The role at this point could become (the use of the conditional is imperative) substantial: does Donald Trump, with respect to the Russian-Ukrainian issue, assume the role of "facilitator" of the meeting, "mediator" or "guarantor" between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky? Especially in the aftermath of that August 15, 2025, destined to assume historic significance: when the President of the United States of America welcomed the President of Russia in Alaska with all the honors generally reserved for the most important heads of state, effectively restoring him, after years of isolation, full international recognition without, however, obtaining the hoped-for concrete commitments towards the ceasefire in Ukraine. And while the Kremlin leader expressed confidence that peace could be achieved, hoping, for his part, that the Europeans would not stand in the way, both presidents seemed to agree that it was a constructive dialogue, even though no agreement on the war has yet been reached.

Nor could it have been otherwise, with good verisimilitude: since the European leaders themselves (or rather the group of the so-called "Willing" because a united Europe – that is, the union of the 27 Member States – should have expressed itself with a single voice through Ursula von der Leyen alone) and the Ukrainian president himself have always maintained that no peace could be discussed in the absence of the reference interlocutor, namely Volodymyr Zelensky, and that, by arguing thus, they would appear to have perhaps, and in some way, absolved the President of the United States of America of responsibility on this point. In other words, Donald Trump, following the August meeting, seems (at least this is the impression one might get) to have "bounced" (if one wanted to put it that way) the responsibility for the final outcome of the negotiations onto Volodymyr Zelensky himself, and by extension onto the "Willing" who support him, including, among others, Italy, France and Germany.

Today, Zelensky himself will be at the White House in Washington, D.C., to meet with Donald Trump, first in a bilateral meeting and then at a joint working dinner with several European leaders (Giorgia Meloni, Emmanuel Macron, Friedrich Merz, Keir Starmer, Alexander Stubb, and Ursula von der Leyen) and NATO, through its Secretary General, Mark Rutte. Russia's territorial demands have long been known, and more importantly, they have never changed. What "levers" can Ukraine rely on to counter the Russian opponent's claims? What security guarantees can it provide? Will Donald Trump, and through him the United States of America, act as "guarantors" of the strict implementation of any agreements reached? What obligation does the Volunteers' initiative have with respect to the 27 Member States of the European Union? The questions may not be so far-fetched. Especially if the issue of extending Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty to include Ukraine's defense is raised as a topic of discussion and negotiation. Otherwise, Ukraine would not join NATO and yet would enjoy all the benefits of so-called collective defense without assuming the associated economic burdens and without hosting military bases on its territory.

Regardless of any potential concerns about the initiative's feasibility, who would bear the greatest burden if the United States secured a greater financial contribution from its European NATO allies? Ultimately, today's meeting may be illuminating for understanding the future course of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, which will pit the two countries against each other at the upcoming meeting, attended by Donald Trump.

Giuseppina Di Salvatore – Lawyer, Nuoro

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