The Guardian view on Trump and Putin: Ukraine’s future is not theirs to bargain away

The Guardian's editorial board warns that Vladimir Putin is maneuvering Donald Trump toward a three-way summit with Xi Jinping that would settle Ukraine's fate while leaving Kyiv and Europe out of the room. The Guardian argues that Ukraine alone holds the right to decide its own future, and that a deal rewarding Moscow would be a betrayal and would make European governments doubt Washington's reliability.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Putin used a conversation with Trump to offer an energy arrangement that lets the White House claim progress on diesel costs ahead of the midterm elections, though most analysts say it would not lower prices. In the same exchange, Putin floated the summit, which would also raise China's standing as a mediator. Reports point to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering in China next month as a possible venue.

The editorial says the diesel arrangement appears to break a U. S. law prohibiting Russian energy imports until Moscow stops its aggression. It urges more Republicans to resist the president and to press for answers on why a limit on a satellite system serving Ukrainian forces reportedly originated at the White House. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has denied this.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Guardian’s reporting. Read the full story at The Guardian →