US President Donald Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, in a summit that could shape not only the trajectory of the war in Ukraine, but also the future of European security.
However, the much-anticipated meeting proved largely underwhelming, and international commentators were left with little to parse beyond the leaders’ body language and the symbolism of the venue. Trump hailed the summit as a “10 out of 10,” and the White House called it “historic,” but statements released afterward showed that three hours of talks had produced no tangible outcomes.
In the run-up to the meeting, many feared that Ukraine might be sacrificed in exchange for US-Russia deals on territorial concessions. Those concerns prompted the EU to convene a meeting before the summit, pledging its support for Kyiv and affirming that no territorial changes could be imposed without Ukraine’s consent.
In the end, none of the rumored breakthroughs materialized. The summit yielded neither a ceasefire nor even a partial deal, and offered no road map for negotiations. Nor did it broaden the agenda in the way some media reports had suggested.
Putin’s silence before the summit suggested that his priority was the face-to-face encounter itself. He had no expectation of tangible outcomes. Rather, his aim was to sideline the EU and Ukraine by engaging directly with Trump and casting himself as an indispensable interlocutor.
What lessons does this hold for Taiwan?
First, Putin used the summit to chip away at his diplomatic isolation through a one-on-one meeting with the US president. He might have dangled minor concessions, such as endorsing Trump’s view that Ukraine would not have been invaded under his leadership. By holding the talks in Alaska, a venue chosen to underscore the idea of the US and Russia as “good neighbors,” Putin sought to counter Europe’s “interference” in Ukraine.
In taking the gamble of traveling to US soil — even as a US B-2 stealth bomber and fighter jets roared overhead — Putin broke through his pariah status. The optics were unmistakable: the US president rolling out the red carpet for a leader wanted internationally on charges of war crimes.
Putin sought to project US-Russia relations as equal to, if not more important than, Washington’s ties with Ukraine and the EU. In his view, any ceasefire in the Ukraine war would hinge on Russia’s terms, not on US economic incentives.
Asked by reporters if he would stop killing civilians, Putin responded with a cold smile — a gesture that evoked the ongoing war without end and demonstrated the futility of expecting a tiger to surrender its skin.
Trump, for his part, said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had assured him China would not invade Taiwan while he remained in office.
If true, Taiwan must use this window to strengthen its own resilience. The nation needs to convince its neighbors that any threat to Taiwan would not only disrupt global chip supply chains, but also endanger regional economic security and maritime transport.
When US policy appeared uncertain, Ukraine was buoyed by European allies who rejected any trade of territory for security, thereby giving Washington greater leverage in its talks with Moscow. A “temporary” ceasefire would only embolden the aggressor to demand more.
Similarly, Taiwan cannot rely solely on the US for protection. It must reinforce its own defenses while cultivating support from neighbors and allies such as Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand. Only then can Taiwan alleviate its concerns about US-China summits.
Chang Meng-jen is chair of Fu Jen Catholic University’s Department of Italian Language and Culture and coordinator of the university’s diplomacy and international affairs program.
Translated by Fion Khan
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