“The world is behaving irrationally”

The Ukrainians went to bed on Friday night with the frightening opportunity Donald Trump to be seduced by Vladimir Putin to offer significant discounts in the war.

They woke up on Saturday morning to find that the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska had instead pulled out without strategic or political agreements. It was a rare example of an unsuccessful summit that comes as a relief.

In the absence of real development, the attention in Ukraine is directed to the presentation aspects of the summit – “Optics”, in political speeches.

Putin, the man responsible for the devastating war for aggression against Ukraine, had received the most warming greeting in Alaska. The US soldiers kneeled to unleash the red carpet for him. Trump applauded him as he approached and offered a friendly handshake. The two leaders rode themselves in Trump’s presidential limousine and Putin could be seen laughing when the car pulled away.

For the Russian president, who was diverted internationally after a full invasion of Ukraine, the greeting was the beginning of a remarkable return to the global diplomatic scene and set a tone that would continue throughout the day.

In Ukraine, this was not welcome.

“The red carpets and this level of ceremony are normal at international events, but in this case – for an aggressor responsible for the deaths of millions – it should not happen,” says Maria Dracova, 40 -year -old, lawyer in the capital Kiev.

Dracova, who woke up and watched the footage at breakfast, said it seemed that “the whole event was set to rejoice Putin.”

“The rational world is behaving irrationally by welcoming it,” she said.

Putin’s plane was accompanied by an Alaska air base by four American fighter jets and while walking on the red carpet, talking cheerfully with Trump, an American bomber B-2 flies over his head by four more aircraft.

Ukrainians who were late to watch the show saw “the legitimization of a high -level military criminal,” said Olexander Kovalenko, a Ukrainian writer and a political analyst.

“There was no need for this pomp at all,” Kovalenko said. “This is a meeting that had to be held in a much more restrained way – minimalist, without this level of respect.”

After the greetings, Trump and Putin sat in front of a nest of reporters at the Elmendorf Air Force Base, under a flag that reads “pursuit of peace”. The question was shouting in Putin, “Will you stop killing civilians?”

The Russian leader seemed smiling and pointed to his ear to guess he couldn’t hear.

Along with the smiles, laughter and general goodwill of display, the gesture hit a very acidic note in Ukraine, where hundreds of thousands were killed and injured in the Russian war of aggression.

“When I saw the incident, I felt crushed,” says the 50 -year -old Sergi Orlik of the eastern province of Donetsk, who was largely seized from the Russian forces and saw some of the most intensive fighting of the war.

“I lost my home twice, in Slovansk and in Donetsk. I lost relatives,” Orlik said. “I understand that in order to agree with something, there must be a protocol, you can’t just hit Putin in the face when he arrives. But it was a very unpleasant spectacle – especially his smiles.”

Putin’s respect continued after negotiations. In a joint statement to the press, Trump gave way to the Russian leader to speak first. He spoke for about eight minutes, carefully avoiding any mention of how the war began – with a striking and unprovoked act of Russia.

Putin seemed energetic, satisfied with how the meeting at the top did. In contrast, Trump seemed uncharacteristic and only two minutes spoke. He couldn’t boast of something that approached a deal – the currency with which he was inclined to work.

Instead, he gave Putin’s initiative, said Kier Jiles, a senior associate of the Russia and Eurasia at Chatham House.

“It was a huge victory for Putin, even before he got off the plane, to be rehabilitated this way,” Giles said. “Trump has made it easier for him to arrive to be welcomed as head of state when he has to be difficult to travel because he is an internationally wanted war criminal.”

Trump’s approach is unlikely to inspire European leaders to follow the example, Giles said. “If nothing else, it will enhance the importance of not supporting Putin’s requests to Ukraine and not to submit the same types of spectacle that wins Trump’s contempt.”

In a statement on Saturday, President Zelenski stressed the importance that European leaders are present at every stage of negotiations. They are often regarded as an enchantment against the ability of Trump to be unjustifiably influenced by Putin.

But before that happens, Zelenski will go back to Washington on Monday, and the place of his catastrophic oval office collides with Trump in February. This time he will hope for a better result and path to peace, which does not involve the transfer of Russia’s aggressive demands.

The US had a “wide range of instruments” to help Ukraine in this mission, said Alexander Kovalenko, the political analyst. But President Putin’s pompousness and ceremony should not be among them, he said.

“Maybe all this was intended to mislead and flatter Putin and push him to pursue the White House strategy,” Kovalenko said.

“But I doubt. It is more likely that it is Trump’s fad, without any strategy.”

Additional reporting by Daria Mittiyk