Kathrine Frich
Vladimir Putin wasn’t physically present at the White House, yet his shadow loomed large over Donald Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Vladimir Putin wasn’t physically present at the White House, yet his shadow loomed large over Donald Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Putin Absent, But Not Unnoticed
According to an analysis by Sky News, three telling moments from that encounter reveal how deeply the recent Alaska summit with Putin may have shaped Trump’s current stance on Ukraine.
A Sudden Shift on Ceasefire
While seated beside Zelensky in the Oval Office, Trump declared, “I don’t think you need a truce.”
The remark marked a sharp departure from his earlier push for a ceasefire, a position he had championed for the past six months.
This reversal came just days after Trump’s meeting with Putin, raising questions about whether Moscow’s framing of the conflict had found its way into Trump’s rhetoric.
A Tale of Two Summits
The second moment centered on the meeting format.
Zelensky faced a barrage of open questions in front of the press, a far cry from Putin’s carefully managed appearance in Alaska, where he avoided public scrutiny.
The contrast suggests a hierarchy in Trump’s diplomacy: where Putin is shielded, Zelensky is tested.
It’s a subtle but powerful reflection of who Trump appears to favor, or fears alienating.
Calling Putin Mid-Meeting
Originally, Trump said he would speak to Putin after consulting with European leaders.
But instead, he called the Russian president during his talks with them, almost as if seeking guidance or approval.
The timing of the call suggested a deeper alignment with Moscow’s position.
As Sky News noted, it increasingly appears that Russia is shaping the peace plan, while the U.S. merely puts it on paper.
Moscow’s Strategy: Control the Narrative
The Kremlin knows Trump is prone to change his mind, often influenced by whoever spoke to him last.
That’s why, according to the analysis, Russia is working to stay front and center in his thinking.
With the Russian Foreign Ministry swiftly rejecting UK support for Ukraine, and casting NATO as a threat to peace, Moscow is trying to frame itself as the real peacemaker, and keep Trump within that narrative.
