LOS ANGELES (OC).–Showing flexibility on Ukraine’s sovereign territory seized during the three-and-a-half year war, Russian President Vladimir Putin was thinking ahead to a formula that could end the bloody and costly war. So far, Ukraine’s 47-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky has refused to acknowledge that some territorial concessions will be necessary to end the war. Trump has been urging Zelensky since their ill-fated Feb. 28 Oval Office meeting to make the necessary land concession to end the war and start the long, costly rebuild. Trump told Zelensky he wouldn’t win the war with Putin no matter how many arms he gets from the U.S. and European Union, asking Zelensky to be reasonable to ending the conflict. Trump said every day that goes by, Putin seizes more Ukrainian land. So, to preserve what’s left of his territory, Zelensky should cut his losses.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Putin was willing to freeze the conflict to the south to negotiate where he would keep his troops in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kerson. Putin already seized control of Crimea in 2014 after a CIA-backed, pro-Western coup toppled the Kremlin-backed Kiev government of Viktor Yanukovych. Putin had troops in Donetsk and Luhank before the Feb. 24, 2022 invasion and will no doubt keep them in the region after a permanent settlement. Trump has been disgusted with the slow progress toward a peace deal with both Putin and Zelensky posturing without any deal in sight. EU officials, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer seem to back Zelensky continued war. Whether the EU wants to foot the bill is another story.
Fidan said Putin was willing to give Zelensky back territory in Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk, offering Zelensky a face-saving way out of his dilemma with the Ukrainian people. Zelensky has been telling Ukrainians nightly that he’s winning the war, complaining that he just needs more long-range offensive weapons. “Now that have give up on that demand and are staying on the contact lines, except for one region . . . There is currently a preliminary [agreement] regarding the return of 25 to 30 percent of Donetsk and maintaining contact line in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson,” Fidan told TGRT Haber new service. While there’s no verification of any concessions from Putin, he wants the war to end. Whether Zelensky eventually comes around to realize that trading land-for-peace is the only way to stop the conflict that continues to destroy Ukraine daily.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov could not deny or confirm the accuracy to Fidan’s remarks, saying that any negotiations at this stage goes on behind closed doors. Peskov said Moscow was “deliberately not disclosing all the details of the conversation between the two presidents in Alaska,” knowing it could compromise the peace process. All the news outlets wildly speculate about what Zelensky and Putin are willing to do, with most U.S outlets blaming Trump for appearing overly optimistic when he’s been given no reason to be that way. Trump said today maybe he should stay clear of the peace process altogether and let Russia and Ukraine handle it without his involvement. Trump faced resistance from Putin and Zelensky to sign on to a peace deal that required both sides to make compromises. So Far, Putin and Zelensky have been playing hard ball with peace talks.
Putin has recently changed his position on post-war security, accepting that the U.N. Security Council may authorize various EU countries to get involved. Whether that involves actually putting boots on the ground in Ukraine is anyone’s guess. Putin said he opposes any NATO forces coming closer to the Russian border, something he considers as red line. “The fact they have stated this themselves and have agreed to have it guaranteed by a security mechanism in principle . . . actually provides a truly remarkable framework in this war,” Fidan said, talking about Putin’s concessions. Zelensky said he wants security guarantees something Trump has refused to do for obvious reasons. Trump has worked hard to restore normal U.S.-Russian relations and would not agree to defend Ukraine in the event of another skirmish. EU countries may feel differently about security.
Trump is the only world leader that has pushed for peace between Ukraine and Russia. As Trump sees it, the war is a completely loser for both Ukraine and Russia, especially for Ukraine because it keeps getting infrastructure and civilian dwellings decimated daily by the Russian arms. If Zelensky sign on to an agreement, the war would stop, leaving battle lines frozen at current levels. Zelensky has already gotten security assurance from the EU but it’s uncertain whether the EU would agree to foot the billing into the indefinite future. Whatever the EU pours into Ukraine, it’s doubtful it can change the battlefield, only making things worse. “Once that territory was is given up, the remaining areaaaaaaa becomes a bit difficult to protect strategically,” Fidan said. Fidan said security guarantees are actually what Zelensky has been looking for all along. Now he’s got them.
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.
