In September 1938, the British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, met Adolf Hitler in Munich for a Summit.
On August 15, 2025, the American President Donald Trump, will meet Vladimir Putin in Alaska for a Summit.
Hitler wants to annex a significant part of Czechoslovakia, the “Sudetenland”, that has a significant population of ethnic Germans.
Putin wants a significant part of Ukraine, the Donbass, where a considerable part of the population consists of ethnic Russians.
Chamberlain, was deeply traumatized by the experience of World War I. He wanted to avoid another devastating War at all costs.
Trump is frustrated that he has not been able to bring the war in Ukraine to an end despite his campaign promises to “end it on day one”.
Hitler saw himself as a great Leader that would bring ethnic Germans from all over Europe “Heim ins Reich”.
Trump sees himself as a great deal-maker. He wants this annoying war to end so he can collect the Nobel Peace Price.
Czechoslovakia was not invited.
Ukraine is not invited.
Chamberlain agreed to allow Hitler to Annex the Sudetenland , without military conflict, believing he has forged an agreement that, in his words, brings “peace for our time”
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We don’t know what Trump and Putin will agree on, and we don’t know what the long-term outcome of the Summit in Alaska will be. We can hope that Trump reads up about history, especially the history of the Munich Accord and its consequences. But this may be a vain hope, since Trump is famous for refusing to read anything that is not a glowing love letter from the likes of Kim Jong Un, or a letter nominating him for the Nobel Peace Price such as Netanyahu recently presented to him or another “sincere” declaration praising what a great, smart, and wonderful man he is by his cabinet. And as one of the reporters at the press briefings that was newly admitted under the new Trump policy of stacking the reporter pool to reduce the risk of having to face tough questions: “athletic and good looking”.