Donald Trump sits opposite Vladimir Putin during lunch at the Elysee Palace, Paris, France, November 11, 2018 (Guido Bergmann/Bundesregieriung/Getty)

EA-Times Radio Specials: Putin Wins, Ukraine Loses in US Election

Thursday’s Coverage: US Aid Surge Before Trump’s Return

Map: Institute for the Study of War

Vladimir Putin has begun his pursuit of Donald Trump’s support for Russia’s 32 1/2-month invasion of Ukraine.

In public remarks during a forum in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Putin congratulated Trump on his victory in Tuesday’s President election. He flattered Trump, referring to an assassination attempt in July.

He turned out to be a courageous person. People show who they are in extraordinary circumstances. This is where a person reveals himself.

And he showed himself, in my opinion, in a very correct manner, courageously. Like a man.

Then Putin made his move on Ukraine by declaring that he was “ready for dialogue” with Trump.

The Kremlin is hoping to force Ukrainian surrender, with international acceptance, of more than 25% of its territory. Putin is presenting this as “peace talks” rather than an ultimatum.

The Russian leader put his spin on Trump’s remarks over Ukraine and Russia: “What was said about the desire to restore relations with Russia, to bring about the end of the Ukrainian crisis in my opinion, this deserves attention at least.”

During the Presidential campaign, Trump played into Russia’s hands by proclaiming that he could end war within 24 hours. He denounced Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as a “salesman” taking “billions from the US” each time that he visited Washington. Trump and Vice-Presidential pick J.D. Vance have also threatened a cut-off of all US aid to Kyiv.

The Wall Street Journal says one idea of Trump’s advisors is to accept Russia’s occupation of Ukrainian territory, freezing the frontlines in their current position, and to force Kyiv to give up any hope of NATO membership for 20 years. In return, the US would continue to provide Ukraine with defensive weapons.

Zelenskiy tried on Wednesday to blunt the threat with his own congratulations of Trump: “We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership. We rely on continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States.”

Zelenskiy reinforced this by linking Trump to a policy of “peace through strength”:

Europe Considers Its Response to Putin and Trump

At the European Political Community summit in Hungary’s capital Budapest, NATO and national leaders tried to establish their lines over Trump’s victory and the threat to Ukraine.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, using the deployment of thousand of North Korean troops for Russia’s invasion, highlighted Moscow’s direct threat to US security.

What we see more and more is that North Korea, Iran, China and of course Russia are working together, working together against Ukraine.

At the same time, Russia has to pay for this, and one of the things they are doing is delivering technology to North Korea, which is now threatening in the future the mainland of the US and continental Europe.

Rutte continued, “I look forward to sit down with Donald Trump to discuss how we can face these threats collectively.”

See also Ukraine War, Day 986: As 11,000 Troops Deploy, North Korea’s Foreign Minister Meets Putin

Zelenskiy told the summit that calls for a ceasefire, including by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, were “dangerous” and “irresponsible” as they offered no guarantee of security for Ukraine.

“There must be a clear plan,” the President emphasized. “We need sufficient weapons, not support in talks. Hugs with Putin won’t help. Some of you have been hugging him for 20 years, and things are only getting worse.”

Together, we can stop Russia’s war and respond to other challenges. This is possible for Europe – not for any one leader alone. Stand together in defending our common interests. And let us work together with our allies for our shared interests.