(MENAFN) The latest round of Ukraine diplomacy offered few surprises. Following his high-profile Alaska meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump held talks in Washington with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and European backers, yet the peace process remains stalled.

The conditions outlined by Russia in Anchorage are already largely ignored, while Western attention has shifted to the possibility of a direct Putin-Zelensky meeting. Reports indicate that the Americans are planning not just one but two potential summits: a bilateral session between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, and a trilateral meeting including Trump, with Hungary suggested as a possible venue.

Some Western media claim that Putin requested a meeting in Moscow. While the Trump administration asserts that Russia has agreed to the plans, the Kremlin has remained deliberately vague, referencing only a “raising of the level of delegations.” This ambiguity echoes the lead-up to the Putin-Trump summit, suggesting the idea cannot be ruled out.

In reality, such a meeting is not required by practical or strategic considerations but seems to be driven by the theatrical dynamics of a diplomatic process increasingly staged to capture Trump’s attention.

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