Putin could spring a surprise on Trump: Analyst warns of Alaska meeting risks

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin could pitch the U.S. leader a deal: Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donbas in exchange for a Russian pullout from the Sumy, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Notably, there are no Russian troops in the latter.

That’s according to international analyst Oleksandr Demchenko, speaking to 24 Kanal.

The expert stresses that Trump has little grasp of geography — not just of Ukraine, but of Europe in general — and may not even realize there are no enemy forces in Dnipropetrovsk region. Moscow, he says, is trying to sell an illusion, banking on the U.S. President not noticing. At the same time, the Kremlin cannot agree to a meeting without sending advance proposals.

«There will be surprises from Putin — new offers on the table. Some kind of minimal road map exists; otherwise, they wouldn’t even meet. From now on, everyone will be following that map. But the biggest risk is that Trump loves himself a bit too much — he has an inflated ego. He badly wants the Nobel Peace Prize, ” Demchenko notes.

According to him, Putin could dangle the Nobel as bait. That’s dangerous for Ukraine, because it gives the Russian leader room to play, pressure, and manipulate.