LOS ANGELES (OC).–Meeting at the German Chancellery in Berlin, President Donald Trump’s peace envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner sat down to discuss peace in Ukraine with Ukraine’s President Voldymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. To get a peace deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump needs Zelensky to cede Eastern Donbas, including Donetsk and Luhansk, to Russia. Zelensky and Merz offered to end Ukraine’s bid to NATO as a good faith gesture to Putin. But NATO has never offered Zelensky memberhip because of its ongoing war with the Kremlin, but, more importantly, that Ukraine does not meet NATO economic and democracy requirements to join the 32 nation Western Alliance. So, offering to withdraw a desire to join NATO is no concession at all to the Russian Federation to end the nearly four-year-old war.
Zelensky thinks because he was rejected for NATO membership, he’s entitled in any peace settlement for the U.S. and EU to offer some security guarantees in any peace settlement. But Zelensky knows that Trump is not going to agree to go to war with Russia if there’s a skirmish between Russia an Ukraine in the future. Trump offers Zelensky the best possible deal to end the war, cut his losses, stop the bloodshed and start to rebuild Ukraine. Zelensky acts, with Merz’s support like he’s getting a raw deal with Trump’s peace plan, EU officials have no peace plan other than repeating Zelensky’s demand that Putin receive no sovereign land in any peace settlement. EU officials haven’t figured out how to fund the Ukraine War since the plan to use frozen Russian assets has been nixed. Zelensky wanted the EU to seize frozen Russian assets to fund the war.
Meeting Zelensky in Berlin, Trump shows he’s will go to any lengths to find a solution to end the war. Zelensky has stubbornly refused to cede land to Putin when it’s the only way out of the conflict. Saying he would withdraw plans to join NATO is no concession at all to Putin, since NATO is not offering Zelensky membership. Putin wants Zelensky to acknowledge that he has won the war, taking some 25% of Ukraine’s sovereign territory in nearly four-years of fighting. Zelensky acts like he can continue the war even if the EU no longer foots the bill. Zelensky has no resources on his own to fund the Ukraine War without EU support because Trump has told him the U.S. is done spending money on the war. Trump wants Zelensky to come to the peace table to make a realistic effort to end the conflict. NATO membership is not relevant to end the Ukraine War.
Zelensky talks about security gurantees in the absence of NATO membership. But Zelensky knows that he’s not entitled to NATO-like Article 5 protection without NATO membership. Expecting the U.S. or EU to go to war with the Kremlin to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty is unrealistic. Zelensky knows that Trump has worked since taking office on restoring U.S.-Russian relations. Under former President Joe Biden, U.S.-Russian relations had hit a low point, worse that any time during the Cold War. Trump can’t assure Zelensky he would go to war to defend Ukraine under any circumstances. Zelensky must learn how to get along with Russia so there’s no future skirmish, not rely on the U.S. and EU to guarantee his security. If he wants peace with the Kremlin, he needs to show that he no longer encroaches on Russian national security.
Giving up land in Eastern Ukraine is no compromise at all for Zelensky because he hasn’t controlled Donetsk and Luhansk since 2014, before the Maiden Revolution. Sitting down with Witkoff and Kushner offered Zelensky the best possible path out the conflict. Zelensky can’t expect the U.S. or EU to guarantee his security because that’s not what sovereign countries do. Assuring Ukraine’s future security comes from developing cooperative relations with the Russian Federation, not hiding behind the U.S. and EU. Zelensky loses nothing ceding Eastern Donbas to Putin because he doesn’t control the territory. Putin has said that after four years of war, he will not abandon Donetsk and Luhank. Either Zelensky orders his military out of the area or the war will go on taking the territory by force. Witkoff and Kushner offer Zelensky a way to end the destructive war.
Zelensky thinks Trump’s peace plan that asks Ukraine to withdraw troops from Eastern Donabass favors Russia. “I do not consider this fair, because who will manage the economic zone? “ Zelensky said. “If wer are talking about some buffer zone along the line of contact, if wer are talking about some economic zone and we believe that only a police mission should be thre and troops should withdraw, the question is very simple. If Ukrainian troop withdraw 5-10 klometers, for example, then why do Russian troop no withdraw deeper into the occupied territories by the same distance?” Zelensky asked. Whether it’s fair or not, these are the basic conditions for ending the war set by Putin. Does Zelensky really think he can continue to battle the Kremlin indefinitely without U.S. or EU support? Withdrawing from Eastern Donbas is Zelensky best option to end the war.
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.
