Let’s break it down. Panic, hysteria, and confusion around a Trump–Putin meeting are clouding everything and making many people look for a “moral graveyard.”
What Trump wants
He wants the Nobel Peace Prize. That’s clear. Could he get it for a deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan? Yes. So the Ukrainian track here is secondary. But a ceasefire between us and the “orcs” would definitely guarantee him the prize. That’s why he wants a ceasefire specifically. There’s no time for full peace by October 10.
Will Trump stop helping us if he doesn’t get what he wants? No. Our aid is purchased with European funds. He would have to forgo billions of dollars—why would he do that?
What do we want?
We want everything to end on our terms. Is that possible today? No. Do we want a ceasefire at this stage, even along the current line? I do. And I think most people do too.
Now about territory exchange. Can we hold Donbas? If yes, then let’s show we can. Then Trump can tell Putin: you won’t be able to seize this territory. If we can’t hold it, what questions do we even have about an exchange?
Key point: Is a ceasefire a defeat in the war, even if it involves a territory exchange? No. Because it is not the end of the war.
The simple moral: neither Trump, nor Putin, nor we can decide anything without the situation on the battlefield.
