Ukraine finds itself locked in a brutal deadlock, three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion – and the shifting geopolitical landscape has raised new questions from our readers about its future.
The return of Donald Trump to the White House has stirred uncertainty over Western support for Ukraine, with behind-the-scenes US-Russia talks making many worry that key decisions are being made without Kyiv’s involvement.
The latest twist unfolded in a vulgar exchange, as President Trump and Vice President JD Vance spoke over Zelensky during an Oval Office visit, leaving the Ukrainian president caught off guard.
Meanwhile, European leaders are grappling with what security guarantees they can provide Ukraine should the US step back from its commitments.
In the following Q&A, I explore these complex dynamics – offering insights on Trump's role, Putin’s agenda, Europe’s position, and what the future holds for Ukraine as it navigates the turbulent waters of global diplomacy.
Q: Is peace possible by excluding and isolating Trump from the process, and can Europe, without the US, guarantee Ukraine's freedom and independence?
Freethought
A: Excluding Trump isn't on the agenda – yet. However, he has shown himself to be very firmly in the Russian camp, or so it would appear.
European Nato nations do not have the hard power needed to go it alone. There has been talk of an EU-rare earths deal, but it's hard to see why the EU would want to follow Trump’s ideas, which, from Ukraine’s perspective, are close to extortion.
Q: Will the war escalate to a full world war?
Harris
A: No signs of World War Three yet. If Russia, as threatened, were to use tactical nuclear weapons, there are conventional means to strike back, and Russia has been warned of the very personal consequences key figures would face if that happened.
Q: Is it possible that Starmer is walking right into a Putin-Trump trap to break the UK completely away from the EU in order to weaken the continent?
RealEuropean
A: The British risk being crushed between the EU and the US.
Economically, culturally, and strategically, the UK’s best long-term success rests in renewing ties with the EU rather than fantasising about a special relationship with the US and privileged status.
Q: The world order has been shifting for some time. Up is down, right is wrong (or the new right). When will we see some stabilisation?
Mrknowitall
A: Misinformation on social media is probably the biggest disruption to reality the world has ever faced.
I would argue that social media platforms should be subjected to the same libel laws as traditional media in places like the UK. Until then, they remain forums that create nothing but mistrust of actual facts and truth, and are used to ruin reputations and incite mob-rule pile-ons.
Q: If Russia is not an aggressor, as the US now seems to think, why do they believe Europe needs to spend more on defence?
Palmstrom
A: Don’t look too hard for logic in some, or many, of the recent positions taken by the Trump administration.
It’s not clear that the White House and its operatives have a full grip on the situation.
Q: Why don’t the Nato/EU countries stand up to Trump, who is turning out to be a disgusting, pompous, arrogant schoolyard bully?
alert
A: The EU is, belatedly, recognising the threat that Putin poses and investing in better defence, but there is no doubt that both the EU and the UK were complacent and flat-footed – especially after 2014.
Europe has long relied on the fact that the US has paid the most for European security, allowing its own resources to be used elsewhere.
Q: Do you think Zelensky will cede any occupied territory in exchange for a peace settlement?
InterestedObserver
A: He is under pressure from allies to accept that such a concession may be inevitable. Before the 2022 invasion, he indicated that ceding some of Donbas might be a painful choice Ukraine would have to make. However, he has since remained firmly committed to the idea of no territorial concessions to Russia. And remember, Ukraine is NOT Russia – these issues are not within Zelensky’s personal gift or purview.
Q: Has anyone considered that when Trump went to Moscow in 1984/85 and met with Putin, he was somehow compromised by Putin?
Soli
A: Trump seems to see things in very narrow and isolated terms—like someone who’s getting all their information from a finely tuned algorithm.
There has been a lot of speculation about the Trump-Putin relationship, but no credible evidence that the US president is being blackmailed or coerced.
Q: What do you think the civilised world’s response should be if Trump lifts sanctions on Putin?
MedicineDog
A: The EU would tighten them, and it has already done so while Trump’s team has signalled a desire to normalise relations with Russia. EU sanctions on Russia still have further to go, particularly regarding fossil fuels, and for now, they are more critical to the Russian economy than US sanctions.
Q: How credible are accounts of Azov, Kraken and other far-right groups in Ukrainian service? And how prevalent are neo-Nazis within Russian forces? The likes of Wagner and Rusich stand out in particular.
Kepler444
A: The whole “de-Nazify Ukraine” issue is a red herring thrown into the conversation by Putin. He does not see Ukraine as a nation that should exist. He also sees it as an existential threat – not because he fears Nato on his borders, but because he fears having an economically successful Western democracy, part of the EU, right on his doorstep.
A democracy filled with Russian speakers who have close connections across the border, while his own people languish under a dictatorship that impoverishes them on every level.
These questions and answers were part of an ‘Ask Me Anything’ hosted by Sam Kiley at 12pm GMT on Thursday 27 February. Some of the questions and answers have been edited for this article. You can read the full discussion in the comments section of the original article.
