Senior American and Russian officials will hold talks in Saudi Arabia on improving their ties and negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine, officials said Monday.
Bryn Rosenfeld is an associate professor of government in the College of Arts & Sciences and studies post-communist politics and public opinion. She says:
“The problem with Trump’s apparent strategy is this: Even if Ukraine is forced to give up a ‘significant portion’ of its territory, the Ukrainian state that remains will be more European in orientation, more anti-Russian, and more determined to build functioning democratic institutions. Even if NATO is off the table, Putin won’t be satisfied with that outcome.
“Some Trump administration statements, like that Ukraine’s borders are unlikely to be as they were before 2014, may not actually signal much of a departure. There has long been concern in Washington that Ukraine retaking Crimea, reversing Russia’s 2014 annexation, could consolidate Russian domestic support behind Putin and make it easier for him to fight on.”
For interviews contact Adam Allington, (231) 620-7180, adam.allington@cornell.edu.
