LOS ANGELES.–Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov,75, said there’s progress toward a ceasefire and peace deal for the Ukraine War, casting aside skeptics in Washington and Brussels that see Ukraine as getting the short end of the stick. President Donald Trump, 78, has put pressure on 47-year-old Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky and 72-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to terms of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire and peace deal, giving both sides a face-saving way out of the over three year conflict. Zelensky has complained to the European Union that Trump wants to give Putin too much in any peace deal, giving away sovereign Ukrainian land seized by Russia in over three years of war. Trump sees Putin as holding the cards because he’s succeeded in taking Ukraine’s best sovereign territory in over three years of war, leaving Ukraine in shambles.
Zelenky has demanded that the U.S. play an active role in post-war security guarantees, essentially asking Trump to play NATO, invoking “Article 5,” in the event of a security breach by the Kremlin. Trump can’t give Zelensky what he wants because he’s signed on to a new global cooperation agreement with Putin, restoring normal U.S.-Russian relations. Zelensky can’t fathom how Trump can make peace with Russia while Putin continues to wage war against Ukraine. Zelensky no longer sees Trump as an ally in his war with the Kremlin when former President Joe Biden essentially gave Zelensky a blank check for waging war with Putin. Seeing the big change with Trump, Zelensky can no longer depend on the U.S. to fund proxy war with the Kremlin. Trump has made clear that Biden’s proxy war policy with Russian has been rescinded.
Lavrov knows the extent of discussions Trump’s peace envoy Steve Witkoff has had with Putin, working out a rough draft of a ceasefire and peace deal. “We are ready to reach a deal, but there are still some specific points . . . . which need to be fine-tuned and we are busy with this,” Lavrov told CBS News. Lavrov told CBS News that Trump was “probably the only leader on Earth who recognized the need to address the root causes of this situation,” but said Trump “did not spell out the elements of the deal,” Lavrov said, saying there was more work to do. Trump wasn’t helping with the most recent drone-and-missile strike that killed 12, injured scores more on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure. “I am not happy with the Russian strikes,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. “Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP!” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
After the recent attacks on Kiev, Zelensky didn’t see the same progress expressed the Lavrov. “I don’t see any strong pressure on Russia or any new sanctions packages against Russia’s aggression,” Zelensky said. Trump blasted Zelensky for saying the Russian sovereignty over Crimea was not possible because it was not in Ukrainian Constitution to recognize another country’s sovereignty over the Crimean Peninsula. Trump emphasized that Crimea was lost during the Obama administration, where there was no fight put up by former President Barack Obama in 2014. Western officials don’t acknowledge that the Feb. 22, 2014 Maiden Revolution toppled the Kremlin-backed Kiev government of Viktor Yanuvych. Obama did nothing to stop Russian annexation of Crimea, sat idly by while Putin seized the strategic peninsula to protect his air and navy bases.
Zelenky finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place, while he wants EU cash-and-weapons he knows Brussels will not fund proxy war with the Kremlin the same as Biden. So when looking at his options, he has only Trump working feverishly on a peace deal designed to end the conflict on Putin’s terms. Zelensky wants his land back but knows that only ceding territory can stop the war. Trump has told him to recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea, something Zelensky has refused to do. But Zelensky is ready to accept Russia in control of Crimea, Kherson, Zaporizhizhia, Donetsk and Luhansk, just not sovereignty. So, for all practical purposes, he’s willing to trade land for peace, just not offer Russian sovereignty over the territory. Trump wants Zelensky to stay out of his peace talks with Putin so he can get a deal first before any other future discussions.
Lavrov says that peace talks are moving in the right direction, though details still need to be worked out. Lavrov says recent attacks on Kiev and other Russian cities hit command-and-control centers used in civilian buildings, something rejected by Ukraine. “I think this was a target used by the Ukrainian military, the Ministry of Defense, the commanders in the field have a right to attack them,” Lavrov said. With Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff meeting Putin again April 25, the details of a ceasefire and peace agreement are being put in place. Zelensky thinks current Russian attacks mean Putin is not serious about peace talks. But Zelensky also knows that until he commits to ceasefire and peace deal, the war rages on with all its carnage and destruction. If Zelensky really wants peace, he needs to stop complaining to the EU and accept Trump’s peace deal when it’s finally done.
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.
