Trump is truly delusional enough to believe he could end the war in a single day. He has repeated that enough times. But in reality, if he sells out Ukraine and rewards Russia with a land deal derived from illegal attacks on another country, he will be setting the stage for a larger war.
By Sheila Copps
First published in The Hill Times on August 18, 2025.
OTTAWA—How can Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin negotiate a deal on Ukraine minus Ukraine?
How could the American president even think about hosting a meeting with Russia’s president in Alaska? The message is baked in. Trump will reward Russia for launching an attack on its neighbouring country.
What would an agreement between Putin and Trump mean for the rest of Europe?
So many countries in the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics despise the memory of their time under the thumb of Russian leadership.
They are not anxious to return to those days, and will very likely oppose any one-sided agreement reached by the Americans and Russians.
Major players in Europe, including France and Germany, still want to be able to massage their relationship with Trump, however challenging that may be.
As the American president continues to pursue bizarre and unpredictable projects, like taking over Washington, D.C., and replacing the Rose Garden with a golden “Mar-a-Lago” style ballroom, allies need to either manage their relationships, or get out of the way.
Perhaps that is why the mayor of Washington, D.C., did not condemn the Trump promise to bring in the National Guard to control crime in America’s capital city.
Like Ottawa, Washington, D.C., has a unique position as the city which houses the nation’s major political bodies like the Congress, the Senate, and the White House.
Trump has also signalled his intention to move into other cities (with Democrat mayors), although the authority for a Washington intervention is clearer.
The president is also unwilling to produce statistics buttressing his claim that the actions are prompted by a hike in crime. Crime statistics in the capital city last year were at a 30-year low.
Facts don’t matter to Trump. He is guided by his own feelings, hence the decision to meet privately with Putin, to the exclusion of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In virtual meetings with Trump earlier last week, European leaders and Zelenskyy warned against the trap that Putin may be laying. The Russian leader is expecting to be rewarded by annexing some of the lands he attacked.
Zelenskyy and European allies have ruled out any land swap, and all are calling for a focus on ceasefire.
Many are questioning the strange choice of Alaska as a meeting ground.
The territory used to belong to Russia until it was sold to the Americans in 1867. Some Russians believe the sale approved by Tzar Alexander was a mistake, and the territory should return to them.
Most observers think the decision to meet in America is already a win for Putin, who has not been invited for an official visit to the U.S. in the past decade.
Trump characterizes the meeting as a “listening session,” giving him a chance to feel out the willingness of Putin to agree to a ceasefire.
But European and Canadian leaders are worried about the nature of concessions that Trump may agree to in Alaska.
Suffice to say, it is difficult to trust a leader who will set up a meeting about the future of Ukraine without the leadership of Ukraine even being present.
Trump is truly delusional enough to believe he could end the war in a single day. He has repeated that enough times. But in reality, if he sells out Ukraine and rewards Russia with a land deal derived from illegal attacks on another country, he will be setting the stage for a larger war.
Europe won’t escape this one.
Sheila Copps is a former Jean Chrétien-era cabinet minister and a former deputy prime minister. Follow her on Twitter at @Sheila_Copps.
