LOS ANGELES (OC).–Ukraiinian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered to stop striking Russia’s oil infrastructure in Russia if agrees to stop hitting Ukraine’s energy grid. Russian President Vlaidimr Putin told President Donald Trump he would refrain from striking Ukraine energy infracture whein temperatures plummeted to minus 20 Fahrenheit in Kiev during the latest cold snap. Well, that’s all conciliatory by Zelensky and Putin, both leaders should get serious about ending the war with Putin only asking to have Ukrainian troops removed from eastern Donbas, where the Peoples Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk wants nothing to do with the Kiev government. Trump asked both parties at peace talks in Abu Dhabi to make some concessions to promote the peace process. Zelensky has little to do to end the war, simply withdraw his troops from eastern Donbas.
Zelensky admitted that Trump asked him to make a peace overture to Moscow, agreeing to stop long-range missile strikes on Russia’s oil infrastructure. “The Americans said they want to raise the issue of de-escalation, with both sides demoncrating certain steps forward refraining from the use of long-range capabilities in order to create more space for diplomacy, Zelensky told reporters Friday> But why hasn”t Zelensky taken that next step in end the war completely? He knows what Putin’s minimum requirements or ending the war, withdrawing his troop from eastern Donbas. Zelensky hasn’t controlled eastern Donbas since the Feb. 22, 2014 Maiden Revolution when pro-Western forces ousted Kremlin-backed President Viktor Yanukovych. Zelensky admitted the it wasn’t his idea to de-escalate the war, only something he was asked to do by Trump in Abu Dhabi.
Trump considers Zelensky the biggest obstacle to peace because he’s refused to withdraw his forces from eastern Donbas. Complaining daily about Russian attacks, Zelensky acts like he can’t stop them by entering in to a workable peace plan. “At this stage, this is an initiative of the American side and personally of the President of the United States. We regard it as an opportunity rather that an agreement,” Zelensky said. So, why, if Zelensky wants Russian attacks on Kiev and other Ukrainian cities to stop, why won’t hel enter into meaningful peace talks? Zelensky knows what he has to do to end the war but keeps it going, continuing the carnage and destruction to Ukraine. Trump has asked Zelensky many times to cut his losses, end the war and start rebuilding his country. There’s nothing holding Zelensky back from peace other than himself, knowing what he has to do.
Collection 200 billion euros from the European Union in the last month, Zelensky is flush with cash, no longer desperate to make a deal with Putin. If he can continue getting cash from the EU or U.S., he would have no incentive to ever end the war. Zelensky uses the EU cash to pay for war, but, more importantly, to pay his salary and those of his upper management team plus the many Ukrainian civil servants. Without EU cash, Uraine would be in bankruptcy. Promising to pay the EU back 200 billion euros, Zelensky has little chance of doing that especially if the war continues. Zelensky has only one way to ramp up his economy, to end the war and start rebuilding his natural gas infrastructure. As it stands now, the Kiev government is bankrupt without the EU.
Putin continues his strategy of striking Ukraine until Zelensky takes the peace process seriously. EU officials do harm to Ukraine by encouraging Zelensky to not compromise on land concessions with the Kremlin. EU has no peace plan only some objectionable strategy in a post-war Ukraine, supplying NATO troops to stabilize the peace. Brussels knows that Putin made it clear that placing EU or NATO troops in Ukraine is unacceptable to the Kremlin, prompting the war to continue indefinitely. Every time Putin strikes Ukraine, Zelensky says Putin is not serious about peace. But Putin has told Zelensky exactly what he needs to enter into serious peace talks. If Zelensky wants the daily carnage and detstruction to end, he needs to get serious about withdrawing his troops from eastern Donbas. So, Zelensky knows exactly what he must do to end the war.
Secretary of State Marco Rubion said that Trump main peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would not attend peace talks on Sunday, Feb. 1, in Abu Dhabi. Zelensky said for peace talks to go smoothly, all members of the U.S. team should be present. Zelensky hinted that Sunday’s talks could be rescheduled when Witkoff and Kursher are available. “But the date or the location may change—because, in our view, something is happening in the situation between nad the United States and Iran. anD those developments could liked affect the timing,” Zelensky said, tipping off some inside information no known to the public. Trump has warned Iran to stop the slaughter of street protesters seeking regime change in Tehran. Trump warned the Ayatollah Ali Khaemenei that if he didn’t stop the bloody crackdown, he would face consequences from the U.S.
About the Author
John M. Curtis wrties 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.
