The upcoming Trump-Putin summit risks sidelining Ukraine, fracturing Western unity and creating space for Russia to delay sanctions, consolidate battlefield gains and promote a U.S.-Russia framework that advances Russian strategic interests. On Aug. 7, the Kremlin and the White House confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump are preparing to meet ''within days.'' The announcement came just hours ahead of an Aug. 8 deadline set by Trump, who has threatened to impose secondary tariffs on countries buying Russian oil unless Moscow makes significant progress on the peace process in Ukraine. According to Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy aide, the leaders ''essentially'' agreed to a one-on-one summit, their first since 2018, at the ''suggestion of the American side.'' This development followed closed-door talks between Putin and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Aug. 6, which both sides described as ''productive'' and ''constructive,'' though no details were disclosed. U.S....
