Andrea Kendall-Taylor

Many people now see with the summit that the worst fears of the analytic community going into the summit now appear to be in play.

So number one, it was just the pageantry that we talked about.

So Putin was able to secure this meeting on US soil with the US leader.

He stood on the stage during the press conference and parroted his view of the war, how it started and what it's about without any rebuttal from the US president.

One of the things that I fear the most is that he was successful in driving a wedge between the U.S.

on the one hand and Europe and Ukraine on the other by now putting the impetus back on the Ukrainians.

I mean, I think that was one of the key goals that Putin had coming into this was to say yes, but.

you know, appear pragmatic, appear like he was ready to make a deal and then frame the Ukrainians as the one being the barrier to peace.

And I fear that's where we sit today.

And quite notably, there were no concessions from the Russian side.

and no pressure, no sanctions.

And so it really was a great success, I think, for President Putin in that, yeah, he's shifting the onus back onto the Ukrainians, raising the risk that the United States reapplies pressure to Ukraine, while also buying more time to prosecute this war.

So all in all, I think it was a big win for the Russians, a big loss for Ukraine.

That definitely colors the lens through which he is approaching these negotiations with Russia and his sidelining of Zelensky in the process.

That definitely colors the lens through which he is approaching these negotiations with Russia and his sidelining of Zelensky in the process.

That definitely colors the lens through which he is approaching these negotiations with Russia and his sidelining of Zelensky in the process.