LOS ANGELES (OC).–Speaking today on Fox Busines “Sunday Morning Futures” with Maria Bartiromo, Vice President J.D. Vance said neither Russia nor Ukraine would be happy with peace talks, requiring compromise to get a deal done by both countries. Zelensky has already been heard grumbling over his exclusion from the upcoming summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zelensky and the EU think they should be included in the meeting but both acknowledge their hostility toward Putin. So, Vance said first Trump and Putin should be separately to announce any change in Ukraine War policy. Trump wants Putin to pause the air war and ground operations along the 600 mile battle front, to allow both Russia and Ukraine to start the difficult negotiating proces. Vance sees Zelensky’s presence too early as a hindrance to getting things done.
Zelensky insists that Ukraine cannot violate its constitution by ceding land to Russia. Well, if that’s the case, is Ukraine, under Zelensky, consigned to perpetual war? “Ukraine will not gift their land to the occupiers,” showing the kind of arrogance Trump witnessed Feb. 28 in the Oval Office when Zelensky argued about calling the shots in any peace settlement. Trump tried to reason with him before he threw a fit and stormed out of the Oval Office. So, now that Trump’s on the verge of getting Putin to sign on to a pause in the air war, Zelensky shows his true colors that he doesn’t really want peace unless it’s on his terms. Putin isn’t going to enter a peace deal where he’s forced to abandon all his gains, at great cost to Russia, over three-and-a-half years of war. Every day that goes by in the war, Zelensky loses more sovereign land and destroys his country.
Trump tried to reason with him in the Oval Office, only to find Zelensky go ballistic. He refuses to admit defeat in Ukraine, fearing a coup d’etat that would oust him from power. Zelensky thinks keeping the war going with the EU footing the bill buys him time to get his lost territory back. But Putin has more firepower than Ukraine and continues to takeover more Ukrainian territory. So, Zelensky finds himself painted into a corner, unable to defeat Russia, and, at the same time, unable to admit he lost the war. Vance told Bartiromo that the White House was trying to schedule Zelensky into a time to meet in a three-way conversation with Putin and himself but not before Trump and Putin meet by themselves. Trump earned his summit with Putin after his special envoy met with Putin five times to pave the way for some kind of ceasefire deal.
Vance told Bartiroma it would not be productive for Zelensky to be present at a meeting with Putin before Trump and Putin complete their summit. “We’re at a point now where we’re trying to figure out, frankly, scheduling and things like that, around when these three leaders could sit down and discus and end to this conflict,” Vance said. Trump wants to secure a pause in the fighting then let Zelensky and the EU try to negotiate their best deal to end the conflict. Zelensky and the EU give mixed signals whether they really want peace. Putin is prepared if necessary to keep the war going indefinitely. But how does that help Russia or world peace? Putin wants to rejoin the global economic community free of sanctions that came with the Feb. 24, 2022 invasion. EU officials have continued to propose new economic sanctions, taking a more punitive approach with Putin.
Vance was cautious not to stir up more controversy before Trump’s summit with Putin. It’s already being sold in Ukraine and the EU as a act of capitulation to Putin. But over the last few months Zelensky complains daily of Putin’s destructive air war on Ukraine, yet does nothing to bring about a truce. Zelensky has been using drone warfare to strike targets deep inside Russia including military installations and energy depots. So, when it comes to who’s the current aggressor, both sides inflict as much damage as possible. Trump wants to stop the carnage and destruction, asking Putin at the summit to halt the air war and ground offensive to give both sides the best chance to negotiating a settlement. But if you listen to Zelensky, he doesn’t want to compromise especially on trading land-for-peace. Trump realizes that only swapping land can end the conflict.
Trump said he’s open to a joint meeting with Putin and Zelensky but not before he meets with Putin next Friday to nail down a pause in the air war. Once that happens, the ball goes into Zelensky’s court that, so far, doesn’t look too encouraging. EU officials have given his their complete support but how long can that last? Brussels isn’t inclined to spend the billions of euros needed over the next several years to foot the bill for Ukraine’s war with the Kremlin. Once Putin agrees to pause in the air war, he will have met Trump’s requirements to avoid any further U.S. sanctions on Russia or its trading partners. Zelensky doesn’t want to admit that he will be forced to give up Ukrainian land if he wants peace. Putin won’t end the war unless he gets something for all the sacrifices of blood-and-treasure. Time is coming for Zelensky to show his true colors.
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.
