Political expert and Ukrainian Armed Forces serviceman Oleksandr Musiienko said that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to the United States and his meeting with Donald Trump went successfully, but it appears that reaching a peace agreement with Russia this year will not be possible.
He spoke about this in his blog.
According to Zelenskyy, the expert said, the meeting with Trump was productive. Media sources report that it was rated 8 out of 10, while Trump himself wrote on Truth Social that it was an honor for him. In addition, he noted, an agreement was finally reached on a visit by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Ukraine within the next two weeks. They had originally been expected to arrive shortly after Easter. However, the expert pointed out that it remains unclear whether the Americans presented the Ukrainian delegation with any new initiatives — the kind of initiatives Rubio mentioned after his meeting with Lavrov, when the 20-point plan was ultimately rejected.
“It cannot be ruled out that Trump is considering a scenario in which he is prepared to support Ukraine until the end of his term — simply by providing assistance, putting pressure on Russia, and waiting until Putin is ready for negotiations on terms that Ukraine will accept. This is the direction in which Trump has changed his strategy. At the same time, of course, he will continue to say that the war must end as soon as possible, and that both Zelenskyy and Putin want to reach an agreement. This will occasionally appear in his rhetoric. But it is likely that he has now prepared for the possibility that the war will continue and will extend into 2027. This year, it will obviously be difficult — practically impossible — to reach any agreement,” Oleksandr Musiienko commented.
Meanwhile, he noted, the Senate finally voted on Lindsey Graham’s sanctions against Russia. However, it should be understood that the most effective sanctions are our own “hellish” ones, while financial sanctions are only supplementary. Many countries continue to live under sanctions without major consequences — North Korea, for example, which is even building nuclear submarines. But this bill by Lindsey Graham, the expert emphasized, is a long-term strategy and calculation, not something expected to work within weeks. Russia must feel the worsening economic situation over several months, which should push it toward leaving the war.
“And remember Trump’s logic? He said that Graham’s sanctions against the Russian Federation were not introduced because they could interfere with diplomacy. Therefore, if sanctions are imposed, it means diplomacy is no longer the focus — it means escalation. This is what awaits us,” Oleksandr Musiienko concluded.
