Trump’s rush for a deal with Putin leaves Ukraine and Europe scrambling

A dangerous fault line is opening as Donald Trump rushes to end the war in Ukraine.

The US president craves an early political triumph to fuel his claims to a Nobel Peace Prize. But an equitable end to the conflict may defy a quick fix since it poses existential issues for Ukraine and European security.

This tension was exacerbated by the president’s decision to exclude officials from Kyiv and European powers from US-Russia talks taking place in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

The fate of his push to end the war will ultimately rest on whether his swift pace can accommodate critical details of a peace that allows Ukraine to survive, secures the borders and security of Europe and avoids rewarding Russia’s illegal invasion.

Trump has shown little obvious concern for any of these three goals – one reason why his strategy is a gamble.