Trump’s Grand Peace Quest: The Alaska Summit or Just Another Side Quest?

Hello everyone. Gather round, because once again in the theatre of geopolitics, our lead actor has taken it upon himself to declare he can waltz into the final boss encounter, charm the dragon, and redistribute loot like it’s a rerun of some badly balanced MMO. This week’s expansion pack? Donald Trump says he’ll try to get “some territory back” for Ukraine during his little heart-to-heart with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Right, because nothing says hard-edged diplomacy like a “feel-out meeting” on neutral ice where you supposedly work out land swaps as if you’re trading Pokémon cards.

Territory Negotiations: Real Life Isn’t Sim City

According to Trump, Russia has “occupied a big portion of Ukraine” and he’s going to have a go at reversing some of that. Like a surgeon with no anaesthesia, I question whether he realises how invasive and painful such surgery actually is. In his words, Friday’s tête-à-tête with Putin is merely a preliminary handshake, a “feel-out meeting”. Translation: a tutorial level. Yet somehow he’s confident that after two minutes, he’ll know whether a “deal” is possible. Two minutes? That’s not diplomacy, that’s speed-running global crisis mode.

And yes-he’s floated the concept of “land swapping” yet again. Because why not rehash the same vague phrase that leaves both diplomats and cartographers grinding their teeth? The fact that Ukraine’s never laid claim to any Russian territory seems irrelevant in Trump’s trade negotiations. It’s like offering to swap property deeds for houses you don’t own-straight out of the “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?” school of international politics.

The Zelensky Factor: Frenemies in High Places

Trump says he gets along with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky but “very severely disagrees” with him on… well, the small matter of defending his country against full-scale invasion. He’s even blamed Zelensky for the war, which is akin to blaming the patient for their own appendicitis. During talks, Trump hints he might give Zelensky a call either to say, “keep fighting” or miraculously announce that “we can make a deal.” That’s not diplomacy; that’s flipping a coin in front of the UN General Assembly.

Still, he’s open to a potential three-way meeting with Zelensky and Putin later. One can imagine the awkwardness: two nations at war, a mediator with a penchant for grandstanding, and enough ego in the room to require structural reinforcement. This isn’t a peace talk; it’s a raid group where nobody agrees on the raid leader’s strategy.

Europe’s Reaction: No Player, No Progress

European Commission VP Kaja Kallas echoes common sense: Ukraine needs to be part of any deal, or it will never stick. This is not rocket science-though I suspect if it were, certain leaders might still try to skip the instruction manual. The Kremlin remains unmoved, playing the long game and dismissing meetings with Zelensky as far-off endgame content they’d rather not unlock just yet.

Meanwhile, EU and NATO leaders, plus a few Western heads of state, are scrambling to coordinate on pressuring Moscow. But again, coordination without Ukraine feels like planning a wedding without inviting the bride-or worse, replacing her with an AI-generated stand-in and calling it good enough.

Zelensky’s Position: “Dead Decisions”

In response, Zelensky warns that any agreement excluding Kyiv’s voice is nothing more than a “dead decision.” He’s not wrong-from a clinical standpoint, that’s basically announcing a transplant plan without the consent of the donor. And according to his intel services, Russia’s showing no signs of packing up its tanks. Yet we’re still here, entertaining the idea that forty-five minutes in an Alaskan lodge with Putin might change everything. Spoiler: it won’t.

Conclusion: Pipe Dream Diplomacy

Let’s be brutally honest: this “I’ll fix Ukraine in my lunch break” attitude is peak political hubris. The Alaska meeting is less about substantive negotiations and more about political optics, with just enough “land swap” talk to make geopolitics look like a Monopoly board. Only here, if you land on the wrong square, it’s not fake rent you’re paying-it’s lives and sovereignty.

Overall impression? This is bad. In fact, this feels like watching someone repeatedly run into the same in-game trap in Dark Souls because they refuse to adapt their tactics. Entertaining, maybe. Productive? Not a chance.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is entirely my opinion.

Article source: Trump says he will try to get back territory for Ukraine, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0e99yqv332o