The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is making too many concessions to Russia without corresponding benefits for Washington. This was reported by Kontrakty.UA.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, Steven Pifer, made this statement in a comment to TSN.ua.
"I fear that the Trump administration is going too far and too fast with Russia. Last week was a good one for the Kremlin. The Trump administration is effectively agreeing with the Russian position, stating that Ukraine cannot regain all its territory or expect NATO membership, and is severing ties with Western leaders by agreeing to meet with Putin and calling for Russia's return to the G7/G8," Pifer emphasized.
He also pointed out that the White House is not receiving any concessions in return.
"This is an unwise way to negotiate with the Kremlin. The administration's eagerness will only encourage the Russians to refuse to change their approach in the future and will complicate pressure on Moscow to move toward acceptable compromises," the former diplomat added.
In his opinion, the U.S. should cooperate more intensively with Kyiv and European allies, as resolving the conflict will be impossible without Ukraine's agreement.
"President Zelensky has made it clear that he will not accept an American-Russian deal made over his head. Similarly, the Trump administration wants Europe to provide peacekeeping or security forces to facilitate resolution. This will be much more likely if Europeans are involved in the negotiations sooner rather than later," Pifer noted.
The former U.S. ambassador expressed hope that Trump would adjust his position, as the current course is unlikely to lead to a fair and lasting peace settlement.
It is worth noting that Russian officials in Saudi Arabia have begun promoting economic initiatives that may attempt to sway the United States into accepting terms favorable to the Kremlin instead of making real concessions regarding the war in Ukraine.