President Zelenskyy of Ukraine has urged President Putin of Russia to peace talks in an open letter published yesterday. Its prose indicates confidence in Ukraine’s chances but scepticism of Russia’s integrity. Zelenskyy implies at length that most of the world is against its acts to violate the sovereignty of the democratic State of Ukraine.
Peace
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Russia needs to smell the coffee
Putin may be feeling rough right now for good reason. His war in Ukraine is stalling, providing few signals of hope for the Russian leader. It looks like a policy mistake from the ground up. Although Russians look to such matters as part of their unfolding narrative – seeing hardship perpetually in the past, and receding further behind them – it’s not easy to reclaim the moral high-ground on this one.
The next move has to be a retreat and peacemaking agenda. Europe is resolved to see a cessation of hostilities through to completion. It cannot fathom ‘giving up’ a potential EU member for the simple goal of placating Moscow’s disgruntled military chiefs. There’s no charity involved in its diplomacy at present, either. It’s short thrift for anyone seeking to confuse matters on the ground.
The Russian President has an outlook that’s different, however, and as far as his statements on Ukraine have been insulting so far, his next will be criticisms of its future. He has a way of seeing everything from a strictly nationalistic perspective, and it never runs dry. We only have to wait for his pontifications because the script is written for him. His feeling of dominance looms larger than any call for compromise.
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A Zelenskyy-Putin summit is now a possibility
The war by Russia against Ukraine won’t be ended without a closer than close meeting with high level delegations, and with the possibility of both Zelenskyy and Putin in attendance together.
This war is at the limits of European engagement with the world on the ground, and at a strong Russian border with Europe’s reality, it amounts to a point in time that cannot slip away easily.
The political poise of either country is going to be determined by what the leaders say about each other – or to one another. It filters the insults. It eliminates falsehoods. In real terms, it makes it all more stable.
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Russia is losing the war
The self-belief of autocratic states is now legendary. Their actual skills, when put to the test, show how far they fall short. An appeal to its own history shows there is something lacking for the Russian state.
Their Victory Day parade is an exhibition of this sort of madness. The appeal is only to a pride inside, and not to reality. The losses of Russia on the battlefield is indicative of its lack of connection to reality.
The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine tells us that Russia has suffered huge losses. It’s nearing one million lives lost, over 100,000 pieces of equipment, and many larger features of warfare like warships.
A bit of clothing isn’t going to soften the edge of such defeats. If the Russian state is going to win it needs to do more than march in the peace, and serenity, of Red Square. The future is won by grasping it.
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Zelenskyy waits on Trump
President Trump’s inauguration is just a week away. He’s returning to the fold after a four year hiatus. It’s eagerly anticipated by President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, who’s seeking an end to his nation’s war.
President Zelenskyy – YouTube The outgoing President, Joe Biden, has been unable to use America’s might to see Putin out. However, his pledge of economic support and firepower have sustained the Ukrainian effort so far.
In a recent interview with MIT researcher Lex Fridman, Zelenskyy expressed his hope that Trump will help “finish the war”. He pointed to his incoming administration and its potential to work together.
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1,000 days later, and Ukraine struggles
The potentiality for a war to extend to 1,000 days to the East in Europe is not a sight calculated up until today. As the rest of the free world is assessing its contribution to the war effort led by President Zelenskyy, it’s worth remembering we’ve been here before.
However, after the last attempt at total domination – albeit on a larger scale back then – we were assured peace and security by a political union. It’s not an imagination we need right now but a pair of glasses to see it’s a shallow promise to hold out to friends and allies.
The reorganisation of priorities is a necessity because as Europe realises it has troubles on multiple fronts, and it can’t rely on a rainbow to bring back prosperity, it will stare many different futures in the face. The question is if Ukraine can still fight for 1,000 more.