Italian
Volodymyr Zelenskyy flies to Jeddah, while the fate of Ukraine is played out on two chessboards, both unfavorable
Saudi Arabia. On one hand, Russia takes advantage of the crisis in relations between Kyiv and Washington to intensify attacks; on the other hand, Donald Trump, with his mercantilist strategy, puts the Ukrainian president in front of a dilemma: to give up the national mining heritage in exchange for a truce that could turn out to be an illusion.
While the Kremlin tightens the noose around Ukrainian forces in Kursk, the diplomatic front is no less hostile. In Washington, the Kyiv delegation meets with Secretary of State Marco Rubio following the explosive clash between Zelenskyy and Trump in the Oval Office.
The message from the White House is clear: peace goes through Ukrainian resources. A diktat not far from Putin’s methods.
Trump’s rhetoric is harsh. He first deprived Kyiv of weapons and intelligence, then suggested that Ukraine could still succumb, even with US support.
A clear message to Zelenskyy: either you accept our conditions, or you will be left to your own fate.
Putin, for his part, observes and advances. The attacks on Sumy and Kursk intensify, as Russian forces try to close the circle around Ukrainian troops.
The latest trick: a silent advance through a gas pipeline, demonstrating that Moscow spares no creativity when it comes to asymmetric warfare.
Zelenskyy, aware of the stakes, is trying to save what can be saved. His proposal for a ceasefire, with the suspension of hostilities in the Black Sea and the cessation of missile attacks, seems like a last-ditch effort to test Moscow’s (limited) willingness to negotiate.
But Putin has no interest in stopping, and Trump doesn’t seem to have any intention of offering real guarantees.
The shadow of a disposable Ukraine is lengthening. If the White House continues to see Kyiv only as a geopolitical asset to exploit, and not as an ally to protect, Zelenskyy risks finding himself in the worst of positions: too weak to resist Russia, too uncomfortable to receive real support from Trump’s America.
If the Ukrainian leader fails to get out of the corner, he might end up being remembered not as the hero of resistance, but as the president who had to trade his nation’s future for a promise of peace that was never kept.
