The third president of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko, drew parallels between the upcoming summit of U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, scheduled for August 15 in Alaska, and the events leading up to World War II. Yushchenko compared current diplomatic efforts to the Munich Agreement of 1938, when leading European powers conceded part of Czechoslovakia to Nazi Germany.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Yushchenko: Negotiations without Ukraine’s participation are a dangerous precedent
During a conversation with journalists, Viktor Yushchenko emphasized that attempts to negotiate with Russia without Ukraine’s involvement have historical precedents that ended in tragedy for the countries whose interests were ignored. In his view, in the current situation, Ukraine resembles Czechoslovakia in 1938, when it was not invited to the negotiations, and decisions regarding the transfer of its territories were made behind its back.
“From the tragic, I draw a very significant and well-known parallel – the Munich Peace Agreement. Back then, to appease the bandit, the criminal Hitler, two leaders of democratic Europe – Chamberlain and Daladier – gathered, invited Mussolini, and went to Munich to meet Hitler. The President of Czechoslovakia was seated in another room. And in the name of peace, the negotiations concluded with the concession of part of the territory of sovereign Czechoslovakia to Hitler,” said Yushchenko.
Yushchenko recalled that British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, upon returning home, announced the achievement of peace, but Winston Churchill warned that it would only lead to disgrace and war. Nine months after the signing of the Munich Agreement, World War II began.
Ukraine’s position on potential agreements
Viktor Yushchenko expressed concern over possible negotiation scenarios that do not take Ukraine’s position into account. He sharply criticized the idea of territorial exchanges between Ukraine and Russia, emphasizing that the sovereignty of a state cannot be a subject of trade.
The former president noted that Russian leader Putin has long been in a state of international political isolation, but is now celebrating one of his greatest victories in the last 25 years, as he has been invited back to high-level negotiations. According to Yushchenko, Putin has no contractual capacity, so discussions about oil and gas or land issues make no sense.
Regarding predictions for the summit, Yushchenko stated that he is not optimistic about the agenda of the Trump-Putin meeting. He also believes that the U.S. and other countries could make a fatal mistake if they agree to concessions to Russia, hoping for an “easy price” for peace.
Yushchenko also expressed the opinion that after the summit in Alaska, Donald Trump’s position may undergo significant changes under the influence of the realities of negotiations with Putin.
The meeting between the U.S. and Russian presidents will take place on August 15 at the Elmendorf-Richardson military base near Anchorage. This will be the first personal meeting of the leaders during Trump’s current presidential term and the first conversation between Putin and the sitting U.S. president since 2021. The summit will begin at 10:00 PM Kyiv time. Donald Trump has already stated that the main goal of this meeting is to prepare for a possible broader meeting involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which may also be held in Alaska soon. According to Trump, this trilateral meeting will be more important than the current summit with Putin.
At the same time, Trump acknowledged that the probability of the meeting with Putin failing is 25%. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will not participate in the summit in Alaska. He has previously emphasized that Ukraine will not give up its territory, and the Armed Forces will not leave Donbas. The Ukrainian side insists on receiving clear security guarantees within any potential agreements with Russia.