President Donald Trump has staked his entire Ukraine policy on the power of a single presidential meeting. His two-week ultimatum to Russia is singularly focused on one condition: securing a summit between Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.
This strategy elevates the importance of leader-to-leader diplomacy to the highest level. It reflects Trump’s own belief that personal meetings can break through bureaucratic and historical logjams that have stymied progress for years.
By setting this specific, binary condition—either the meeting happens or sanctions are likely—Trump has simplified a complex geopolitical problem into a clear test of will. This removes ambiguity and forces a decision.
This focus on a presidential meeting has been met with a positive signal from Putin, who praised Trump himself, suggesting an appreciation for this leader-centric approach. However, Putin’s own hardline rhetoric on sovereignty shows that even if a meeting occurs, the substance of the negotiations will be incredibly challenging.