Estonian parlt committee chair: Putin, Trump meeting in Alaska would mean legal collapse

TALLINN – The upcoming meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska could lead to a complete collapse of the current international legal framework, especially in terms of describing the nature of aggression, chairman of the Estonian parliament's foreign affairs committee Marko Mihkelson notes.

"If an aggressor achieves recognition of border changes by force, international law no longer costs even a penny. In its place will be the principle of 'force trumps right,'" Mihkelson writes on social media. "The security of Ukraine, Taiwan, the Philippines, the Baltic states, Finland, Poland, Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria and many others will thus become much more fragile. Thus, NATO and, through it, the US, may instead find itself in direct military confrontation with an increasingly inspired aggressor."

Mihkelson recommends that European leaders do everything they can to help the US avoid a fatal mistake and focus on what actually helps create and maintain peace: respecting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"Alaska should not become the new Munich, Tehran, or Yalta," Mihkelson warns in his post.

The planned meeting between Putin and Trump in Alaska on Aug. 15 was confirmed by the Russian leader's aide, Yuri Ushakov, on the night between Friday and Saturday.

"Russia and the United States are close neighbors, they share borders. So it does make sense if our delegation simply crosses the Bering Strait and if such an important and expected meeting between the two leaders takes place specifically in Alaska," Ushakov said.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on Saturday that decisions made without Ukraine will not bring peace, and ruled out the transfer of territories to Russia.

"Any decisions that are against us, any decisions that are without Ukraine, are at the same time decisions against peace. They will not achieve anything," Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukraine is ready for real decisions that can bring peace.

He added, without elaborating, that peace must be dignified and that the war cannot be ended without Ukraine.