Since President Donald Trump declined to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hungary this week, Russia has intensified its bombardment of Ukrainian cities. From Kyiv to Kharkiv, residential areas have been hit, drones dropped on schools, and energy infrastructure targeted. These strikes are meant to prove that any discussion of peace must begin on Putin’s terms.
That is precisely why another Trump-Putin meeting now would be premature and counterproductive. Put simply, Moscow isn’t ready to end the war; it only wants to appear ready. The Kremlin’s hope is that Trump might pressure Ukraine into accepting a deal favorable to Russia, leaving Ukraine with no clear protection from future aggression and freezing Russia’s current territorial gains as permanent. Either outcome would hand Moscow a strategic victory without having to pay the price for its invasion.
