« Peace with war » or « war without peace »: The devil is in detail

The main problem with « telephone diplomacy » seeking to solve the fate of the world is that it claims to be effective but hides too many things. We do not know exactly what they have been talking about for two and a half hours on Tuesday Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, nor what are the results of the phone call on Wednesday between Trump and Zelenski. Media reports are scarce and most importantly missing.

« Peace with War » or « War Without Peace »?

« War, » Raymond Aaron wrote at his fundamental essay « Peace and War between Nations » (1962), « is the last means. And its purpose should not be to win the victory just to win. But to impose the opportunity to prevent the same conflict with tomorrow. » We seem to be quite far from it.

What is known to this hour?

That the peace talk in Ukraine will continue. And that President Trump supports President Putin’s idea of ​​organizing hockey matches between Russia and the United States.

The special American envoy and personal friend of Trump Stephen Whitkoff said the phone conversation was « oriented to results ». And to my astonishment, I heard SNN quoting his phrase that « the devil is in the details. » A phrase often used in diplomacy, whose authorship some attribute to architect Miss van der Room and others (with known modifications) even to Gustave Flabend. But this is not important.

The question is what picture of the situation in Ukraine is emerging from the fragile phrases released in the media by the Trump and Putin teams.

The first, cramming into the eye, is that the « complete cessation of fire » is not discussed. Let’s say we are far from this and that we want too much. But is it not the impression that Trump willingly accepts the « Putin formula » at the moment? Ever since December 2021, the Kremlin’s lord promised « temporary termination of fire » if the « Russian domination » was recognized over the Crimea, over the territories of the « republics » in Donetsk and Lugansk, over the Kherson region and the Zaporozhie. Now, if the Russian media is to be trusted, Putin offers about the same, and even in a gust of generosity, he would give up even Odessa. At least for now. And at the next stage?

Second, there was an exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine according to the formula « 175 vs 175 ». But this is not the first time that the negotiations do not need to go through the White House.

Third, from the leaked information, it seems that Putin has well built his personal strategy for Trump, using his experience as Verbovik. To the interlocutor – in this case Trump – shows how great he is, and the conversation is shifting to the « big things » (and future « huge benefits ») without arguing about « little things » like Ukrainian territories. They will « share » later.

Russia, for its part, urges the United States to end military assistance to Ukraine. What arguments? De-escalation of hostilities and hopes for a more durable truce? But does Russia themselves take any commitments to reduce its weapons, which will lead to a specific effect? No, the opposite.

According to NATO, which caused great concern among European leaders, the Kremlin is planning to increase the Russian army to 1.5 million by 2030 by forming dozens of new land divisions. The Russian military industry is preparing the production of 2000-3000 new tanks and aircraft, howling and large volumes of shooting weapons. President Macron delivered the same data with diagrams in his address to the French nation. Then? The devil is again in the details.

One has the feeling that we are really facing Nova Yalta. There is a conversation between two « gentlemen » who discuss the « structure of the world » and the fate of Ukraine in the form of a real estate transaction. A sphere in which Trump and his special envoy, Whitkoff, have a lot of experience, and the results are about to be catastrophic.

Trump constantly reiterates that if he was in power, the war in Ukraine would never begin. Putin willingly agrees with him. Still, someone is responsible for the worst bloodshed in Europe after the end of World War II.

Who is to blame for all this?

Zelenski? Biden? Europeans? Or no one? It turns out that war is a natural disaster.

Trump has his own strategy. He is visibly inclined to « huge discounts » (for a Ukrainian account) because he wants to appear as a peacemaker? Maybe she secretly dreams of the Nobel Peace Prize?

Putin is careful not to annoy him, so he also chose the path of great promises and minimal actions. Through Trump, he wants to impose his point of view. To legalize the war crimes, to remove Russia from international isolation, from the position of world « Paria ». To cause the cancellation of some of those 28,000 (!) US sanctions on Russian state and private structures, as well as against people from its nearest environment.

So far, it seems that his strategy has succeeded. Especially if it is discussed in « detail ».

Think about why the partial « thirty days of truce » is tied to the cessation of fire at the objects of « energy infrastructure »? The White House’s first message spoke of the termination of fire « for energy purposes and infrastructure », but the Russian side was submitted to the definite « clarification ».

The answer is simple and clear. Spring is set, and all winter the Ukrainians have been frowning after the Kremlin’s blows to their energy objects. So this is no longer necessary for Putin.

Conversely, for two months, Ukrainians have struck Russian oil refineries, causing chaos in supply and exports of fuels from Russia and inside the country.

However, if Ukraine does not agree to the Russian proposal, the Kremlin media machine will immediately activate the wave of speculation and insinuations how Ukrainians are « military lovers », how they do not want « peace ».

And « Do the Russians War War, » as he sang in a famous Soviet song by Mark Bernes on the lyrics by Evgeny Evtushenko (1961)? With her prophetic statement: « You sleep New York, you sleep Paris. » And here the devil is again in the details.