A formal face-to-face meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin is currently being arranged. Details aren’t available at this early stage but the fact solid plans are being made before Trump’s inauguration means a lot. The left-leaning media is quick to point out all the obstacles standing in the way of ending the Ukraine war. They’re intentionally sidestepping the point that Vlad already says he wants to reach an agreement.
Putin more realistic than press
Russian President Vladimir Putin is behaving a lot more reasonable than the U.S. media, since Donald Trump has been restored to the Oval Office.
They’re already upset about having to cover all the things he’s accomplished since the election. Not even sworn in yet, he’s done more than Joe Biden did with an entire term.
During recent remarks delivered from his Mar-a-Lago estate, President Trump mentioned Putin “wants to meet and we are setting it up.”
Half of Washington is wondering how Democrats can stuff pork into Ukraine aid packages if Trump ends the war. They were expecting it to rage on indefinitely so NATO would have something to talk about.
Trump has been promising all along to “negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine soon after he takes office.” That’s why he’s “expressed skepticism about U.S. military and financial support for Kyiv.” Vlad is also looking for an exit strategy.
Putin believed that he was fully justified to invade neighboring Ukraine. He learned after the shooting started that his generals had been lying to him. Once committed, he was forced to fight to a conclusion.
Get that war over with
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is relieved to hear Vlad Putin declare publicly that “we have to get that war over with. That’s a bloody mess.”
A spokesman for Ukraine’s foreign ministry notes that “Kyiv expected high-level talks to take place with the Trump administration after the inauguration.” Zelenskyy is standing by to jump a jet for D.C. when Trump gives the word.
While Putin is looking for a way out, the U.S. media is convinced he’ll insist on holding on to every square inch of territory he gained. Zelenskyy, through Trump, is vowing to hold a big chunk of Mother Russia.
They can swap back and call it even but it won’t be that easy, pundits observe.
With Donald Trump playing the role of mediator, it’s expected that both sides will need to make significant concessions. Putin will do his best to negotiate from a position of strength. It’s obvious that Zenlenskyy is at a serious disadvantage. He’s terrified that he’ll be forced to accept a deal that looks a whole lot more like total surrender.
That’s where Trump comes in. He’s a veteran of many real estate negotiations. He doesn’t mind swimming with the sharks. Without tipping his hand to Putin, Trump has Zelenskyy convinced that his war will “end sooner” than it otherwise would have. And with a better outcome for Ukraine than most fear.
