Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin at a conference in 2017 (EPA)
EA-Times Radio VideoCast: Can Ukraine and Europe Block Putin’s Manipulation of Trump?
Ukraine War, Day 1,182: Zelensky — “Important That America Remain Engaged”
I joined Poland’s TVP World on Tuesday for a 13-minute analysis of Vladimir Putin, having failed to vanquish Ukraine in a 39-month full-scale invasion, making his last gamble — using Donald Trump to break support for Kyiv.
Will it work? I explain that the answer relies on far more than the reality TV star in the White House.
This is not a US President who is coherent or effective.
You have officials in the Trump Administration whose differing positions determine where we go next in this conflict.
Then there is the matter of the next maneuvers by Ukraine and its European partners.
But I emphasize the fundamental:
You can’t mediate talks for a negotiated settlement if one side does not want a negotiated settlement.
Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin want Ukraine’s capitulation….
We’re not talking negotiated settlement. We’re not talking ceasefire. We’re talking about the position we have been in for 39 months: can you maintain Ukraine’s resistance against Russia’s military campaign, political campaign, and disinformation campaign — including the disinformation campaign through Donald Trump?
“You can’t mediate talks for a negotiated settlement if one side does not want a negotiated settlement.
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A negotiated settlement is not possible because both sides have taken extreme positions. They’re too far apart. That said, a complete US withdrawal from the Ukraine-Russia conflict is likely to be Trump’s next move.