Ukrainians are appalled at Trump's naive and cack-handed diplomacy

For Ukrainians, the spectacle of Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump meeting in Alaska will be repugnant.

The man behind an unprovoked invasion of their country is being honoured with a return to the world stage by the leader of a country that was meant to be their ally. And they feel let down.

Follow latest updates from Ukraine war President Trump had threatened severe sanctions on Russia within 50 days if Russia didn't agree to a deal. He had seemed close to imposing them before letting Putin wriggle off the hook yet again.

But they are not surprised. At every stage, Trump has either sided with Russia or at least given them the benefit of the doubt.

It is clear that Putin has some kind of hold over this American president, in their minds and many others. Ukraine wants three things out of these talks.

A ceasefire, security guarantees and reparations. It is not clear at this stage that they will get any of them.

Ukrainians and their European allies are appalled at the naive and cack-handed diplomacy that has preceded this meeting. Vladimir Putin is sending a team of foreign affairs heavyweights, adept at getting the better of opponents in negotiations.

There are, the Financial Times reported this week, no Russia specialists left at the Trump White House. Instead, Trump is relying on Steve Witkoff, a real estate lawyer and foreign policy novice, who has demonstrated a haphazard mastery of his brief and breathtaking credulity with the Russians.

Former British spy chief Sir Alex Younger described him today as totally out of his depth. Trump, he says, is being played like a fiddle by Putin.

Read more:What could Ukraine be asked to give up?What to expect from pivotal Ukraine summit There is a fundamental misunderstanding of the conflict at the heart of the Trump administration's handling of it. Witkoff and the president see it in terms of real estate.

But it has never been about territory. Vladimir Putin has made it abundantly clear that Ukraine's existence as a sovereign democratic entity cannot be tolerated.

He has made no pretence that his views on that have changed. Ukrainians know that and fear any deal cooked up in Alaska will be used by Putin on the path towards that ultimate goal.