Former national security adviser Robert O’Brien argued that Russian President Vladimir Putin will come out of the upcoming summit with President Trump in Alaska “loser,” arguing that Ukraine will need “real security guarantees” as a part of any potential ceasefire agreement.
O’Brien, who worked for Trump during his first term, told CNN’s Jessica Dean on Saturday that Putin’s military invasion of Ukraine, which kicked off in late February 2022, has been a “total failure.”
“But Trump will understand face. He’s very gracious, he’s charming, but Putin’s gonna walk out of this loser,” O’Brien said when discussing the forthcoming Trump-Putin summit.
Trump, who revealed the details of the summit with Putin on Friday, indicated at the White House that some territorial swapping would take place between Russia and Ukraine as part of the peace negotiations, an idea Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the idea on Saturday morning.
“Of course, we will not give Russia any awards for what it has done. The Ukrainian people deserve peace,” Zelensky said.
The White House is considering inviting Zelensky to the Alaska meeting, and Trump is open to hosting a trilateral meeting with both leaders.
Putin reportedly gave a ceasefire proposal to Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff during their Wednesday meeting in Moscow, which would include Ukraine’s troops retreating from the Donetsk region, letting the Kremlin take it, Luhansk and Crimea over.
O’Brien, who is now the chairman of American Global Strategies LLC, said it is not necessary for Zelensky to be involved in the talks in Alaska.
“Yes, the matter can’t be resolved without Ukraine, but President Trump has met with Zelensky along several times, including at the Vatican,” he said on CNN.
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