Yuri Kobzar20:44, 09.08.25
The Trump administration is dominated by “chaos and ignorance,” which is why US policy toward Russia is swinging from one extreme to another, the publication writes.
Donald Trump’s ultimatum to the Kremlin has expired. But instead of the promised sanctions against Moscow, the White House announced a meeting of US and Russian leaders in Alaska. This was a consequence of the atmosphere of “chaos and ignorance” that reigns in the Trump administration, writes The Economist .
The Alaska summit instead of crushing sanctions is an unequivocal triumph for Putin, the author of the publication believes. At the same time, the journalist stated that the peace process has probably moved forward.
“The Economist has learned that Putin has proposed a limited ceasefire in the air and at sea ahead of the summit. Sources say an even more dramatic breakthrough is possible, with a wider set of agreements being struck that outline what a freezing of the conflict might eventually look like. However, there remains considerable distance between the positions of Ukraine, Russia and America, and doubts about Putin’s true intentions,” the publication says.
Journalists speculate that there are now several different documents outlining peace deal proposals, which is causing some confusion when different parts of these separate proposals are leaked to the press.
According to The Economist, before Steve Witkoff’s visit to Moscow, Ukraine and Russia continued exchanging draft documents daily. One of them, among other things, envisaged an end to hostilities on the current line of contact without recognizing Russian sovereignty over the occupied territories and with some mutual restrictions on the number of armed forces. This document excluded Ukraine’s membership in NATO, but left membership in the European Union open.Read also:
But Witkoff’s talks with Putin scuppered these proposals. According to The Economist, during a three-hour meeting with the Russian dictator, the American envoy proposed Russia’s reintegration into the global economy, including lifting sanctions and ending restrictions on hydrocarbon trade. In return, Putin allegedly offered to end the fighting on the condition that Ukraine voluntarily retreat to the administrative borders of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
As the authors of the publication note, it is not yet clear whether Vitkoff coordinated his proposals with the Ukrainians, or even with all the key figures in the White House. One informed source with whom the author of the publication spoke called this process a “shit show.”
As the author of the article notes, there is a constant struggle within the Trump administration between the supposedly pro-Russian group of Witkoff and the supposedly pro-Ukrainian group of Keith Kellogg. As a result, the Trump administration’s policy towards the war in Ukraine is determined not only by military realities, but also by “chaos, ignorance and clashing egos” in the White House, writes The Economist.
While Trump initially listened more to the pro-Russian group, he has recently leaned toward the pro-Ukrainian one. A Ukrainian source told reporters that the latest American proposals appear to be a hybrid of the two camps’ visions of the situation.
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