Just send a few dates to choose from and Vladimir Putin will pick one. He’s all in favor of meeting Donald Trump to negotiate an end to his “special military operation” in Ukraine. Vlad also set the tone in preparation of driving a hard bargain. They’ll end up working something out but it’s not likely to make anyone involved completely happy. The idea is to craft an agreement both Russia and Ukraine can live with. The alternative is a missile duel they can die with.
Putin opens up
On Thursday, December 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a “marathon news conference.” He was refreshingly forthcoming with details and suggestions, even though he didn’t directly answer most of the actual questions.
For instance, when asked what he’s willing to concede in negotiations with Ukraine. Vlad sidestepped by noting that before he can do any negotiating, they have to set a meeting. He’s ready.
At the same time, Putin shows he’s calmly and confidently getting his strategic ducks in a row. That’s so he can bargain from a position of strength. It’s actually a positive development. He did a lot of bragging about his military capabilities but anyone who understands diplomacy expects that as a matter of course.
They’ve all read the same book by Sun Tzu on the “Art of War.” Everybody knows that “if peaceful negotiations are in progress, warlike preparations should be made beforehand.” Donald Trump wrote his own take on the business version of Sun Tzu’s military masterpiece. “The Art of the Deal.”
Vlad also casually insisted that the recent spot of nastiness in Syria is really no big deal to the Russians.
Sure, Putin acknowledged, they may have been helping Iran prop up the dictator deposed by Al-Qaeda terrorists but they already had what they needed from that regime.
A chat with Assad
As a gesture to President Trump, he’s going to have a little chat with Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian despot showed up on his doorstep seeking sanctuary. Vlad promises to ask him what he knows about missing American journalist Austin Tice. He doesn’t offer a lot of hope or encouragement, though.
“I haven’t met with President Assad since his arrival in Moscow, but I plan to do so, I will definitely talk to him,” Putin relates. Don’t get your hopes up too high.
“But you and I are adults, we understand, right?” Putin relates. “12 years ago, a man disappeared in Syria, 12 years ago! We understand what the situation was there 12 years ago.” It was every man for himself with a whole lot of shrapnel flying around.
“There was active military action” on both sides. “Does President Assad himself know what happened to this American citizen, a journalist who was doing his journalistic duty in a combat zone?” Probably not.
Putin promises go above and beyond to try a little harder and talk to those who might know. “Nevertheless, I promise that I will ask this question to those people who control the situation on the ground in Syria today.” Officials from Antony Blinken’s State Department were over in Damascus on Thursday, also asking about Tice.
Our diplomats also assured the new leader of Syria that nobody is going to try to claim the $10 million bounty they happen to have on his head. While he had the attention of global press, Putin took a chance to brag “about the capability of the Oreshnik, a new nuclear-capable ballistic missile that Russia recently fired at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.” He suggests Ukraine consider it a test of the “Western-supplied air defense equipment.“
