The meeting between the Presidents of the United States and Ukraine, which was supposed to take place during the Group of Seven summit in Canada, was postponed due to Donald Trump's hurried departure. Now Kyiv is preparing a new meeting between the American and Ukrainian presidents, which may take place during the NATO summit in The Hague. However, there is still no certainty that even this meeting will happen. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has still not confirmed his participation in the NATO summit, and Donald Trump might cancel his attendance at any moment—we have already seen that the American president does not pay much attention to official schedules.
Ukraine desperately needs this meeting with Trump. Soon, the aid package to Kyiv approved during Joe Biden’s presidency will expire. Also extremely important is the discussion on the prospects of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. Clearly, Putin has no interest in any real negotiations—something he demonstrated during his speech at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. The Russian leader again emphasized that he considers all of Ukraine to be within Russia's sphere of interests, refused even to mention a ceasefire, and, on the contrary, did not exclude the possibility of trying to seize yet another Ukrainian regional center—Sumy. In such conditions, talking about a serious dialogue is pointless, yet the negotiating process with Russia still remains part of the foreign policy strategy of the American administration. That is exactly why it is crucial for Volodymyr Zelenskyy to hear from Trump about how to handle these negotiations—especially given that the Russian-American dialogue is also effectively blocked.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has found itself at the epicenter of a perfect storm caused by the war between Israel and Iran. Sooner or later, Donald Trump will have to make a decision regarding the participation of the United States in this conflict. Significantly, serious disagreements regarding U.S. involvement in the Israeli-Iranian war are occurring both within his inner circle and among his supporters. This is a situation that only at first glance has nothing in common with Ukraine but directly impacts the Russo-Ukrainian war.
Indeed, Trump's desire to end the war in Ukraine—even if only through a ceasefire—did not provoke loud objections within his team. Discussions revolved around methods: what should be the level of pressure on Russia, and to what extent should Ukraine be pressed. Conversely, in the situation with Iran, everything is much harsher. Part of the Republicans demands Trump’s active support for Israel, while another reminds him of his promise to end all wars and not draw the U.S. into new conflicts. Any decision here could impact Trump’s ratings and the prospects of Republicans in upcoming elections. A mistake—whether through intervention or through inaction—could have unpredictable consequences.
And this raises a question: can Trump, in such a complicated situation, afford to make decisions that inevitably cause outrage among one segment of his electorate?
Procrastination in decision-making regarding the fight against authoritarian regimes predictably leads to new crises. Iran saw that Russia could afford to ignore American proposals and drag out ceasefire negotiations—and decided to act similarly. The negotiations between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the American representative Steve Witkoff, who is also responsible for the Russian direction, turned into trivial time-wasting—to accelerate the Iranian nuclear program.
Just as Ukraine could not simply watch Russian maneuvers, shelling, and advances without proper response, Israel could not wait until Iran completed its nuclear project. As a result, the American president has found himself in an even deeper crisis. Further delays in making decisions regarding the Russo-Ukrainian war and the Iranian threat will only deepen this crisis—not only for Trump but for the United States itself.
Because evil that goes unpunished does not disappear. It only grows stronger.
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