LOS ANGELES (OC).–President Vladimir Putin, 72, said in Beijing that there was chance the Ukraine War could end “if common sense prevails,” a direct response to the European Union that showed little interest in the peace process. Ukraine’s 47-year-old President Volodymyr Zelenksy thinks he’s protected by the EU, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, all agree with Zelensky that Putin should not benefit from the war. Putin wants Zelensky to engage in realistic negotiations leading to permanent settlement. Putin said he saw “a certain light at the end of the tunnel” given the work of the United States. When it comes to the EU, Putin wasn’t nearly as optimistic with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz calling him a “war criminal” recently, not the kind of diplomacy seen in global peacemaking.
Putin wants the EU to follow Trump’s lead in pursuing peace, noting that if common sense applied to negotiation then It’s was possible to get it done. “It seems to me that if common sense prevails, it will be possible to agree on an acceptable solution to end this conflict.. that is my assumption,” Putin told reporters showing more optimism than before. President Donald Trump shared his disappointment that neither Zelensky nor Putin has come forward with any realistic proposals to end the war. “And I think there is a certain light at the end of the tunnel. Let’s see how the situation develops. If not, then we will have to resolve all the tasks before us by force of arms,” Putin said, serving notice to Zelensky and the EU that if they want war then he’s prepared to go the distance. Merz and EU Council President Ursula von der Leyen sounded more belligerent than ever.
Zelensky has taken an untenable position on peace talks refusing to cede any territory to Putin to end the three-and-a-half-year conflict. Zelensky has been losing more sovereign territory, while watching Ukraine’s infrastructure destroyed and civilians killed in nightly air strikes. Zelensky said he wants Putin’s air war to stop but has done nothing to bring about a lasting peace. Putin still won’t accept Zelensky seeking NATO membership now or in the future, leaving peace talks in limbo. EU officials like Merz don’t want to give in to Putin on Ukrainian land, believing that Putin would be emboldened to move on parts of the EU. Merz surely knows that Putin has no intent of taking on NATO yet continues to accuse him of plotting to take over more European territory. Zelensky has told the EU that if he makes concession in Ukraine, Putin would think about taking more EU territory.
EU officials want direct talks between Zelensky and Putin, something Putin thinks would end up in disappointment without both negotiating teams working out the details of any settlement in advance. Putin’s statement today indicates that he’s more willing to meeting Ukrainian officials halfway but the work must be done by peace delegation before he and Zelensky meet in person. Why the EU doesn’t accept that Putin needs more work done before he and Zelensky meet in person is anyone’s guess. Putin has been clear that he wants to negotiate just not in a haphazard way between Putin and Zelensky. Terms for a deal revolve around how much Urainian land Russia retains in any peace negotiation remain up the air. Zelensky and Putin have lost tens-of-thousand so troops fighting a bloody, grinding war resembling trench warfare in WW I.
Trump wants to see peace on his watch to stop the killing and get a well-deserved Nobel Peace Prize. Trump has been the only world leader pushing for peace, finding himself at odds with the European Union. Zelensky insists that the Ukrainian constitution prevents him from ceding land to any foreign power. But that same constitution doesn’t provide for war that has destroyed much of Ukraine and lost 25% of Ukraine’s best foreign territory. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has tried to play the mature one, telling the press that a new system of support must developed to accommodate new realities on the ground. Zelensky and the EU have been reluctant to cede any land to Putin, fearing that he’ll be emboldened to takeover more countries in the EU. Lavrov wants both peace delegations to work on the necessary details to bring about peace.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown his interest in peace, acknowledging how helpful President Donald Trump has been trying to pull it off. Putin and Zelensky stand to win big from ending the Ukraine War. Zelensky can start the rebuilding of Ukraine, something he can’t do until a peace deal is in place. Putin stands to end the punitive economic sanctions from Europe and the U.S. that have hampered the Russian economy, making Russia a pariah state. Trump has urged Putin in their phone calls and in person at an Anchorage summit that Russia only wins from ending the Ukraine War. Why the EU continues to hamper peace efforts is anyone’s guess. Calling Putin a war criminal, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz only makes bad situation worse for Ukraine and the EU. Diplomacy is more art-than-science but Merz acts like a real boor.
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.
