U.S. approach to Ukraine peace talks sparks controversy and uncertainty

Editor's note: Freddie Reidy, a special commentator for CGTN, is a freelance writer based in London, specializing in international politics. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

Although the first dialogue about Ukraine peace talks in Saudi Arabia between the United States and the Russian delegations "went well," it has sparked consternation in Ukraine and more widely across the European alliance at their exclusion. What therefore are the prospects for a lasting peace?

On the campaign trail, U.S. President Donald Trump had long touted that he could resolve the Ukraine conflict within 24 hours. It is of little surprise therefore that the president had instructed his interlocutors Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to act with haste.

Trump has long felt that foreign interventions and "forever wars" are a drain on U.S. resources and an unnecessary loss of life. We see this belief being followed through in respect to conflicts in Gaza too. To fully realize the ambitions of his "America First" doctrine, the consolidation of U.S. manufacturing and the securing and potential expansion of U.S. borders requires these issues to be resolved. Trump is in his second term and is a man in a hurry with one eye on legacy. Resolving the Gaza and Ukraine conflicts would be an enormous feat and prize.

Where the rubber of lofty intentions hits the hard road of reality, though, is that to realize these aims in respect to Ukraine, the president intends on embarking a bilateral approach reminiscent of the Yalta Conference at the conclusion of the Second World War which redrew the post-war map.

The consequence of this approach has meant that President Trump has assumed the mantle of negotiator for the Ukrainian side, and for the wider European sphere while excluding those parties from negotiations.

European leaders, already shocked by being – in their eyes – chided by Vance, who proclaimed the greatest threat to European security was "the enemy within" quickly assembled in Paris for a security conference to assess how to respond. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that "We cannot recognize any things or agreements about us without us. And we will not recognize such agreements."

The U.S. did, somewhat, reduce the scope of the talks held in Saudi Arabia with Rubio indicating that "The talks marked the beginning of a conversation, and more work needs to be done" rather than that they were the beginning of a settlement negotiation.

Meanwhile, Russia's position is that more needs to be done about what they see as the root cause of the conflict, but it is hard to see that Trump's exclusion of Ukraine from the talks will put both sides on the road to reconciliation. Likely irked by President Trump quoting a widely reported piece of misinformation which claimed the Ukraine preisdent's polling numbers indicated 4 percent approval, the Ukrainian leader was compelled to tell a press conference on Wednesday that "with respect, President Trump is living in a disinformation space."

The U.S. president responded in a lamentable pedestrian way accusing Zelenskyy of being a “dictator” for not holding elections, despite all Ukrainian politicians voting to retain martial law until wars end ahead of elections.

Trump continued his invective by stating that Zelenskyy "was only good at playing Joe Biden like a fiddle."

Despite this invective, Trump's administration appears keen that the European powers take a leading role in enforcing a Ukrainian settlement despite having limited input into the legal settlement.

The Russian delegation was at pains to state that Ukraine would have an integral role in future negotiations but with early forays into the debate regarding enforcement, such as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's willingness to commit peace-keeping troops to Ukraine meeting early stumbling blocks, it is evident that the road to peace will be a long one.

Beyond this wave of uncertainty though, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the talks were "a welcome first step." For all that was made of the unity of Ukraine's supporters, it is the case that little to no progress has been made in terms of finding an "exit ramp."

The new administration may afford a new pretext for peace talks, but the Trump administration must reconcile the competing ambitions of a Europe-led (and enforced) peace. U.S. brinkmanship may be supremely efficient in the short-term, but nations will soon adapt to new norms and the bonus of collective belief will once again be spread.

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at opinions@cgtn.com. Follow @thouse_opinions on Twitter to discover the latest commentaries in the CGTN Opinion Section.)