Everything we see in 2026 should have happened in 2019 - Портников

Trump and Путін viewed the post-Maidan Ukrainian authorities as an obstacle to the implementation of their own plans, and Володимира Зеленського's coming to power could become a chance for them to agree with Kiev on Russian terms. However, to preserve Ukrainian sovereignty in such agreements was incompatible with their expectations

This was reported by journalist Віталій Портников.

According to him, the current attempts of Дональда Трампа to negotiate with Russia have a backstory that reaches 2019 year. Then, according to the journalist, both the Kremlin and Trump’s entourage perceived the Ukrainian authorities formed after the Revolution of Dignity as an obstacle to their own geopolitical plans.

"Все те, що ми бачимо зараз у 2026 році, мало вже відбутися у 2019-му",

He explained that during the presidency Петра Порошенка Росія remained under sanctions, and the full-scale economic rapprochement of Moscow with the West was limited. At the same time, Ukraine did not agree to the end of the war on Russian terms, which, according to the journalist, interfered with the implementation of the Kremlin's plans.

After Володимира Зеленського was elected president, Russia and representatives of Trump’s entourage, according to Портников, could count on a change in the Ukrainian course and an agreement with Moscow.

"Новий президент України у 2019 році, з їхньої точки зору, мав зрозуміти, яким має бути цей світ, і домовитися з Москвою на російських умовах", the journalist noted.

Портников suggested that this is what Володимир Путін tried to convey to Zelensky during a meeting in Paris in 2019. However, the Ukrainian president, according to the journalist, sought to agree on an end to the conflict with the preservation of Ukraine's sovereignty, and not to agree to Russian demands.

According to Portnikov, in Moscow and among some representatives of the American political environment could expect that Zelensky will become a tool for the implementation of their plans. When this did not happen, the Kremlin eventually resorted to a full-scale invasion.

The journalist also recalled Trump’s reaction to the beginning of the Russian invasion of 24 February 2022 when he called Putin "геніальним". Портников connects this assessment with Trump’s belief that the Russian leader is able to solve the problem that was not solved in 2019.

Returning to the White House, Trump, according to the journalist, again got the opportunity to try to implement the idea of agreements with Moscow, which involves removing obstacles to Russian-American rapprochement.