Ukraine hails its resistance of a Russian advance on Kiev as proof that Putin’s military strategy has failed, claiming he wanted to change regimes in Kiev. Only the U.S., Ukraine and the Western press claim Putin’s strategy was to conquer Ukraine, setting up a new Kremlin-friendly government. When a Feb. 22, 2014 CIA-backed pro-Western coup toppled the Kremlin-friendly government of Viktor Yanukoych, Western officials claim the Kremlin’s aim of the war was reestablishing a Kremlin-friendly government. So when measuring war results, the U.S. and Ukraine claim victory over the Russian Federation, holding out 33 days without Russian forces toppling Kiev. But no one at the Kremlin subscribed to U.S. and Ukraine war narrative, launching the war Feb. 24 with the aim to degrade Ukraine’s military capabilities, not setting up a puppet government in Kiev.
Pentagon officials say Putin’s advance on Kiev has stalled by fierce Ukrainian resistance, forcing Putin to pivot back to the Donbass region of Eastern Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has some big choices in the next two days opening up ceasefire talks brokered in Istanbul by 68-year-old Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov played down expectations for a breakthrough since Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said Ukraine will not surrender one inch of territory. Ukraine lost the Crimean Penishola to Russia March 1, 2014, after a CIA-backed coup chased Yanukovych out of town. When it comes to the Peoples Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, Kiev claims Russian-speaking separatists led by Denis Pushilin killed 14,000 Ukrainian military and civilians, though Kiev’s claims are impossible to verify.
Heading into another round of ceasefire talks tomorrow, Putin has asked Ukraine to recognize the independence of Donetsk and declare Crimea a Russian territory. Both terms are unacceptable to Biden and Zelensky for some unknown reason. Whatever comes from ceasefire talks, Putin won’t accept the U.S. and NATO arming Ukraine to the teeth with lethal weapons, regardless of what happens in the talks. Putin wants Kiev to declare that itself neutral, like Switzerland, not aligned wit the U.S. and NATO, something Ukraine’s sought for the last eight years. Biden and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that it violates NATO principles for the alliance to agree to Putin’s demand of neutrality for Ukraine. NATO opens its doors to any country seeking to form a security alliance with the Brussels-based organization. Yet Stoltenberg has denied Ukraine membership for eight years.
NATO wants no part of Ukraine as long as it’s at war with the Russian Federation. Had Stoltenberg approved NATO membership, Article 5 would require the trans-Atlantic Alliance to defend Ukraine. No one in NATO wants to go to war with the Russian Federation. How Biden decided to adopt Ukraine as a 51st state is anyone’s guess. His 51-year-old son Hunter made millions working in a corrupt Ukrainian natural gas company. Since Zelensky took over Ukraine May 20, 2019, relations with Moscow deteriorated. Zelensky antagonized Putin every time he would ask NATO for membership. So when it comes to Ukraine’s poor relations with the Kremlin, it was only a matter of time before Putin invaded. Once Putin realized that Zelensky allowed the U.S. and NATO to arm Ukraine to the teeth, including putting U.S. Special Forces trainers into Ukraine, he invaded.
Russian military claims that the main aim in Ukraine has been accomplished, demilitarizing the Kiev government. “The combat capabilities of the Ukrainian armed forces have been substantially reduced, which allows us to concentrate our main effort on achieving the main goal—the liberation of Donbass,” Sergei Rudskoy, a military official. When you listen to the U.S. and Ukraine, Ukraine robbed Russia of completing its mission of regime change in Kiev. Only Western officials and the press make the case of egime change was the Russian military objective. Putin has fought a war of attrition, degrading Ukrainian cities with relentless air strikes without committing many ground troops. Biden and Zelensky have kept the war going to claim a pyrrhic victory against Russian forces. But the war has taken its toll on Ukraine’s 44 million population, driving 4 million into exile.
How Biden and Zelensky think that Mariupol is a Ukrainian victory, when you consider 85% of the city has been reduced to rubble, is anyone’s guess. Biden and Zelensky know that Ukraine had no control over Crimea or Donetsk and Luhansk before the Feb. 24 war. Yet when it comes to Zelensky’s negotiating posture, he wants to call the shots with Putin, saying he won’t surrender one inch of Ukrainian territory. But Zelensky knows he doesn’t control Crimea or much of Donbass, leaving him nothing to lose to accept Putin’s conditions for a ceasefire. But Putin will not accept Ukraine receiving unlimited amounts of arms from the U.S. and NATO, forcing Kiev to make some big decisions. Kiev, under White House pressure, won’t make any security concessions to the Russian Federation, including acknowledging independence of Donabass or declaration that Crime is part of Russia.
