Monday, 17 August 2026Europe · Analysis
Independent · Brussels & Berlin
Person
President of Russia, Russian Federation
One year after Trump hosted Putin in Alaska, the promised diplomatic breakthrough has evaporated. Both sides are intensifying military operations while US mediation has stalled amid a new Middle East conflict.
The last prominent anti-war figure in Russian public life has left the country after detention, foreign-agent designation and exclusion from September's parliamentary vote.
Former NATO chief argues Ukraine is now Europe's strongest military power and should be integrated into a new security architecture led by France and Britain, ahead of a critical NATO summit in Ankara.
Civil Contract takes 49.81 percent of the vote, securing a parliamentary majority but falling short of the two-thirds threshold needed to ratify a constitutional referendum demanded by Azerbaijan.
Nikol Pashinyan seeks mandate for peace with Azerbaijan and EU integration while opposition leader Samvel Karapetyan campaigns from house arrest under Russian pressure.
Parliamentary election on 7 June becomes de facto referendum on geopolitical orientation, with Pashinyan's Civil Contract leading polls but facing Russian economic retaliation and a fragmented pro-Moscow opposition.
European leaders ended emergency talks in Brussels welcoming the US president's retreat from tariff threats while signalling they will not dismantle the anti-coercion instrument until the Arctic dispute is formally settled.
Washington joins coalition of willing for first time as Trump envoys signal support for binding commitments, while Britain and France pledge troops and territorial disputes remain unresolved.
US security commitments are the only credible deterrent, but their durability depends on Russian acceptance and Congressional ratification, neither of which is assured.
Zelensky meets Starmer, Macron and Merz in London before Brussels NATO talks, with territory concessions and security guarantees still unresolved while Trump criticises Kyiv publicly.
Former NATO chief calls for air defences on alliance territory, European troops in Ukraine and seizure of frozen Russian assets to force Putin to negotiate
German foreign minister Johann Wadephul says no alliance member will face Russian provocations alone, while Ukraine's president proposes a shared aerial defence system at Warsaw Security Forum.
US president tells UN gathering that Ukraine can retake all land lost to Russia with European and NATO support, reversing his previous call for mutual territorial concessions.
Russian president warns any foreign forces would be legitimate targets while Macron says 26 allies have committed to a reassurance force, but US rules out ground troops and ceasefire remains distant.
Kaja Kallas warns any US-Russia deal excluding Kyiv and Brussels will collapse, with foreign ministers meeting online Monday before Friday's Alaska summit where Trump has suggested territorial swaps.
US vice-president and UK foreign secretary host Ukrainian and European officials at Chevening days before Alaska meeting where territorial concessions are expected to dominate.
President-elect signals direct talks with Moscow within days of taking office, while demanding NATO allies raise defence spending to five percent of GDP.
Krišjānis Kariņš argues NATO's European members must lead a military mission to secure any future demarcation zone, warning that a ceasefire without hard guarantees will collapse as it did in 2014.
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