LOS ANGELES (OC).–Putting his cards on the table, Russian PresidentVladimir Putin told U.S. and Ukrainian officials what would have to happen if they wanted peace. Putin offered Ukraine’s 47-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky the same deal as in March 2022, only weeks after the Feb. 24, 2022 invasion: Accept the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk and Russia sovereignty over Crimea. Zelensky rejected Putin’s offer as has fought a bloody, costly war, losing some 25% of Ukraine’s best sovereign territory on the Black Sea coast. Yet Zelensky continues to act like he’s calling the shots in negotiations with Putin, when clearly he’s not. Meeting with President Donald Trump’s peace envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner at Mar-a-Lago today, Ukraine’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov and Ukrainian peace delegation knows exactly what they have to do for peace.
Putin wants all Ukrainian forces removed from Dontesk and Luhansk in any peace settlement, allowing Putin to annex the territory like he did Crimea March 1, 2014. It’s really very simple for Kiev to get peace from Moscow, requiring an exchange of territory to end the nearly four year bloody and costly conflict. Zelensky has run out of options with the European Union giving him notice that it’s no prepared to underwrite the war indefinitely. Zelensky thought the strong backing from the EU meant they would fund the war indefinitely. Brussels has said that it doesn’t have the cash to continue funding the Kiev government and war too much longer. All thoughts of seizing frozen Russian assets have been dashed with Belgium’s Prime Minister Bart de Wever strongly opposed to the idea. De Wever doesn’t want to incur the liability of confiscating Russian assets.
Zelensky and his EU backers have rejected the idea of ceding land to Russia. Yet Russia now controls in the ongoing war some 25% of Ukraine’s territory, with its territory expanding in Ukraine daily along the 1,000 km frontline. “It all boils down to this—either we will liberate these territories by force, or Ukrainian troops will leave territories and stop fighting there,” Putin said ahead of his two-day meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi. India has been a loyal customer to Russia, purchasing growing amounts of Russian crude oil. Modi has been under pressure to curtail oil buys to Russia to show he’s working on the same page as Trump to end the Ukraine War. So far, Modi continues to buy copious amounts of Russian oil to keep gas prices down in India. Putin couldn’t be more clear to Zelensky what it will take to end the nearly four-year conflict.
Meeting today at Mar-a-Lago, Umerov knows that the war could be over in a heartbeat if Zelensky agrees to surrender Donetsk and Luhansk to Moscow. Putin has stated clearly for the U.S. and Ukrainian delegations what must happen to achieve peace. Ukraine hasn’t had control of the Donetsk and Luhansk territory for years, even before the Feb. 24, 2022 invasion. Zelensky has rejected in the past local referendums in Donetsk and Luhansk that shows that the Russian speaking populations want no part of the Kiev government. Denis Pushilin, leader of the Donetsk Peoples Republic [DPR], has led the independence movement since 2018, rejecting any attempt by Kiev to control the territory. Putin is doing nothing more than offering again the same deal he offered in March 2022. Umerov has been given an easy task to end the war, knowing exactly what he must do.
However the U.N. and 142 countries rejected in 2022, Putin controls large swaths of Ukraine after nearly four years of war. Putin control some 25% of Ukraine’s sovereign territory, all because Zelensy opted for war with the Kremlin. Trump told him going to war with Russia was a bad idea, given the size and competence of the Russian military. Zelensky and former President Joe Biden once said that Russian military was near collapse. Well, Putin dismissed those rumors long ago winning the nearly four year war with Kiev. Zelensky has a real chance with Trump’s peace plan to end the war and start the costly rebuild of his country. He didn’t control Donetsk or Luhansk before the war, why should he expect to control the territory now. Ending the war should be the highest priority to Zelensky, not holding on to territory he hasn’t controlled in years.
Zelensky has a golden opportunity to end the war making a few inconsequential concessions to Putin. Putin has stated clearly that he wants to end the war just not on Zelensky or the EU’s terms. Ceding Donetsk and Luhansk to Putin should come as no surprise because Putin controlled the territories before the Feb. 24, 2022 war began. “We’re preparing meetings in the United States—after the American team return from Moscow and following the relevant consultations in Washington—Rustem Umerov, Andrii Hnatov, along with the rest of the negotiating team will continue discussions with envoys of President Trump,” Zelensky said. Zelensky knows there are no surprises only the undeniable reality that he must cede Dontesk and Luhansk to the Kremlin to end the war. Zelensky hasn’t controlled Donetsk or Luhansk in years. Now is the time to go for a peace deal.
About the Author
John M. Cutis 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.
