The sheer emptiness of Donald Trump’s pageantry in Alaska sends an alarming message about his struggle to close a deal on peace in Ukraine.

The US president was all smiles when he greeted Vladimir Putin for their summit in Alaska. When they ended the meeting, however, Trump looked deflated and the Russian president could be seen smirking.

Putin and Trump after their joint press conference in Alaska.Credit: AP

The meeting itself was a diplomatic victory for Putin: he is considered a war criminal but was greeted warmly on American soil and treated with great honour by the American president. If this remains the most memorable aspect of the Anchorage summit, Trump and America will have to live with the shame.

The pageantry would be justified if there were concessions from Putin to clear the way for a ceasefire. The handshake at the start was to be expected. The empty hands at the end were the problem.

Trump now attempts a typical ploy: he decides the goal he set before the meeting – a ceasefire – is no longer so important. He declares that his objective is a long-term peace agreement.

This is not what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expected and it is not what the major European leaders wanted. Their core argument is that Putin cannot be trusted. Their approach is to demand a ceasefire from Russia first, before any meaningful talks on the terms of a long-term peace agreement.

The shift in Trump’s thinking is a significant break with the European approach and suggests that Putin has swayed the American president.

Putin has given no ground at any stage since Trump took office........

© Brisbane Times