Trump is increasingly leaning toward the scenario of ending the war along the front line — political analyst Chalenko

The position of U.S. President Donald Trump remains important for advancing the negotiation process to end the russian-Ukrainian war, as it is Washington that is capable of proposing a new format for dialogue and contributing to the formation of a unified position among Western allies. This opinion was expressed in a comment to OstroV by political analyst and head of the Center for Analysis and Strategies, Ihor Chalenko.

According to him, the current negotiation process requires updated approaches and a rejection of formats that have not produced tangible results.

“It is necessary to move away from the approaches that were formed after the Anchorage negotiations. A new format of dialogue and a new format of the negotiation process are needed”, - the expert believes.

At the same time, he noted that recent international consultations have not demonstrated sufficient support for a format that would involve more active participation of European states in the search for ways to end the war.

According to Chalenko, this is why it is important for the need to revise approaches to conflict resolution to be voiced directly by the U.S. president.

The political analyst also believes that certain changes in Trump’s rhetoric regarding his vision of ways to end the war are already noticeable.

“If we analyze his recent speeches and press conferences, we can see an emphasis on the need to cease hostilities and to find mechanisms for ending the war”, - he noted.

According to the expert, the American president’s statements about the need for direct contacts between Volodymyr Zelensky and vladimir putin may indicate a search for a scenario of ending hostilities along the current front line.

“Trump says that Zelensky and putin must find a way to talk and stop the killing. Such logic could very well be compatible with a scenario of ending the war along the line of contact”, - Chalenko explained.

In his view, the gradual formation of a shared vision between the U.S. and European allies could significantly limit the kremlin’s ability to exploit disagreements within the West for its own benefit.

“If a broader consensus among Ukraine’s Western partners begins to form around this position, russia will lose the ability to play on contradictions within the transatlantic community”, - the political analyst noted.

He is convinced that a consolidated position of the allies could become one of the factors that forces moscow to take negotiations more seriously.

“The more confusion and contradictions there are among Ukraine’s partners, the more opportunities russia sees to continue the war. Therefore, Western unity remains one of the key elements of pressure on the kremlin”, - Chalenko stressed.

In his view, Trump’s role today lies not only in possible mediation between the parties to the conflict, but also in shaping a unified position of the Western world regarding the conditions for ending the war and the future security architecture in Europe.