow Putin to retain Ukrainian territory currently under Russian military control.
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