After Alaska, it will become only worse

Oleksander Kovalenko in the Obozrevatel, Aug. 16:

"Things won't get any better after the meeting in Alaska

If anyone expected a breakthrough from Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin's meeting in Alaska, they were the same people who sincerely believed the 47th US President could stop the war in 24 hours. But, as a result of the meeting, not only did we fail to see any results, but we also saw signs of a worsening overall situation, and here's why. 

I've been tirelessly repeating for the last week that the meeting will have zero efficiency, but I didn't specify. Zero efficiency for the entire civilized world, but for Putin himself and all totalitarian regimes, it's just the opposite.

The level of the meeting, with its red carpet, handshakes, smiles, and compliments, legitimized Putin—or, more accurately, legitimized his war crimes. Donald Trump continued to open his chest of demons, some of which had already had a chance to briefly escape—Kashmir and the Philippine Sea.

Those like Putin, and Putin himself, have clearly seen that you won't be arrested or punished with isolation, sanctions, or police missions for bloodshed and crimes; instead, you'll be negotiated with, the red carpet will be rolled out for you, American taxpayers' money will be spent on you, and you'll be fed halibut.

This night, totalitarian regimes once again saw the weakness of what was once a beacon of democracy, but today is an amorphous, overseas partner.

The meeting went brilliantly – for Putin, who will continue the bloodshed in Ukraine, with no plans to stop it, but with even greater zeal and conviction of his impunity. Any ceasefire is a step toward an even more brutal and bloody war. It is precisely the lack of any meaningful consequences over the past six months that has led dictatorships, sensing Donald Trump's weakness, to increasingly display force. Impunity and the lack of accountability for crimes are the worst features of the modern world.

The Alaskan meeting didn't just bring the world to a dangerous point; it crossed it. Things won't get better. They'll only get worse."