The meeting between the Presidents of the United States and Ukraine at Donald Trump's private residence concluded without any specifics — and honestly, this was not a surprise to me. The real surprise would have been any concrete agreements that could have been implemented during this meeting or at least prepared for signing. However, what was a revelation to me was the existence of the "Trump" chocolate cake, which the American president served to the Ukrainian delegation — I hope someday we will learn its recipe.

But seriously, such an outcome is already a decent result. After all, the end of the war does not depend on Trump's wishes or Zelensky's goodwill, but on Putin's readiness. And this readiness is not observed — despite all the optimistic conclusions Trump drew from the entirely predictable phone conversation with the Russian leader. Putin wishes to imitate the negotiation process to prolong the war — and so far, he is succeeding. Ukraine and its European allies need the U.S. not to reduce pressure on Russia in this situation, but rather to increase it.

Because the formula of this war is transparent: if Russia manages to exhaust Ukraine, it will seize its territory or at least a significant part of it; if Ukraine and its allies manage to exhaust Russia, the Kremlin will have to end its aggression against Ukraine and abandon plans for new conquest wars. The question is only at what point of exhaustion we find ourselves. But in reality, despite the complexity of the situation, Ukraine has more cards than Russia, as the West continues to support it. And 90 billion euros of new European credit is a good proof of this. China and India will not give Russia money just like that.

Therefore, the most important outcome of this meeting, which did not become historic, is that it took place in a friendly atmosphere, and Trump has no reason to be offended by Zelensky or European leaders. Everyone supports the "Trump plan" and is ready for constructive cooperation with the American president, discussing the most crucial points and possible compromises. The question is only whether Putin is ready to end the war.

What will happen next? Bureaucracy will take over. Working groups will be created — both for working with Ukrainians and with Russians. These working groups will now consist not only of Trump's trusted people, such as Steve Witkoff or Jared Kushner. They will also include officials — Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Minister Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Kane. And these people simply cannot go beyond the current legislation — as, indeed, neither can the Ukrainian and Russian officials who will cooperate with them. This means that if the Russians do not abandon their demands, which cannot be implemented into Ukrainian legislation, negotiations will inevitably reach a deadlock — which, of course, is what Putin wants, but not Trump.

It is still difficult to say how the American president will react to a possible failure and whether Putin can afford to demonstratively refuse Trump in the current economic situation in Russia. So there may still be many unexpected turns, meetings, phone calls, and changes in positions ahead. And hopes that all this chaos will help end the war by 2026 — and that next time the "Trump" chocolate cake will be baked for the signing of a real peace agreement.