LO ANGELES.–Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to make it easy for Ukraine in any upcoming peace negotiations saying he would accept part of eastern Donbas that includes Donetsk and Luhansk plus a legally binding agreement that Ukraine agree to remain neutral and not try to join the NATO alliance. Putin seemed to offer flexibility on keeping Kherson and Zaporhzhzia, only demanding that he retain Donetsk an Luhansk. How ironic that three-and-half-years have produced nothing for Ukraine other than destrictopm amd losing sovereign territory. Putin made clear that Ukraine’s 47-year-old President must work with his peace delegation and confirm his willingness to go along with these basic condtions. Zelensky keeps insisting that it’s against the Ukrainian constitution for him to cede land to Russia. Well, does the constitution call for perpetual war?
Zelensky hasn’t spent much time with his designated negotiating team figuring out what he must do to end the war. “If we’re talking about simply withdrawing from the east, we cannot do this,” Zelensky told reporters. “It is a matter of our country’s survival, involving strong defensive lines,” making up things up as he goes. Putin controls 70 to 90% of Donabas depending on who’s making the estimate. So when Zelensky talks of defensive lines, they haven’t held up well in the three-and-a-half-year old war with the Kremlin. Zelensky has no choice but to settle the conflict before all of Ukraine is taken over by the Russian Federation. How much more cash-and-arms can he expect to get from the U.S. and EU to prosecute an unending war with Russia? Talking about the ongoing war, Zelensky hasn’t faced reality of what he’s done to Ukraine.
Zelensky has been unwilling to face the reality of peace talks with the Russian Federation. He’s watched his country decimated for over three years, losing priceless sovereign territory to the Russian Federation. Zelensky opted for war over deal-making in 2022 where he could have spared the country the tens-of-thousands of lost live, slaughtered on a WW I-like battlefield with trench warfare grinding on for years. Trump encouraged Zelensky in the strongest possible way to cut his losses, end the war and move on to the formidable task of rebuilding the country. Zelensky took great offense to Trump Feb. 28 in the Oval Office, knowing Trump pursued normal diplomatic relations with the Kremlin. But does Zelensky think he can dicate U.S. foreign policy and national security? Zelensky resents wieh anyone suggest he swap land-for-peace?
Putin wants no part of three-way talks with Zelensky and Trump until all the details of a peace settlement has been worked out. You’d think Zelensky would want to end the conflict by compromising with the Kremlin to end the conflict. Zelensky thought he could avoid indefinitely admitting to the Ukrainian people that he had lost some 25% of the country’s best sovereign land to the Russian Federation. Thinking he could keep fighting, Zelensky thought he could avoid telling the public that Ukraine has lost the war to Russia. Now Putin wants to collect his spoils but his willing to give al least some of the seized land back to Ukraine. EU officials need to tell Zelensky that he cannot keep the war going indefinitely in hopes of getting his land back. Trump urged Zelensky to strike while the iron’s hot, making a deal for the good for Ukraine and world peace.
When former President Joe Biden decided to fund proxy war with the Kremlin, it all by killed decades of diplomacy, détente, arms control and global cooperation. Biden couldn’t see the value of normal U.S.-Russian relations for maintaining peace-and-stability around the planet. Since the end of WW II, the world order counted on cooperative, pragmatic relations between the U.S. and Russia. Now the European Union must get back on track, having past strong business ties and friendly relations with Russia. Since Trump came to office he’s made a concerted effort to restore normal diplomatic relations with Russia. Zelensky found Trump’s move to restore diplomatic relations offensive, not realizing how U.S. foreign policy and national security were compromise with Biden’s foreign policy. Zelensky finds himself skeptical of Trump because of his relationship with Putin.
Nothing that Putin asks for in Ukraine is unreasonable or excessive. He simply wants what he asked for in 2022 when he asked Zelensky to recognize the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk and Russian sovereignty over Crimea. Trump said Zelensky, with Biden’s backing, made a colossal mistake going to war with the Kremlin. He’s come to expect the U.S. and now the EU to pay for his mistakes, not realizing the burden he puts on the U.S. and EU. But more than stopping the war, Zelensky doesn’t see the value of cooperative, pragmatic ties to the Russian Federation for the U.S. and EU. EU officials would like to return to buying cheap Russian oil and natural gas again, to offset the hardship on EU citizens. Zelensky’s time has come to negotiate and compromise for the good of Ukraine, and, more importantly for the good of world peace.
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.
