Contention Arises Over Russia-Ukraine War: Is Putin Manipulating Trump for Ukraine Peace, or merely Pursuing Prolonged Conflict? as U.S. Retreats from Negotiation Efforts, some Analysts Suggest Russia Intends to Prolong Battle for Extended Periods.
Kyiv, Ukraine - The Kremlin manipulated the White House into promoting its plan for ending the Russia-Ukraine war, according to a Ukrainian military analyst.
Russian President Vladimir Putin "pulled the wool over Trump's eyes," Lieutenant General Ihor Romanenko, former deputy head of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, told Al Jazeera. Putin allegedly manipulated his US counterpart into repeating and implementing his narratives.
Suggested Stories
"Trump was a puppet that Putin controlled, unwittingly intimidating and pressuring Ukraine, a nation already on the brink," Romanenko stated about the stalled peace talks.
However, some western analysts claim a different narrative.
"Putin essentially tricked himself," Nikolay Mitrokhin, a researcher with Germany's Bremen University, told Al Jazeera. He contends that the discussions failed due to both parties, but Zelenskyy demonstrated more moral authority in this showdown, as he proposed a more substantial version of a truce.
Putin proposed a three-day ceasefire between May 8 and 11, allowing for Russia to celebrate its victory over Nazi Germany with a military parade on Moscow's Red Square. Furthermore, Putin intends to host Chinese leader Xi Jinping and diplomats from former Soviet republics, Eastern Europe, and Latin America during the May 9 festivities.
The May 9 celebrations are an essential highlight on the Kremlin's political agenda, as Moscow claims to have liberated Europe from Nazism, and criticizes certain European leaders, including Zelenskyy, for their supposed Nazi leanings.
Zelenskyy countered Putin's proposed ceasefire with a month-long cessation of hostilities.
Al Jazeera Sign-Up
Breaking News Alert
Privacy PolicyreCAPTCHAMeanwhile, Putin "flapped his wings as a destructive character who offers nothing more than token gestures in the negotiation process," Mitrokhin said.
The following events may lead to a rapprochement between the United States and Ukraine, additional weapon shipments to Ukraine, and new, harsher, and more shocking sanctions against Russia, reminiscent of Trump's style.
There may still be room for Trump's unpredictability if there is a "game-changing summit in May, during which Trump and Putin will hash it all out, Mitrokhin added."
Before the re-election, Trump boasted he would end the Russia-Ukraine war "in 24 hours." However, more than 100 days into his presidency, a temporary ceasefire remains elusive as Russian missiles and drones persistently attack Ukrainian cities.
Trump's peace plan remains undisclosed, but his "final offer" leaked to the press in late April heavily benefits Moscow and leaves Kyiv without security guarantees from Washington. The document reportedly includes a ban on Ukraine's membership in NATO, Washington's recognition of annexed Crimea as part of Russia, and a recognition of Moscow's occupation of large swathes of four Ukrainian regions.
Russia currently occupies about 20% of Ukraine's territory, with Kyiv reclaiming about 7% since 2022. The "de facto" recognition of these four regions is Putin's largest concession thus far, as he agreed not to claim the Kyiv-controlled portions.
Trump's "final offer" also proposes a ceasefire and a freeze along the current frontlines, in return for the immediate lifting of all US sanctions imposed on Russia since Crimea's 2014 annexation. Kyiv would gain the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe's largest, a major dam nearby, and small Russian-occupied areas in Ukraine's northeast and south.
A Kyiv-based analyst deemed Trump-proposed compromises "shameful."
"We're negotiating over what and what? Between Russia's thirst for death, rape, pillage, and land-grabbing, and our demands that our land not be stolen and we not be killed? There's no room for compromise," Maria Kucherenko, an expert with the Come Back Alive think tank, told Al Jazeera.
"We've already swallowed these ceasefires and concessions to Russia with a big spoon," Kucherenko added, referring to previous US-mediated discussions of a ceasefire between Kyiv and Russia-backed separatists during Trump's first presidency.
"The issue is not about what Zelenskyy says or doesn't say. The issue is that Russia will only act as it deems acceptable. Ignoring further acts of aggression from Russia will not do," Kucherenko concluded.
The White House threatened to abandon the talks if Kyiv and Moscow did not accept the "final offer."
Moscow Gearing Up for an Aggressive Summer Offensive
From a Ukrainian soldier recuperating from surgery, Moscow's delay tactic is evident. "Moscow has postponed talks until the summer and is preparing for a savage summer offensive, aiming to find weak spots in our defense," Kirill Sazonov, a former political analyst turned soldier fighting in the Donetsk region, wrote on Telegram on Monday.
"Currently, Putin doesn't desire peace and the talks are meaningless. The White House can withdraw from them - nothing will change at all," Sazonov stated.
After finalizing the long-awaited natural resources deal last week, the White House distanced itself from the discussions.
"It's up to them to reach an agreement and halt this bloody conflict," Vice President J D Vance told Fox News on Thursday.
The change in rhetoric suggests that Trump considers the minerals deal a diplomatic victory ahead of his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to a Kyiv-based analyst.
Moscow's main expectation is a "full or partial capitulation" of Ukraine, but as Kyiv keeps fighting, it's "irrational for Trump to act as a mediator" Igar Tyshkevych told Al Jazeera.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin's allies remain baffled by Trump's mood swings. "Is the Trump charm offensive over? Are we turning the corner?" asked Vladimir Solovyov, a popular television host who once threatened to turn the West into "radioactive ashes," during his Sunday show.
Clad in a quasi-military overcoat and with a foreboding tone, he issued another warning to the West: "We don't need your love, we need your fear."
"We lived through a time of joy, when only our part of the world is mentally healthy," he concluded.
- The Ukrainian military analyst asserted that the Russian president manipulated the White House into promoting a policy that could escalate the war in war-and-conflicts zone.
- Western analysts have proposed that the discussions between Russia and Ukraine failed due to both parties, but in the face-off, Zelenskyy demonstrated more moral authority in upholding policy-and-legislation regarding peace.
- Russian President Putin proposed a three-day ceasefire, but the Ukrainian President countered this with a month-long cessation of hostilities, revealing the stark difference between the two nations' perspectives on general-news.
- A Kyiv-based analyst deemed Trump-proposed compromises as deplorable in the context of the ongoing war, conflict, and politics, stating that negotiating with Russia amounts to compromising on human life and sovereignty.
