The west’s covert ambitions ensnared Russia and Ukraine in a conflict, leading to significant losses on both sides. After disrupting all the peace efforts, President Trump seeks to gain strategic and political leverage through the upcoming Alaska summit.
Historical Hostility and NATO Expansion
Before the Ukrainian bid to join NATO, Moscow repeatedly warned Kyiv and the Western world of the devastating repercussions of NATO’s further eastward movement. During the reunification of Germany, Western leaders reportedly assured Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev that NATO would not expand further eastward. The then US Secretary of State James Baker famously stated, “Not one inch eastward” – regarding NATO’s advancement. However, the cunning Western leadership has been persistently violating this agreement since the late 90s.
This betrayal by the West began with the inclusion of Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Poland in the NATO alliance in 1997. Since then, 13 European countries have joined NATO — a move Moscow views as a direct threat to its security and sovereignty. However, the Western attempt to include Ukraine in the NATO alliance sparked a direct armed conflict between Moscow and Kyiv. Russia’s offensive response to Ukraine’s bid to join the NATO alliance was due to the vulnerability of the Russia-Ukraine border.
The US’s Role and Economic Interests in the Conflict
Many Western philosophers and authors have been warning of a wider regional conflict between Russia and the West. A renowned British author and journalist, Tim Marshall, also highlighted this risk in his widely read book, Prisoners of Geography. After the initiation of the recent armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, a host of Western philosophers and political scientists blamed this violent conflict on Western nations. John Mearsheimer, a prominent American political scientist and international relations scholar, argues that the United States and the West’s push to expand NATO eastward and their strategy to integrate Ukraine into the NATO alliance are responsible for instigating this violent conflict.
Over the years, the United States has emerged as the largest beneficiary of this conflict. Since World War 2, the United States’ economy has been heavily reliant on arms sales, making war and violence a lucrative business opportunity for the country. Washington has reportedly been involved directly or indirectly in instigating and fueling around 81 percent of global wars, conflicts, and violent uprisings from 1945 to 2001. The US establishment also views the Russia-Ukraine conflict as a business opportunity. Reports indicate that nearly 90 percent of U.S. aid to Ukraine remains within the United States, funneled primarily to defense contractors and contributing to the creation of thousands of domestic jobs.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has also revitalized NATO, decreasing the economic burden on the United States. President Trump has recently secured 5% GDP spending pledge from all the NATO members. Moreover, the recent mineral deal between the US and Ukraine, following a public spat between Trump and Zelenskyy, also shows how Washington is using this conflict for economic benefit.
Trump’s Strategic Summit and the Illusion of Peace
After disrupting all the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, President Trump has announced that he will meet President Putin in Alaska on August 15, 2025, to negotiate a long-term ceasefire in Ukraine. Trump has multiple underlying objectives to achieve from this summit. President Trump seeks to be recognized as a peacemaking leader around the world. Therefore, he is trying hard to at least have a formal meeting with President Putin, primarily on this issue. The meeting between the two leaders will raise his stature among the US citizens. Moreover, he could once again put the ounce of the conflict on Russia through his propagandist Western media outlets.
The chances of a successful peace deal during this summit are meagre, as the warmongering Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already rejected Trump’s peace deal proposal. Regarding the summit, the US President Donald Trump has stated that the peace between Russia and Ukraine would require “some swapping of territories. In response, Zelenskyy stated, “We will not reward Russia for what it has perpetrated….any decisions against us, any decisions without Ukraine, are also decisions against peace.” Indeed, a successful ceasefire deal could not be reached without the involvement of Ukraine.
However, Zelenskyy’s warmongering nature and his ill-witted leadership would not let peace be established at any cost, and Trump knows that very well. Therefore, his only intention is to emerge as a problem solver and peacemaker among the US citizens by having this summit with President Putin. Moreover, Trump and the West would have to assure President Putin that Ukraine will never be granted NATO membership to establish peace in the region. Currently, Trump is in no position to further antagonize his European allies. Therefore, he would not be in a position to make any such assurances. However, the upcoming Trump-Putin summit will provide him another opportunity to blackmail Ukraine and the European leaders to gain more concessions.
Аbbas Hashemite – is a political observer and research analyst for regional and global geopolitical issues. He is currently working as an independent researcher and journalist
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