Paul Grod: Trump–Putin meeting in Alaska is a dangerous power play

By Paul Grod, President of the Ukrainian World Congress

Source: Grod on Facebook

The recent meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska, was more than a diplomatic spectacle. It was a troubling signal to the world. Despite the optics of strength and negotiation, the summit delivered nothing of substance. It suggested a pattern where flattery and personal ego sit above global security and justice.

Just days before the meeting, Trump hinted at imposing sanctions on Russia if no deal was reached. In Alaska we saw the opposite. There was praise for Putin, an indicted war criminal whose regime has waged a brutal war of aggression against Ukraine for more than three years. Entire cities have been destroyed. Tens of thousands of children have been kidnapped for reeducation. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been taken or shattered. The attacks on civilians continue. This is the greatest crisis of our time.

And yet, in Anchorage, there was no mention of NATO, no acknowledgment of the invasion, no defense of the post–World War II international order that protects the sovereignty of nations. We saw two men smiling, riding together, and ignoring the harsh realities of war. Putin again framed Russia’s invasion as a response to “security concerns,” a line that echoes the excuses authoritarians have used for generations.

The real root of this war

Let’s be clear. For Putin, the core issue is Ukraine’s existence as a sovereign, democratic nation. Accepting his rationale pulls the world back to an imperial age, where borders are drawn by force and the strong decide the fate of the weak. That logic invites more aggression, not peace. It says that nuclear powers can cut deals behind closed doors while smaller nations must endure.

What peace actually requires

Peace will not come through photo ops or limousine rides. Peace requires strength, solidarity, and justice. It begins with stopping Russia’s attacks, liberating occupied territories, and restoring Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders. Anything less rewards aggression and breaks the rules that kept the peace in Europe for decades.

Most disturbing of all was the suggestion that the war’s resolution is now “in Zelenskyy’s hands.” That implies Ukraine should simply surrender. But Ukraine cannot abandon millions of its people trapped behind enemy lines. It cannot leave them to be subjugated, tortured, raped, or killed. Ukrainians are not fighting for abstract lines on a map. They are fighting for their families and their future.

What responsible leadership looks like

If leaders truly want peace, they must empower Ukraine to win a just peace, not pressure it to accept a dictated one. That means:

• Consistent military aid that closes critical air defense gaps and saves lives
• Long range capabilities that make occupation costly and unsustainable
• Sanctions that bite, not merely signal
• Confiscation of frozen Russian sovereign assets to fund reconstruction
• Accountability for war crimes, including the forced transfer of children and the abuse of prisoners of war

These steps are not escalatory. They are the minimum required to restore deterrence and reestablish the credibility of international law.

The stakes for the world

What is at stake is bigger than Ukraine. If Russia can invade a neighbor, erase its borders, and abduct its children, then the entire security architecture built after 1945 begins to fail. Other autocrats will test the limits. Energy markets will be weaponized. Food insecurity will spread. Refugee flows will grow. The costs of inaction will not be confined to Eastern Europe. They will reach every democracy that relies on clear rules and predictable norms.

Ukraine’s resolve, our responsibility

Ukraine has already shown what resolve looks like. Cities that the world thought would fall have held. Communities have rebuilt under fire. Civil society has mobilized in ways that should inspire us all. Ukrainians will not surrender. They cannot. Their survival depends on it.

Our responsibility is to match their courage with clarity. No false equivalence. No easy narratives about “both sides.” No shortcuts that trade justice for the illusion of calm. A durable peace needs truth and accountability. It needs the liberation of occupied territory. It needs the restoration of borders that Russia violated.

Take action

If you care about freedom, justice, and the future of democracy, then take action. Write to President Trump and call your elected representatives, demand that they Stand With Ukraine and end Russia’s imperial ambitions. Speak out by writing letters to the editor so the truth is heard. And if you’re able, donate to support Ukraine’s defenders at www.UkrainianWorldCongress.org.

History will remember not just what leaders declared or decided in closed rooms, but what ordinary citizens did to defend what is right. Will you stand with Ukraine?