No deal, till a deal

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, perhaps, agreed to disagree at their summit in Alaska. Their rubbing of shoulders in pursuit of a permanent peace over Ukraine was, however, an arduous task to attain in a given timeframe. But the fact that they exhibited personal chemistry to overcome cynicism and kept the doors open for further talks is a milestone achievement. The subsequent willingness from Kiev to join a trilateral get-together with arch-foe, Russia, and the US indicates that proper tactical signaling has flown down the warzones in the heartland of Europe. This euphoria is, thus, likely to see some sort of an agreement in weeks to come.

The sound-bites of confidence from both the heads of state, after almost three hours of one-on-one parleys, also hinted at a broad-based consensus to reflect on issues of peace and security beyond Ukraine, and to set in a new-normal at times when the world is sliding into a power struggle of multilateralism. The prelude to Alaska also witnessed some bizarreness from Washington as it tried to flag the tariffs issue with India as a conjunction to the outcome of talks. That was quite unbecoming of American leadership, and was nothing but a ploy to air its discomfort over the ongoing trade war with emerging powers in the East.

Trump, nonetheless, was more forthcoming as he ensured his guest that he means business. The red carpet welcome, after months of bickering over the media, simply reflected the essence of being rational; and Putin, likewise, reciprocated by avoiding any hiccups. The summit has sent shivers down the spine for European leaders who are eager to know at what cost a 'deal' is going to be stuck. The critical demands from Moscow are neutrality of Ukraine, Kiev's distancing from NATO and return of Russian-speaking oblast territories. Washington has little to maneuver that reality as the Kremlin sits pretty comfortable in terms of strategic strength, and is winning the duel with Ukraine. Thus, the phrase from the huddle that "there is no deal until there is a deal" will keep everyone on tenterhooks.