President Donald Trump's team, which has been scrambling amidst Alaska's tourist season to find a venue for his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has succeeded. The two leaders will meet at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, just north of Anchorage. The Americans apparently tried to persuade the Russians to allow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to participate in some fashion, but Putin's "nyet" proved unyielding.
Zelenskyy worries that Trump and Putin will do a deal over his head and present Ukraine with a fait accompli. He's not wrong to be concerned, given Trump's well-documented affinity for Putin. Ultimately, Trump is within his rights to walk away from this war and to insist that it's Europe's problem. But he also seems bent on trying to shape its outcome, and to Putin's advantage, on his way out. Call that gambit what you wish. Just don't call it mediation, which is what Trump says he's engaged in.
This is a preview of Rajan Menon's latest column. Read the full column here.
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