Another window has opened into the type of discussion that Russian President Vladimir Putin had with U.S. President Donald Trump during their Alaska discussion. At yesterday’s press conference, Putin was asked: “When Russia and the United States’ efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement in Ukraine are being discussed, the formula ‘security guarantees in exchange for territories’ is increasingly mentioned. Does this correspond to what you talked about with Trump in Alaska?”
While Western commentators have portrayed the upshot of the Alaska meeting as one in which Kiev is asked to trade territory for its future security, Putin refreshed the discussion, saying:
“No, we have never raised the issue in this way, nor have we ever discussed it in such terms. Security guarantees are a natural necessity, as I often stress. We proceed from the fact that every country should have them, a security system, and Ukraine is no exception. But this is not connected to any swaps, especially those of territories.
“To be honest, and I want to emphasize it, we are fighting not so much for territories as for human rights—for the right of people living in these territories to speak their native language, to live within their culture and within the traditions passed down from previous generations, from their fathers, grandfathers, and so on. This is the main point.
