LOS ANGELES.–Russian President Vladimir Putin has begun what looks like retaliation for Ukraine’s stealth drone strikes deep inside Russia on its strategic bomber fleet, an operation 47-year-old Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tookk full credit for. Zelensky praised his military June 2 for a well-planned mission he said was a year-and-a-half in the making. President Donald Trump spoke by phone to Putin trying to size up Putin’s next moves, knowing that it all but kills attempts at a ceasefire and peace talks. Only two weeks ago, Trump was complaining when Putin hit Ukraine with a drone and missile strike, signaling that he wasn’t ready for any ceasefire and peace talks. Since then, the European Union has prepared more sanctions to help induce Putin to commit to a 30-day ceasefire. Even Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) prepares an additional sanctions bill against Moscow.
Trump finds himself caught between a rock-and-a-hard-place trying to bring about peace with the two sides wanting to keep fighting. Trump was less critical of Putin’s recent strikes seeing it as a predictable consequence of Zelensky’s deep strikes on Russian air bases. Meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz March 5, the German leader wanted Trump to join with European sanctions, saying Putin only responded to strength. Merz knows that Trump has been trying to restore normal diplomatic relations with the Kremlin after former President Joe Biden all but destroyed decades of diplomacy, détente, arms control and global cooperation. So, when it comes to hitting Putin with more sanctions, Trump has mixed feelings, knowing it would only push Putin further from the peace table. As long as Zelensky continues to wage aggressive warfare against Russia, peace becomes more difficult.
Zelensky stabbed Trump in the back at the Munich Security Conference, saying he no longer supported European security. Zelensky’s contention stems from the fact that Trump no longer continues the Biden proxy war strategy against the Kremlin. Watching Trump make diplomatic overtures to Putin proved to Zelensky that Trump is no ally of Ukraine. Zelensky knows that the U.S., before Biden, had a long history of diplomatic relations with Russia, realizing that alienating Putin only made peace efforts worse. Zelensky doesn’t like Trump dealing directly with Putin, thinking he was taking Putin’s side in giving Ukraine a bad peace deal. So, the currently stalemate in ceasefire and peace talks stems from Zelensky not wanting to trade land for peace, believing Putin should cede back all the sovereign territory taken during the last three years of war.
Putin’s retaliation against Zelensky was a predictable consequence of Zelensky’s brazen attack of Russia’s strategic bombers. Whatever the real bomb damage assessment, it looks like Russia lost far fewer bombers that claimed by Zelensky. Zelensky boasted he destroyed 41, or one third, of Russia’s strategic bombing fleet. Whatever the damage, it was enough to get Putin’s attention only prolonging the Ukraine War with no end in sight. European Union officials can’t decide whether to take over funding the war for Ukraine, now that Trump has signaled he done funding proxy war with the Kremlin. Zelensky knew that hitting Russia’s strategic bombers deep inside Russia would create a backlash from Putin. Putin told Trump June 4 that he would not let Zelensky’s attacks on Russian soil go unpunished. Zelensky got exactly what he wanted, to continue the Ukraine War.
Zelensky thinks he has the backing of Germany, asking Merz to release long-range Taurus missiles to escalate the conflict. Merz knows that his predecessor, former German Chancellor Olaf Schoz, refused to give Zelensky Taurus missiles, precisely because he didn’t want to escalate the conflict. Zelensky thinks escalating the conflict only makes Putin look bad to his European counterparts, many fear that Putin would move on from Ukraine to former Soviet satellites as his next targets. Zelensky tells the EU that Ukraine’s war with Russia defends European democracy, something so farfetched, so preposterous and so much propaganda. EU officials know that Ukraine can’t defend itself from Russian attacks, certainly not defending the European Union. Zelensky wants NATO membership but hasn’t received an invitation for many reasons.
Some military experts think the worst of Putin’s retaliation hasn’t started yet for Zelensky striking Russia’s strategic bombing fleet. Merz wants Trump to go along with more sanctions but he has no clue whether or not that would push ceasefire and peace talks out of reach. If Trump joined the sanctions, he would certainly end any attempt to normalize U.S.-Russian relations. Zelensky would like nothing more than to see a return to Biden’s policy, making the U.S. and Russia mortal enemies. Trump has seen the wisdom of keeping Putin as a global partner, eventually returning to nuclear nonproliferation and global partnership. Putin already offered to help Trump complete a new nuke deal with Iran which is far preferable than going to war over Iran’s enrichment program. Trump needs to keep things on hold while he waits for Putin to finish retaliating against Ukraine.
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.
