U.S. President Donald Trump is set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Monday to finalize peace negotiations for Ukraine. The proposed agreement includes a territorial concession condition that Ukraine has consistently opposed, making the outcome of this meeting uncertain.
As peace negotiations for Ukraine continue to drag on, analysts suggest that North Korea could emerge as the biggest beneficiary of this prolonged conflict.
On Tuesday, President Trump will discuss strategies to end the Ukraine war with European leaders at the White House. The meeting will include European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and President Zelenskyy.
Following his direct meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15, President Trump claimed to have reached a broad agreement. However, he did not announce any specific results related to the peace negotiations.
According to reports from The New York Times and other international media, during the U.S.-Russia talks, President Putin proposed that Russia would cease attacks along the southern front in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia if Ukraine relinquishes the eastern Donbas region. President Trump reportedly agreed to mediate a peace agreement based on this proposal.
If Ukraine fully surrenders the Donbas region, all military strongholds and defensive lines in Donetsk would fall under Russian control. Some observers warn that if negotiations conclude on these terms, it could effectively legitimize Russia’s invasion and occupation of Ukraine.
After the Trump-Putin negotiations concluded on August 16, President Zelenskyy expressed his displeasure via social media, stating that all significant issues concerning Ukraine must be discussed with Ukraine’s participation, and territorial matters, in particular, cannot be decided without Ukraine.
Despite President Trump’s pre-inauguration promise of a quick end to the war, the prolonged negotiations have led to analyses suggesting that North Korea, which has decided to intervene in the Ukraine conflict, is reaping substantial benefits by securing various concessions from Russia.
North Korea is leveraging the Ukraine war to forge an unprecedented closeness with Russia. Last June, North Korea and Russia signed a treaty establishing a comprehensive strategic partnership, pledging immediate military assistance if either side finds itself at war, marking the peak of their alliance.
Citing this agreement as justification, North Korea first deployed over 11,000 combat troops to Russia in October of the same year and sent an additional 3,000 troops earlier this year. In June, they agreed to dispatch a total of 6,000 personnel, including 1,000 engineers and 5,000 construction workers, for post-war reconstruction efforts.
In exchange for providing troops and weapons to Russia, North Korea appears to be receiving critical resources needed to enhance its military capabilities. These include drones, fighter jets, new air defense systems, long-range projectiles, and hypersonic cruise missile technology. Additionally, various forms of economic aid are flowing in, allowing North Korea to address resource shortages caused by sanctions through its partnership with Russia.
During the U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska, President Putin focused on projecting an image of Russia as an equal power to the U.S. by not easily compromising with President Trump. This stance could further bolster North Korea’s confidence internationally, given its reliance on Russia as a key ally.
If the peace negotiations for the Ukraine war proceed according to President Putin’s wishes, it may significantly influence future U.S.-North Korea talks. Russia could position itself as a mediator, advocating for North Korea’s interests in these discussions.
The concern is that such a scenario would diminish South Korea’s role in U.S.-North Korea talks. If President Trump acknowledges Russia’s involvement for a swift resolution and conducts negotiations that also guarantee Russian interests in connection with ending the Ukraine war, it may be difficult for South Korea to play a significant role.
Kim Jin-ha, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, emphasized that it must proactively engage with the U.S. and other Western countries to create a dialogue environment that ensures South Korea can adequately express its position during U.S.-North Korea talks.