LOS ANGELES (OC].–Visiting the United States Friday, Aug. 15 for a summit with 79-year-old President Donald Trump, 72-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin has a lot of faith in Trump, rarely traveling to countries that could order his arrest. Over his 25-years ruling Russia, Putin spends his time visiting former Soviet satellites and other countries more friendly doing business with the Russian Federation. Since the Feb. 24, 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Putin has been slapped with arrests warrants from the International Criminal Court [ICC] at The Hague, not to mention punitive economic sanctions, making him a pariah on the world stage. Putin travels to Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, goes to Kazakhistan, Armenia, Kyrgstan, Belarus and a host of other countries friendly to the Russian Federation. So, when Putin makes a visit to the U.S. knowing the landscape it’s a very big deal.
Meeting with Trump in Anchorage, Putin shows his faith in Trump, wanting to show that he’s serious about a pause in the Ukraine air war. Whether called a ceasefire or pause, it amounts to the same thing, giving both sides the opportunity to begin to hash out an acceptable end to the Ukraine War. Since Trump announced his summit with Putin, Zelensky has been chirping to the press and his friends in the EU, saying he should have been included in any negotiations on Ukraine. But the meeting between Trump and Putin is not about negotiating anything, other than getting Putin to agree to a 30-day ceasefire so that actual talks between Russia and Ukraine can get started. Zelensky acts like Trump is negotiating on behalf of Ukrainians when, in fact, he’s doing nothing of the sort. Trump seeks only to announce Friday that Putin has agreed to a pause in the air war.
Zelensky disparages Trump and Putin, saying he agrees with Trump, when he actually opposes Trump’s actions to bring about peace. Complaining about the daily carnage and destruction of Ukraine’s infrastructure, Zelensky tells the EU friends he wants peace but, simultaneously, denounces Trump and Putin. When Trump and Putin meet on Friday it will be to announce a pause in the air war that has been so destructive to Ukraine. Zelensky has begged Trump and the EU to seek a ceasefire but, when confronted with any compromises, insists that he won’t trade land-for-peace. Trump admonished Zelensky for jumping ahead to sabotage his summit with Putin, insisting he’ll surrender no territory to Putin. Putin hears all of Zelensky’s insults and gaslighting to the EU about Russian intentions. Zelensky insists Putin wants to take over more countries in Europe.
When you listen to fake news, you’d think Trump had betrayed Zelensky making secret deals with Putin to carve up Ukrainian territory. But the real story involves Trump announcing on Friday with Putin a pause to air war that puts the peace process in Zelensky’s court. All the complaints about not being included in the Anchorage summit shows how Zelensky operates. He gaslights the EU, telling French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer that Trump is short-changing Ukraine. Time is long overdue for EU officials to tell Zelensky to stop chirping and let Trump help to get a 30-day ceasefire from Putin. EU officials have zero clout with Putin to get any kind of deal. Trump has the rapport and trust with Putin to invite him to Anchorage for an historic announcement about a pause the Ukraine air war.
Trump and Putin’s advanced teams would not have wasted each other’s time knowing what Trump wants and expects in a ceasefire. Putin travels to certain safes spot in the former Soviet republics or places like Pyongyang, North Korea or Ulan Bator, Mongolia but not to the West unless it’s a big deal. Any numbers of Western countries would like send Interpol to arrest Putin for his ongoing charges at the ICC. Putin wants to meet Trump to prove to the EU that he’s dead serious about ending the Ukraine War. He wants Zelensky to know that good faith negotiation and compromise can end the three-and-a-half year nightmare for Ukraine. Zelenksy opted for war with the Kremlin when he could have negotiated an end to the conflict by recognizing the independence of Donetsk and Luhanank and Russia sovereignty over Crimea. Zelensky opted for war instead.
When Putin travels anywhere it’s a big deal, especially to the U.S. Except for occasional visits to the U.N. General Assembly, Putin hasn’t been in the U.S. for over 10 years, attesting to the kind to clout Trump has with the Russian leader. Trump looks for pause in the air war in Ukraine, nothing more, nothing less. Zelensky keeps gaslighting his EU allies to think that Trump and Putin are negotiating land swaps in Ukraine. Zelensky tries to keep himself in the headlines, especially when he feels irrelevant when it comes to the upcoming summit. Whether Zelenksy admits it or not, he’s only in the Ukraine War because the U.S. and EU pay the bill. Zelensky has no resources on his own to continue fighting the Russian Federation. No matter what he has to give up, the EU wants Zelensky to take Trump’s peace talks seriously, stop complaining about being excluded.
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.
