"The Alaska Summit: A Photo-Op Farce" When Trump and Putin negotiate “peace” without Ukraine, it’s not diplomacy; it’s a shameless power grab disguised as a historic moment. Ukraine’s voice? Silenced and sidelined. Michael Cohen Aug 9 People love to say I’m too cynical, even on the weekends. That I see ulterior motives in everything. But after more than a decade working for President Trump, I’ve learned you can’t be cynical enough. If you think he’s doing something for the greater good, you’re not looking closely enough. In fact, you might be in the cult. Which brings us to the traveling circus that is about to set up shop in Alaska: Trump and Vladimir Putin, together again, this time to “negotiate” the end of the war in Ukraine. Sounds noble, right? World peace, high-stakes diplomacy, two great powers coming together to stop the bloodshed. Cue the swelling violins. Now here’s the reality check: the one person who isn’t invited to this so-called “peace summit” is the actual president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy; the guy whose country has been invaded, bombed daily, and carved up like it’s a real estate deal in Atlantic City circa 1987. You know, the guy whose soldiers are dying every single day on the front lines. The man elected to represent 44 million Ukrainians doesn’t get a seat at his own table. But Trump and Putin do. This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Let me decode that for you. This is not a negotiation, it’s a photo-op. A show. A scripted performance in which the ending has already been decided; and not by the people of Ukraine. You see, Trump wants to slap “The Peace President” on a MAGA hat, maybe even pick out a tux for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. He’s thinking about legacy, not liberty. His legacy, not Ukraine’s. He knows the war has become a political liability in the U.S., and he’s betting that if he can “end” it; no matter how, it’ll be the crowning moment of his second term. More than Armenia and Azerbaijan. More than India and Pakistan. A moment he can ride straight into history books, preferably the glossy ones with his face on the cover. Putin, on the other hand, isn’t flying to Alaska for the scenic glaciers. He’s there for the land he’s already stolen and the land he still wants; the occupied regions of Ukraine, plus the mineral rights, plus whatever other goodies are hiding in the fine print. He’s playing the long game, and for Putin, this meeting is the perfect opportunity to get what he wants without having to give up much of anything; if anything at all. All he has to do is toss Trump enough of a “win” to keep the handshake cameras clicking. Here’s the dirty little secret about deals like this. They’re only deals for the people making them. Everyone else? They’re props. Ukraine, in this setup, is just a backdrop; a tragic story to be used as leverage in a negotiation they aren’t even allowed to attend. And without Zelenskyy in the room, any agreement reached will be about as legitimate as a diploma from Trump University. Because let’s be honest: how can the president of Ukraine possibly permit two men with wildly conflicting personal agendas; both of whom have skin in the game that isn’t Ukrainian skin, to decide the fate of his country? He can’t. At least, not without betraying the very people who put him in office. Imagine you’re the CEO of a company under hostile takeover, and two rival executives get together in a boardroom to “solve” the problem without you. You think they’re there for your benefit? Please. They’re there to split the spoils. This is the oldest trick in the Trump playbook; create the appearance of a monumental achievement while doing the bare minimum, or worse, doing exactly what the other side wanted all along. He’ll call it “historic,” slap it on Truth Social, Fox will blast it 24/7 as the biggest win in world history. And you can count on the fact that most Americans won’t bother to read the fine print that says Ukraine just got sold down the river. And Putin? He’ll go home with the receipts, the resources, and the satisfaction of knowing he manipulated an American president yet again. We’ve seen this movie before. Think Singapore, 2018; Trump meets Kim Jong-un, proclaims North Korea no longer a nuclear threat, then… surprise! They’re still building nukes. The peace was an illusion, but the optics were fantastic. Trump strutted away claiming victory while nothing changed except the headlines. That’s exactly what Alaska will be; another stage-managed moment designed to make Trump look like a world-class dealmaker while the real costs are paid by someone else. Now, here’s the bottom line; if the people most affected by a deal aren’t in the room, it’s not diplomacy, it’s theater. And in this theater, Trump and Putin are co-stars, the headliners, each with their own scripts, each angling for their own prize. The tragedy is that Ukraine is the set piece, the war is the plot device, and the lives lost are just collateral to the story they want to tell. So when Trump inevitably struts out of Alaska, hand extended, grinning for the cameras with Putin by his side, and declares himself the man who ended the war, remember this; real peace isn’t forged in backroom deals between two men chasing their own glory. It’s built with the consent and courage of the people living; and dying, through the fight. Without them, it’s not peace. It’s a cheap reality show finale; two strongmen cutting a dirty deal, high-fiving for the cameras, and calling it the salvation of the free world. The next big fight; which actor gets to accept the Emmy! ________________________________________________________________________ AS WE FOCUS ON THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS: JOIN ME IN THE FIGHT. 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