Ukraine: What Trump does afterwards is the key

Volodyymyr Zensky has given a cautious and diplomatic response to Vladimir Putin’s Late-Night offer of direct conversations in Istanbul next Thursday.

The Ukrainian leader could be expected to hit his opposite song in Moscow because he did not commit himself to a 30-day ceasefire, as asked by KYIV and his Western allies on Saturday.

Instead, writing on X, Zensky called it it “A positive sign that the Russians have finally started ending the war”.

Zensky added that Ukraine expected Russia to confirm that it would adhere to the proposed cease-fire of 30 days from Monday.

It is hard to say whether Zensky Putin’s range of direct conversations really sees as a “positive sign”. This is just as good about optics as everything else.

Neither Putin nor Zensky want to be seen by US President Donald Trump as the obstacle for peace.

Trump’s reaction was clearly cheerful. He wrote earlier on his social social platform, he again hinted that this war almost ended. He wrote: “A potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine!”

Putin said he wants to tackle what he calls “the main causes of the conflict”.

From his perspective, that means the unacceptable ambition of Ukraine to be part of a prosperous, democratic Europe instead of returning to Moscow’s job and becoming satellite nation such as White -Russia.

He also wants a solid company that Ukraine will never become a member of NATO.

Moscow demanded on Saturday that, before a cessation -the fire can start, the west should stop arming Ukraine.

That of course would leave this country that is much less able to ward off the gradual progress of Russia on the front line – or, worse, a new complete offensive to take more land.

What Ukraine desperately needs from his allies is an uninterrupted stream of air defenses to shoot the ever -growing number of drones and missiles across the common border in Kyiv and other major cities.

Shortly after the dawn on Sunday we were awakened by an Air Raid Alert and sirens went off as more Russian drones were launched.

On May 9, the American embassy in Kyiv gave a warning to its citizens that there was “a significant risk of air strikes in the coming days”.

One of the biggest worries is that the Kremlin can launch another Oreshnik -Hypersonic Ballistic Rocket, such as those who fired his troops in a factory in Dnipro in November.

With its speed that approaches the speed of the sound 10 times, Russia claims that this rocket is “unstoppable”.

So now is the most important question what Trump then does – and this can go in all directions.

He could decide that his opposite number in Moscow just accepts him and finds one excuse after the other not to agree with a cease -the fire.

Or, in view of his historical warm relationships with Putin, he will throw a diplomatic lifeline and instead put pressure on Ukraine to sit in Istanbul and listen to Moscow’s demands, regardless of whether there is a chat, instead?