LOS ANGELES (OC).–Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko, 54, urged residents to get out of Kiev because of recent Russian drone and missile attacks that have cut power and water to a majority of the city. Klitschko sees no quick end to the Ukraine War, despite all the efforts by President Donald Trump to end the war with a pace plan largely viewed by the Kremlin as acceptable. Ukraine’s 47-year-old PresidentVolodymyr Zelensky and his friends at the EU support not giving in to Russian President Vladimir Putin who insists on Ukraine ceding territory to Russia. “The city services are in emergency mode,” Klitschko said, commenting on the extremely cold weather, difficult to bear without adequate natural gas or heating oil. Klitschko confirmed the overnight attacks by Russia on Kiev are some of the worst during the war’s nearly four=-year duration, prompting Klitscho to ask residents to leave the city.
Zelensky has complained for years every time Putin launches another strike on Ukrainian cities, referring to him as a terrorist. He’s been asking the EU and Germany to supply him with long-range missiles to get more aggressive with the Russian Federation. But every time Zelensky strikes deep inside Russia at energy or military facilities, Putin retaliates with more force, this time with the Oreshnik hypersonic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads. President Donald Trump has done everything possible to get through to Zelensky and the EU to sign on to his peace plan to avoid more carnage and destruction. Klitscho was not telling Kiev citizens to get out but warning them that public utilities could get worse if the war continues to rage on. Klitscho favor dialogue with Russia to end the war.
Last night’s strike on Kiev was the worst of the nearly four-year-long war, with Zelensky asking the EU for more cash and long-range weapons. Only recently has Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni urged her EU colleagues to dialogue with Putin. Meloni is beginning to see the utter futility to going tit-for-tat against the Russian Federation. Even Putin war hawk French President Emmanuel Macron has started to see the wisdom of Trump’s peace plan, trying to negotiate with Putin to end the war. Zelensky has accusedTrump of favoring Russia, when he wants to end the conflict with compromise for both parties. Zelensky can’t stop Putin’s assault, leaving only Trump’s peace plan the viable option for ending the war. Klitscho reminds Ukrainians that there are options to Zelenky’s approach to the endless retaliatory strikes by Russia and Ukraine.
Trump told Zelensky Feb. 28, 2025 in the Oval Office that he didn’t hold the cards in negotiating an end to the Ukraine War. Zelensky stormed out of the Oval Office, deeply offended, believing Trump favored Russia in any settlement. After that meeting, Zelensky denounced Trump at the 2025 Munich Security Conference that Trump wasn’t concerned with European Security. Zelensky had been selling the European Union a bill of goods, claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin had his eyes on capturing more European territory. Claiming that the Ukraine War defended European democracy, many EU countries were gaslighted by Zelensky seeking an alternative source of funding for the Ukraine War. Zelensky tried to talk the EU into seizing frozen Russian assets, turning them over to Kiev. Zelensky knows seizing Russian assets woul escalate the war.
When it comes to the ongoing war, Zelensky and the EU know there’s only one way out to follow Trump’s peace plan that has the approval of the Kremlin. It would require Zelensky to cedeEastern Donbas to Russia, removing Ukrainian troops from Donetsk and Luhansk, both Russian speaking territories that want no part of the Kiev government. Zelensky resisted giving up land to Putin, even though Ukraine has not controlled the territory since 2014, the date Putin annexed the Crimean Peninsula. Shortly after the war started Feb. 24, 2022, Putin offered to stop the conflict if Zelensky accepted the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk. Zelensky, with U.S. funding, opted for war with the Kremlin. Four years later, he’s killed thousands, destroyed Ukraines infracture and lost some 25% of Ukraine’s best sovereign territory. Zelensky refuses to admit defeat.
If Zelensky wants to restore power in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities, he needs to end the war, requiring tranding land-for-peace. Zelensky doesn’t want to admit to the Ukrainian people he’s lost the war with the Kremlin. Putin has made a reasonable offer to retain Eastern Donbas, including Donetsk and Luhansk, the same offer he made in March 2022. Trump told Zelenssky many times to cut his losses, end the war and start the long rebuilding process. If Zelensky really wants the bloodshed and destruction to stop, he needs to negotiate and compromise with Putin. Trump has give Zelensky and the EU every opportunity to end the war and spare Ukraine the indignity of destroying more infrastructure and losing more territory. Whatever Russian drones or missles strike Kiev or other Ukrainian cities, everything would stop if Zelensky compromises with Putin and ends the war.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically netural commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
