Ukraine’s 40-year-old Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba proposed a U.N. peace summit in the next few months, designed to pitch Ukraine’s 10-point for peace, a non-starter with the Russian Federation. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres responded to Kuleba saying he would not mediate any peace settlement between Ukraine and Moscow unless the Russian Federation was equally involved in the process. Kuleba admitted that his peace summit would only include Moscow if they submitted to war crimes at the International Criminal Court [ICC] at the Hague. Kuleba’s statements show the insincerity of Ukrainian officials to do anything other than placate U.N. officials, like President President Emmanuel Macron, who want the war to end. “Every war ends in a diplomatic way,” Kuleba said. “Every war ends as result of the actions take on the battlefield and at the negotiating table.
Kuleba boasted that everything Kiev has asked for in the way of weapons they’ve gotten from the U.S. and NATO. Kuleba awaits the arrival of U.S. Patriot Missile batteries designed to neutralize Russia’s air superiority. Uraine’s 44-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked the U.S. from the Feb. 28 invasion to set up a no-fly-zone to shoot down Russian war planes and missiles. Biden rejected the idea saying it would drag the U.S. into WW III, something he seeks to avoid. “The United Nations could be the best venue for holding this summit, because this not about making favor to certain country,” Kuleba said. “This is really about bringing everyone on board,” Kuleba said, except Russia. Kuleba emphasized that Russia can only be invited to a U.N. peace summit if they submitted to prosecution in the Hague’s ICC. Guterres told Kuleba that he would not mediate anything without Russia.
Zelensky and Kuleba show their true colors, knowing that Zelensky just finished his Dec. 21 speech to a joint session of Congress. With White House and bipartisan support, Zelensky buffaloed U.S. lawmakers, telling them the U.S. government largess to Ukraine was not charity but a wise investment in protecting democracy in Europe. Zelensky knows that Ukraine is a bankrupt, war-ravaged country, looking to expel the Russian Federation from its borders. Kiev depends fully on U.S. tax dollars to fund the government and pay for the war. Yet Zelensky told U.S. lawmakers that Ukraine was protecting freedom and democracy in Europe against a tyrant, referring to Putin. Zelensky knows that NATO plays the role of collective defense against a possible Communist takeover of Europe. So, when Zelensky and Kuleba propose a U.N. peace summit, they’re gas-lighting the peacemaking body.
Ukraine has been calling the shots on the war against the Russian Federation because they’ve been given the cash-and-arms by the U.S. For the past 11 months, Ukraine has fought a vicious war against the Kremlin, resulting in a lost of some 25% of Ukraine’s sovereign territory, including the Black Sea coastline. Zelensky and Kuleba want more time for its counteroffensive to retake sovereign territory lost over the last 11 months. Asked whether Russia could participate in the summit, Kuleba was clear about the conditions. “They can only be invited to this step in this way,” referring to Russia’s prosecution at the Hague. “He has proven himself to be an efficient mediator and an efficient negotiator and, most importantly, as a many of principle and integrity. So we welcome his active participation,” Kuleba said of Guterres.
Zelensky and Kuleba know that there will be no U.N. summit without Russia’s equal participation. Guterres told Kiev that he won’t mediate anything unless Russia is guaranteed equal participation. Kuleba’s condition that first Putin must be prosecuted in the ICC shows the extent of Kiev’s subterfuge on the peace process. Taking Patriot Missile from the U.S. doesn’t sound like Kiev is ready for peace talks. “They regularly say that they are ready for negotiations, which is not true, because of everything they do on the battlefield proves the opposite,” Kuleba says. Kuleba knows there’s no ceasefire but an ongoing war where both sides aim to inflict maximum damages. As long a Zelensky and Kuleba continue the war, Ukraine suffers ongoing infrastructure damage and civilian casualties. If Zelensky and Kuleba want the fighting to stop, they need to let U.N. peacemakers set the conditions.
Kiev’s fake peace proposal is nothing more than a PR stunt to buy in another couple months to fight with the Kremlin. Saying Russia can’t join U.N. peace talks until they’ve been prosecuted for war crimes tells a lot about Kiev’s sincerity for peace talks. “This shows how both the United States are important to Ukraine, but also how important Ukraine is for the United States,” Kuleba said, repeating Zelensky’s bizarre talking point that Ukraine is not a charity case but an “investment.” Zelensky can’t wait for its Patriot Missile to start firing them at targets inside Russia, outside Ukraine. Zelensky and Kuleba have no intent of going to any peace summit, only getting back lost sovereign territory. Guterres set the record straight for Kiev, he will not mediate any U.N.-backed peace process until both parties have equal footing in any negotiation, certainly not Zelensky’s 10-point plan.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
