THE LONG-AWAITED MEETING BETWEEN THE UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT AND THE FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT DID NOT LEAD TO ANY BREAKTHROUGH IN ENDING THE WAR IN UKRAINE, INSTEAD REVEALING DEEP DISAGREEMENTS OVER SOLUTIONS TO THE CONFLICT.

The long-awaited confrontation between Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump, which many hoped would open a gap toward a mediation to end the war in Ukraine, turned out to be a dead end. The dialogue, instead of bringing the parties closer to a possible diplomatic solution, highlighted the distance between the visions and interests at stake.

Trump, who has always been critical of U.S. aid to Kiev, reiterated the need for a “quick solution” but without providing concrete details on how to achieve it. Zelensky, for his part, stressed the urgency of continued support to resist Russian aggression, warning of the risks of an imposed and unbalanced peace.
This umpteenth standoff shows that the road to peace cannot depend only on political interests and electoral strategies. What is needed is a genuine mediation effort by all those who care about ending suffering and international stability. What is needed is the courage to set aside pride and positions of strength to work toward a sustainable compromise.

Hope now rests with people of goodwill, leaders and civil societies who do not want to resign themselves to the idea of endless war. History teaches us that peace does not come by itself: it must be built with responsibility, dialogue and, above all, the will to find common ground before it is too late.