In neutral. Yuri UshakovIn the early hours of Wednesday, Vladimir Putin’s Supreme Court advisor admitted that the five-hour meeting between the Russian President and Russia’s envoys Donald Trump It did not translate into significant progress toward resolving the war. He said in statements reported by the Russian press: “We are no closer to resolving the crisis in Ukraine, and there is a lot of work that we have to do.”
A person close to Putin also admitted that the parties were also unable to find a “compromise on the territorial issue.” This means that there was no agreement on the territorial concessions that the parties must demand from Kiev. At this stage, Ushakov explained, Trump’s envoys presented their own proposals regarding land distribution.
In light of not knowing the exact details of his long meeting with the American delegation headed by Steve Witkoff and Jared KushnerRussian President, Vladimir PutinHe wanted to clarify the framework of the conflict and the threat facing the West. A few hours before the start of the meeting, Putin stated to the media that Europe is the biggest obstacle not only to peace or his aspirations… but also to the aspirations of Trump and the United States.
According to the autocrat, it is the “unacceptable” peace proposals presented by the Europeans that prevent an agreement. It’s a message that must sound great in the ears of members of the MAGA administration, who have repeated the same idea several times. Europe is the common enemy of both, and everything can be easily resolved: by forcing Ukraine to give up its territory and sovereignty, then sharing part of its resources and resuming trade agreements as soon as possible.
Indeed, it is no coincidence that the two men Trump sent to the meeting at which the future of European stability could be decided are businessmen: Steve Witkopf, the real estate investor and frequent golfing companion of the president at his Mar-a-Lago resort, and Jared Kushner, the Republican leader’s son-in-law and the primary mediator in the Abraham Accords between the United Arab Emirates and Israel… and the CEO of Affinity Partners, a firm he founded after his career in public administration that is dedicated, specifically, to seeking investors in the Middle East.
If anti-Europeanism is the hallmark of the MAGA movement and VP J.D. VanceThe need to handle everything and see the world as a huge market is a hallmark of Trump and his closest environment. Putin is quite right to portray the White House as a victim of its allies’ intransigence. You’re right, well, if what you want is to gain more sympathy from Trump and significantly complicate the diplomatic presence. Volodymyr Zelensky.
New nuclear threat
The image of Europe as a warmongering bloc that understood only war and destruction was accompanied by conventional military threats. Russia wants peace and would never dream of attacking the European Union or NATO. A drone may sneak into the skies of Romania or Poland and its fighters may fly over Estonia from time to time, but it is just a coincidence.
Mark RutiThe Secretary-General of the coalition said at the time that it was ridiculous to respond to these provocations because the difference between the two parties is so great. The other thing is what Putin understood, of course. For someone who is constantly searching for other people’s foibles and for a somewhat diffuse sense of reality, the effect may have been the opposite.
The Russian leader raised the situation by saying that not only is Russia ready for war with Europe, but that the escalation of the war may reach the point when “there will be no one to negotiate with,” in a clear reference to a nuclear apocalypse. It’s a trick Putin has known since the Soviet era, and it has generally succeeded in convincing a certain Western audience that Russia may have “no choice” but to wipe out humanity. It would be easier to side with him and give him what he asks for, a scenario very similar to that of 1939.
Strange Chinese coincidence
In any case, the Russian intention is to turn the imperialist invasion of a neighboring sovereign state into a world war, whatever its intensity. He believes that this way he can cover up his failure and, in a way, his image. If the conflict goes beyond national daydreams and can be disguised as part of a conflict between global axes, the solution will end up being so complex that many will tire of searching for it out of sheer boredom.
It cannot be a coincidence that on the same day that Witkopf and Kushner visited Moscow, the Chinese foreign minister did so as well. Wang YiTo meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. The goal is to add actors to the negotiations so that Europe, primarily Ukraine, becomes increasingly isolated, which would open a gap in the Western bloc not seen since the end of World War II. It is a gap that is not supported by the vast majority of the American people, including the more traditional wing of the Republican Party.
Whatever the case, Vitkov and Kushner planned to meet in person with Zelensky on Wednesday to convey the Russian proposal to him. It is a proposal that, even if Zelensky accepts it, Putin will soon reject it. He is convinced that he can achieve his goals on the battlefield or else the Kiev government itself will end up collapsing due to the corruption issues that threaten it. Here Putin realizes that his great opportunity may come… without having to launch nuclear missiles at any European capital.
However, on the same Tuesday night, the Ukrainian president warned that this meeting would only take place if the signals sent by the Americans were positive. Otherwise, it is understood that there will be no meeting and that everything will continue as before, that is, with a peace plan that neither Europe, nor Ukraine, nor Russia has accepted, and which gives the impression that President Trump has not even read it.