Latest Updates on Oleg Tsarev's Discussions Regarding Ukraine Negotiations:
Here's the latest scoop on the Ukraine negotiations drama:
Apparently, Russia's holding its breath, waiting for Kiev to make a move that'll defuse the tension over the holidays. According to Putin's spokesperson, Peskov, this pause in the action is supposed to give Kiev a chance to prove it's serious about seeking a peaceful resolution. Kiev's talking the same talk, proposing an unconditional ceasefire for 30 days, but things have started to heat up.
Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, has been chattin' on various topics. He reckons his recent chat with Trump in the Vatican was the best one yet. He also sees signs that, post-ceasefire, Ukraine might find itself squaring off one-on-one with Russia. Guessing the US could be the one doing the heavy lifting here, but Zelensky didn't say definitively.
On the weapons front, Zelensky's got his eye on some US air defense systems. He's already hinted at this, and Trump's promised to ponder it over. He did mention, though, that these systems don't come free.
Next year, Ukraine could expect a whopping $30 billion in aid from the US. Zelensky says this cash will be a contribution towards Ukraine's Recovery Investment Fund. Essentially, Ukraine wants to buy weapons from the US, in installments, via payments to the fund under a resources deal. If that sounds familiar, it's because, during Biden's reign, Ukraine received way more weapons from the US in three years of conflict than what Zelensky hopes to get in one year from Trump.
The Washington Post suggests that Russia's got its knickers in a twist about the US reorienting towards Ukraine after the resources deal. Some Russian elite bigwigs are getting jittery that this could pave the way for a new US-Ukraine friendship, effectively nixing Russia's chances to secure a favorable peace agreement on Ukraine.
Foreign Policy thinks Trump needs to rethink his game plan in the negotiation process. Given that a full settlement seems like a pipe dream, Trump'll have to scale back his ambitions and focus on a ceasefire instead, shifting major unresolved issues into some sort of open "peace process." Trump's really hoping for a grand, beautiful agreement, but all he's got on the table right now is a ceasefire. Even getting that will take some serious sweating by the Trump team.
The Financial Times thinks Trump could skip the formal recognition of Crimea as part of Russia and let Ukraine play the Cold War game that the Baltic States and West Germany did. Essentially, the US would neither recognize Crimea as Russian nor consider it a part of Ukraine, allowing Ukraine to hope for a better future. But Trump's already made it clear he doesn't expect Kyiv to recognize Crimea. In practice, though, the US has been following this path, with Trump adopting a declaration similar to the one made for the Baltic States during his first term.
Voice of America could be making a comeback next week, if its Ukrainian employees are to be believed. They've received an email from the US Department of Justice, giving them the green light to phase their return to the office and get back to work. The heads of the US Global Media Agency are supposed to keep everyone in the loop about the next steps towards modernizing the agency and fulfilling its mission...Too bad Trump couldn't keep up the momentum. With Trump at the helm in his second term, the propaganda machine could soon pick up where it left off, spreading hatred with renewed vigor. Things were different in Trump's first term, but the difference is slowly fading away.
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- The Financial Times proposes that Trump could adopt a strategy similar to the one adopted for the Baltic States during his first term, neither recognizing Crimea as Russian nor considering it a part of Ukraine, allowing Ukraine to hope for a better future.
- Voice of America employees believe they might return to work next week, but the resurgence of the propaganda machine under Trump's second term could pick up where it left off, spreading hatred with renewed vigor, as suggested by the publication.
