Behold the emerging end-game narrative, as the Proxy War devolves into its predictable sorry conclusion. NBC ran its story yesterday below the headline, “Trump slams Zelenskyy for rejecting Ukraine-Russia negotiations, saying a deal was ‘very close.’ The sub-headline added, “High-level talks in London aimed at bringing a pause to fighting in Ukraine disintegrated after Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff pulled out.” If he’s not careful, pugnacious comedian and understated dresser Zelensky is about to be left holding the bag.
U.S. negotiators had organized a high-profile Wednesday meeting to discuss terms for a permanent cease-fire plan with top Ukrainian officials in London. The US intended to present a deal the Russians had allegedly agree to, which would have completely and indefinitely halted the fighting while a final peace deal could then be negotiated at leisure.
Problems arose when Kiev’s thespian-in-chief got an advance copy of the agenda. His bloodshot eye was immediately drawn, not to his side of the ledger, but to something the U.S. had offered Russia to lock in Putin’s agreement. Specifically, the Americans offered to recognize Crimea as Russian territory. But the deal did not require Ukraine to make the same concession. It was win-win.
But winning was too much for the vertically-challenged Martial Law Administrator. He blew his short stack. Zelensky, enraged, got in front of Ukrainian media before yesterday’s talks began and delivered a defiant diatribe that would make a South African military dictator blush. Never Crimea! We won’t do it! We won’t let YOU do it! And more ranting to the same effect.
Secretary of State Rubio and Special Envoy Steven Witkoff immediately pulled out, scratched, and canceled their reservations, and let the junior members of the team handle the Ukrainians instead. Surprising no one, the discussions came up empty, or as NBC put it, “the high-level talks disintegrated.”
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, who attended the short-lived meeting explained, “Our people will not accept a frozen conflict disguised as peace.” Whatever that means.
To this day, Ukraine and NATO countries continue to refuse to recognize the referendum or Russia’s annexation as either legal or permanent. But there is no realistic pathway for Ukraine to recover Crimea. Ever. Recent limited hangouts revealed that Ukraine’s 2023 Glorious Spring Offensive —at its peak military capability— was really meant to push through the Russian lines and establish a beachhead in Crimea.
They never even got close.
Zelensky said that a cease-fire deal that includes anybody recognizing Crimea means surrendering the Ukrainian dream of taking back the peninsula. Kiev’s nebulous obsession with someday pushing Russia back out will be over. In reality, right now, Ukraine is losing the war for the whole country, and Trump’s cease-fire deal, dangling right in front of them, could immediately stop the bleeding.
But because the fantasy of recovering Ukraine is so powerful, Zelensky shot down even talking about it. “Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea,” he vowed, so “there’s nothing to talk about here.” (Again, the deal never required Ukraine to recognize anything, but that’s how Kiev’s cocaine-addled former president sees it.)
President Trump had a lot to say about it in one of his extended Truth Social posts. The President made several very revealing and blame-shifting comments, decorated with spears of exclamation, like “It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that makes it so difficult to settle this War. He has nothing to boast about!” And, “The statement made by Zelenskyy today will do nothing but prolong the ‘killing field,’ and nobody wants that!”
Finally, the President reiterated his running refrain that the war was not his fault. “I look forward to being able to help Ukraine, and Russia, get out of this Complete and Total MESS, that would have never started if I were President!”
It’s beginning to look like the Ukrainians —Zelensky and the oligarchs really calling the shots— soon need to make some difficult decisions. But there’s so much war money sloshing around Europe right now that all the incentives are completely topsy-turvy.
As NBC’s headline showed, Trump is setting Zelensky up for the fall when this thing finally goes completely sideways.
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