The U.S.-led peace process in the Russia-Ukraine war is “fizzling” following Russia’s latest assault on a government building in Kyiv and drone incursions into Polish airspace, according to a Northeastern University expert. Mai’a Cross, dean’s professor of political science, international affairs and diplomacy, says that diplomatic efforts have made little progress in the aftermath of a U.S. meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Trump has been gradually distancing himself from Putin,” she says. “The peace process itself seems to be fizzling.” On Sunday, Russia struck a government building in Kyiv for the first time since the war began more than three years ago. On Wednesday, Polish officials said they struck down Russian drones that had been flying in Polish airspace with the help of NATO.
A month earlier, all eyes were on Alaska, where Trump and Putin met for a summit that marked the beginning of a potential effort to end the war. Trump had set a series of deadlines for Putin to negotiate terms with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the latest of which came and went on Monday. Cross says Putin might be taking advantage of an interlude in the negotiations as a show of force and commitment while the Russian economy teeters on the edge of collapse. “There’s a lot of political symbolism in striking government buildings,” Cross says. At the same time, the attack — coming days after Russia killed at least 23 people, including four children, in one of its largest aerial assaults to date — may just create more tension between the Trump administration and the Kremlin.
