“This is the beginning of the end.” That’s the message the United States president is sending to the leaders of Russia and Ukraine.

Donald Trump seems confident a deal can be struck to bring a permanent end to the three-year war in Ukraine.

But who will come out on top?

Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin have plans to meet. Is that a sign that Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, might be sidelined from the negotiations?

And what about Europe? With Ukrainian NATO membership seemingly off the table, how can the region’s future security be guaranteed?

Presenter: Bernard Smith

Guests:

Vladimir Sotnikov – independent political scientist and associate professor of international relations at the Higher School of Economics

Theresa Fallon – founder and director of the Centre for Russia Europe Asia Studies

Volodymyr Yermolenko – chief editor at Ukraine World, a multimedia project covering Ukrainian politics