Trump, Putin may have agreed to outlines of deal in Alaska: Former diplomat Fabian

NEW DELHI: Former diplomat KP Fabian has said that though there was no deal concerning Ukraine conflict during summit meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, it is possible that the two leaders “have agreed on the outlines of a deal” which they would not like to publicise for diplomatic reasons.

In an interview with ANI, Fabian said there could not have been any final deal at the meeting.

“Well, I think we have to understand the situation correctly. No ceasefire agreement was expected, and therefore, there could not have been any final deal. Why is it so? Because Putin is insisting on agreement on certain matters, the root cause of the war and Russia’s security concerns. Now, till now, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his European supporters have not agreed to meet those conditions. And if they believed, that is, Zelensky and his European supporters believed that Trump was going to tell Putin, either you agree to a ceasefire tomorrow or sanctions on you, well, they were in a make-believe world. They do not understand Trump,” Fabian said.

“So, now, it is possible that there will be another meeting, and Putin has proposed Moscow, a meeting where Zelensky also will be invited, but Trump also will be there. And then another thing we have to understand is that though there was no deal, it is quite possible that Trump and Putin have agreed on the outlines of a deal, which naturally they would not like to publicise for good diplomatic reasons,” he added.

He said there is more pressure on Ukraine.

“As we all know, Ukraine is losing, there are deserters, people are leaving the army, and Russia is capturing more and more territory, so either Ukraine agrees to a ceasefire as is on basis, or after two months, Ukraine will have to sign on the dotted line.”

Trump said on Saturday that the meeting with Putin”went really well”. He also held a telephonic call with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, several European leaders and the Secretary General of NATO and highlighted that it was determined by all that a peace agreement is the best way going forward.

The US President wrote on Truth Social, “A great and very successful day in Alaska! The meeting with President Vladimir Putin of Russia went very well, as did a late night phone call with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, and various European Leaders, including the highly respected Secretary General of NATO. It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a Peace Agreement, which would end the war, and not a mere Ceasefire Agreement, which often times do not hold up.”

He also shared that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy will be coming to Washington DC on Monday and said that if things work out then a meeting would be scheduled with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“President Zelenskyy will be coming to D.C., the Oval Office, on Monday afternoon. If all works out, we will then schedule a meeting with President Putin. Potentially, millions of people’s lives will be saved. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Russia’s top economic envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, said the US received Russia “very well” in Alaska and that the two countries would continue building relations despite “resistance.” “The US-Russia summit in Alaska has definitely been productive,” Dmitriev said, adding that there were “lots of issues that we discussed and many we agreed on,” as quoted by CNN.

Answering q query on media reports of Pakistan Army officers and senior civilian officials paying respects at the grave of a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist eliminated in Operation Sindoor, Fabian said terror attacks in India have been supported by the Pakistan Army.

“I don’t see how and why our media should get shocked or surprised about it. I have always maintained that if you want to designate one person who is behind Pahalgam terror attack, his name is Asim Munir, the Army Chief of Pakistan. So, whatever terrorist attacks are taking place from Pakistan, Pakistan has the full support and full ownership of the Pakistan military. And that gets again and again exhibited when military officers and civilian officers go and honour people, persons whom we consider as terrorists,” he said. (ANI)