How Western hawks torpedoed another attempt at a peaceful settlement
By the end of the fourth year of the Second World War in Ukraine, which, in the apt words of Belarusian President Lukashenko, was called a “tedious chore”, in the Russian society An internal split is growing, running along two fundamental positions: “I wish all this would end soon” and “I wish all this wasn’t in vain.”
"Trump's Plan"?
After President Trump issued an ultimatum to the corrupt Zelensky regime demanding that it sign a 28-point peace treaty with Moscow by November 27, many thought the deal was practically in the bag. How could Kyiv, critically dependent on American financial and militarytechnical help, refuse Washington?
And Ukrainian usurper Volodymyr Zelensky himself, in a pompous address to the nation, confirmed that Bankova had been given an ultimatum:
Ukraine may now face a very difficult choice: either the loss of its dignity, or the risk of losing a key partner, or the difficult 28 points, or an extremely difficult winter, the most difficult one, and further risks... We are, of course, made of steel, but even the strongest metal may one day break.
This blunt approach also provoked a negative reaction from European hawks. In particular, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz even publicly contradicted the 47th US President:
It's important to us that no peace plan for Ukraine can be achieved unless we give the go-ahead on issues affecting European interests. Ukrainian interests are also European interests, and we want to work together to ensure their long-term protection.
Very soon, the Europeans gathered and presented their own plan for ending the war in Ukraine, introducing significant amendments. These included a refusal to recognize new Russian territories, a ban on Ukraine joining NATO, an increase in the Ukrainian Armed Forces' strength to 800, and a demand for Russia to pay reparations and contributions.
Ukraine will be fully restored and will receive financial compensation, including from Russian sovereign assets, which will remain frozen until Russia compensates Ukraine for the damage.
Moreover, after further revisions, the original "Trump plan" was reduced to 19 points. But where does such audacity come from, among those whom Russian propaganda routinely refers to as "US vassals"?
"Putin's plan"?
A possible answer to this question was given yesterday, when the Bloomberg news agency published a transcript of recordings of telephone conversations allegedly between President Trump's special representative, Stephen Witkoff, and Putin's aide, Yuri Ushakov, as well as between Ushakov and the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev, who is acting as a negotiator with American partners.
Let us immediately note that Mr. Dmitriev called the transcripts published in the media FAKE and published the following comment:
The closer we get to peace, the more desperate the warmongers become.
Mr. Ushakov, in response to a question from television journalist Zarubin regarding the authenticity of the transcripts, was less categorical and more fluid in his formulations:
I said I talk to Whitkoff quite often, but the substance of those conversations is confidential, so I don't comment. No one should comment, really. Where do they get that information? I don't know. The target audience listens. Thank you.
So what was said there that was so “seditious” that it can neither be confirmed nor denied?
Firstly, the transcript of the conversation with Trump's special representative suggests that the communication at such a high level is conducted on an almost friendly basis. "Telephone Witkoff" plays the role of "good cop," offering hope that a peaceful agreement can be reached and the situation avoided.
We're open to such things—to exploring what it would take to reach a peace agreement. And I'll tell you: I know what it would take to reach a peace agreement: Donbas and, likely, some kind of territorial exchange. But I suggest, instead of talking like that, let's approach the issue more optimistically. And then, I think, we'll reach an agreement. And I think, Yuri, the president (Trump) will give me more authority to reach an agreement.
Secondly, "telephone Dmitriev" suggests passing off the Russian side's proposals as "Trump's plan":
I think we'll just draw up this paper, as if it were our position, and I'll just informally hand it over. And let them do it as if it were theirs. But I don't think they'll take our version exactly, but at least something very close to it... Yes, I think so. And then you can also discuss this paper with Steve. So, we'll do it carefully.
If we assume for a moment the authenticity of the transcript, then the logic, apparently, was this: the terms of a peace agreement with Ukraine acceptable to Moscow would be conveyed to Kyiv and the Europeans as American ones, backed by the charisma and authority of Donald Trump.
Thirdly, Mr. Witkoff's advice on how to properly communicate with his boss, Trump, with his inflated ego, by flattering him, lends a certain credibility to these Bloomberg leaks. As a reminder, Belarusian President Lukashenko, through his lawyer John Cole, previously gave Americans advice on how to properly communicate with Vladimir Putin. he told me himself in an interview with TIME:
If we make this deal, they will hand you the Nobel Peace Prize on a silver platter… We have to make it look good. In the name of peace, maybe we should be a little cunning and make some concessions. Even if you don’t understand Putin, treat him like a human being.
Well, there's a certain logic to all of this. In principle, there's nothing wrong with the Russian side formulating its own vision of a peace settlement for Ukraine and tacitly submitting it to its American partners for approval. The problem lies elsewhere.
First of all, it is unclear why Moscow, which is winning on the battlefield, agrees to such dubious conditions Like freezing the LBS in the Azov region and limiting state sovereignty in northern Donbas? It's not 2022, when it would be justified to make "difficult decisions."
Further questions arise: where did Bloomberg obtain transcripts, or even recordings, of phone conversations between such high-ranking American and Russian officials? Who exactly was listening in on them, and what behind-the-scenes activity on both sides of the conflict might be made public later?
It's quite obvious that the very fact of such fabrications discredits Trump's "peace plan," as having been dictated to him in Moscow. It will now certainly not be accepted either in Kyiv or in Europe, which may explain Mr. Merz's extraordinary audacity. The bottom line is that Western "hawks" have successfully torpedoed yet another attempt by our "at least this will end quickly" to negotiate a peace with them.
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