Michael Winiarski: Trump’s peace attempt in Ukraine got a snowy end
It was on Friday that the State Department, the US Foreign Ministry, announced that the United States will no longer conduct peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. This means that the « master negotiator » Trump’s more than 100 -day attempts to drive a peace has broken down. Despite attempts from the White House to claim that a peace agreement is underway, it has never been near any settlement.
Washington’s message is not surprising. For several weeks, Trump and his co -workers have warned that the president’s patience is on the pour and that the United States will withdraw from the peace attempts on Ukraine and Russia does not accept the US peace plan. Already on April 18, Foreign Minister Marco Rubio said the United States was close to giving up.
So far Ukraine has rejected Trump’s proposal for a number of crucial points. The Ukrainians responded especially to the contract point that the United States is ready to recognize Russia’s illegal annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. It was seen as a betrayal against in Ukraine.
On the part of Russia, the signals have also been rejected, including the Kremlin absolutely no to an upcoming European peace force in Ukraine.
On top of that, Russia has not accepted the US proposal on an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, as Ukraine has done. In addition, Russia has stepped up the terrorist bombings against civilian goals all over Ukraine. It has caused Trump to openly express doubts about Vladimir Putin’s willingness to be in recent days. It is a shift for the US president, who has previously said that Volodymyr Zelenskyj has been more difficult to negotiate with than Putin.
The extent to which Trump has Ability to see the reality as it is – that Putin is not at all interested in ending the attack war against Ukraine – remains to be seen.
Last Thursday, Vice President JD Vance warned in an interview with Fox News about a US departure from the peace talks. He explained that Trump’s peace initiative was « a brilliant diplomatic victory », but that the war in Ukraine now « stands still » and will not be over in the near future. According to Vance, it will be « up to the Russians and Ukrainians » to reach an agreement « now that both sides know what the other’s conditions are ».
In Friday’s statement from the Foreign Ministry, it was stated that Trump’s administration « changes its methodology for how we contribute to the peace talks ». US representatives will no longer « fly around the world for meetings at each signal.
The latter must primarily Render at Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy, who has visited Putin four times in recent months and participated in consultations with Russian representatives in Saudi Arabia and other places.
At a press conference, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tammy Bruce clarified what the decision means for the negotiations on peace in Ukraine. She said that the United States is still engaged, but that it is on the responsibility of the two warring parties to develop concrete ideas for how the war should come to an end.
At the moment, it is difficult to see any end of the war.
Putin says that the goals of the « special military operation » are unchanged – in practice an end to Ukraine as an independent country.
Ukraine has no choice but to defend its existence on the battlefield.
Is the US departure from the peace attempt bad or good for Ukraine? It depends on Trump’s next move-if he continues to hope for heated Russian-American relations or if he resumes US support to Ukraine.
Some positive signals: On Thursday, the US government approved that Ukraine may buy more American weapons. Zelenskyj’s adviser Mychajlo Podoljak confirmed that Ukraine has now secured the purchase of more patriot robots.
And The Mineral Agreement Signed on Wednesday indicates that Trump’s « Love Story » with Putin may be less passionate than before.
