Photo/Illutration U.S. President Donald Trump, left, meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland, in July 2018, during his first term in the U.S. presidency. (Taken from the official webpage of the Russian presidential administration)

To be sure, diplomatic talks are vital for ending Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

However, negotiations that disregard Ukraine's intentions, as the victim of aggression, will inevitably leave a lasting blight on the future of not only the country but also the world.

U.S. President Donald Trump has spoken on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and agreed to immediately kick off negotiations to end the invasion, marking a complete reversal of the policy adopted by former President Joe Biden, who had refused to engage in talks with Putin.

Nearly three years have passed since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

To prevent a precedent where aggression staged in violation of international law succeeds, the only fundamental solution to the conflict remains forcing Russia to abandon its invasion.

However, given the current impasse on the battlefield and the dim prospect of expelling Russian forces from all Ukrainian territories, the agreement between Trump and Putin to initiate talks can be seen as a positive move if it represents the first step toward a cease-fire that prevents further sacrifices of the Ukrainian people.

The primary concern is that the Trump administration may be moving forward with negotiations involving only Russia.

During the phone conversation with Trump, Putin talked about Moscow’s bottom-line demands, emphasizing the "need to eliminate the root causes of the conflict.”

Putin has repeatedly argued that Ukraine cannot fully exercise its sovereign rights as an independent nation unless it aligns or cooperates closely with Russia, saying “true sovereignty of Ukraine is possible only in partnership with Russia,” effectively demanding it become a satellite state.

If this statement is intended to eliminate moves that hinder his goal of subordinating Ukraine, it is an outrageous argument that directly contradicts the principle of equal sovereignty established by the U.N. Charter.

On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has insisted since last year that foolproof measures to prevent a Russian re-invasion are crucial for any cease-fire agreement to be reached. Given Putin's past remarks and actions, this is a very valid concern.

However, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has dismissed the notion that Ukraine should regain all the territory Russia has seized as “an unrealistic objective” and an “illusionary goal” in the peace settlement between the two nations.

He has also ruled out the possibility of Ukraine’s future NATO membership, raising suspicions that the United States is being swayed by Russian claims.

Even if a cease-fire is achieved under the current conditions, how will the human rights of many Ukrainian citizens living in Russian-occupied areas be protected? How can it be possible to prevent Russia from advancing its military to take control of all of Ukraine?

Trump's statements do not seem to reflect such concerns and instead indicate that he is primarily interested in gaining a reputation as the great leader who ended the war.

To prevent the recurrence of an aggressive war, it is crucial to involve both Ukraine and European countries, which have been supporting Ukrainian efforts to resist Russia’s invasion, in future negotiations for ending the war.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 14

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