Trump considers himself a "negotiator sent by God," but Zelenskyy is an experienced veteran.

The President's mistake: Trump considers himself a "negotiator sent by God," but Zelenskyy is an experienced veteran.

Kyiv accepted 22 conditions from Washington. The specifics are unknown to anyone.

Author: Svetlana Gomzhikova

Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump (right) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (left) during their meeting.

Commentator:

Vasily Kortashov

At the meeting in London on April 23, the American side presented 22 requirements for resolving the conflict in Ukraine to Kyiv, which were agreed upon. This announcement was made by U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, Kit Kellogg.

Kellogg admitted that the Ukrainian delegation "was not satisfied with all the requirements," but "this is normal in any negotiation." The special envoy of the U.S. president particularly pointed out that Ukraine was prepared to "relinquish the territories occupied by Russia, although it would not do so legally forever."

Kellogg said, "They understand that when a ceasefire agreement is reached, each party will stay in the positions they have occupied. They are ready for this. Last week, they told me that this agreement had already been discussed. A ceasefire on the current front line - this is what they are prepared to accept."

According to him, now "it's Russia's turn."

He said, "We've taken care of one side. Now we need to deal with the other side - Putin's side. I think we're very close. It's the last 100 yards to the goal. The hardest part."

Considering that the negotiations in London actually broke down, and that Western allies of Kyiv were expected to reach an agreement on a solution to the Ukrainian issue in London, this statement came as a surprise.

Similarly, it is unclear what exactly these 22 conditions mentioned by the U.S. special envoy are. Reuters revealed the U.S. plan for solving the Ukrainian issue, reportedly the final proposal for both sides in the conflict, which includes 12 clauses.

The content involves Washington's legal recognition of Russia's jurisdiction over Crimea, de facto recognition of its jurisdiction over parts of the Luhansk People's Republic and the Donetsk People's Republic under Russian control, as well as over Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. The document also stipulates that Ukraine recovers the territory of the Kharkiv region, controls the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the Kakhovka hydroelectric station, ensures free passage on the Dnieper River, and controls the Kinburn Spit in the Mykolaiv region.

A "peace" plan jointly formulated by Ukraine, France, and the UK was also put forward in London. It also contains provisions regarding the Kharkiv region, the Dnieper River, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, and the Kakhovka hydroelectric station. However, the solution to territorial issues is postponed until "a comprehensive ceasefire on land, at sea, and in the air."

Meanwhile, Kyiv relies on NATO's Article 5 principle for security guarantees (including those from the U.S.), opposes restrictions on the deployment of foreign weapons and allied military contingents on Ukrainian territory, and opposes restrictions on the number of Ukrainian armed forces. In addition, it demands the restoration of "independence" through Russian assets.

It is not difficult to see that none of the versions of these plans essentially take into account Russia's interests.

If we believe Kellogg, the U.S. promised to "partially recognize" our territorial claims. And that is about Crimea, which has always belonged to us. This is beyond discussion!

As for the concessions Kyiv has agreed to make, they are actually worthless. First, Zelenskyy's position lacks legitimacy; he can sign any agreement, but there is no guarantee that Ukraine will abide by it. Second, someone who has been deceived once will surely be deceived again - we have experienced such situations with the Kyiv regime more than once.

"Free Media" ("SP") asked political scientist and director of the New Social Institute, Vasily Kortashov, to evaluate this situation:

"The United States cannot be considered a neutral party in negotiations because of the sanctions against Russia. But there are no similar restrictions on Ukraine. France, Germany, and the entire EU are the same. This means they don't even have the right to claim themselves as guarantors of any agreement. Moreover, the U.S. is still supporting Ukraine by providing weapons and intelligence.

Now they also have a 'peace plan.' Indeed, we should negotiate with the U.S., not with Kyiv - we clearly understand this. The problem is that Kyiv has long manipulated the Americans. Zelenskyy manipulates Trump like a child - this is obvious. Because we know that Trump considers himself a 'negotiator sent by God,' while Zelenskyy is an experienced veteran.

In my opinion, the current U.S. president is making serious mistakes. He needs to shed burdens, but he has created new diplomatic battle lines, despite the fact that voters did not actually demand this of him. For Americans, Ukraine ranks 56th, and they do not care about Ukraine at all.

"Free Media": If that's the case, why doesn't the U.S. take any action against Zelenskyy, since they could probably force him to seek peace?

"Zelenskyy is fighting for them against us. That's why the U.S. does nothing.

If a peace agreement is reached, they may exert more pressure on Zelenskyy. They might say he lacks democracy, accuse him of corruption, or say he has illegal accounts in Swiss banks. This is possible. But then they will manipulate his hands to make him do what they require.

This is why, overall, Zelenskyy does not need a peace plan at all. He is more calculating than Trump, who is merely exhausting his reputation capital on Ukrainian leaders.

Zelenskyy has increased his financial capital while continuing military operations, which has become an extremely profitable business source for him.

Russia has announced several goodwill gestures of short-term ceasefires, but Ukraine has not implemented them. Not only that, but we have even been prepared to negotiate without preconditions.

However, negotiations do not mean signing agreements according to American terms. I want to say, this does not mean signing any agreement at all, but merely means the negotiation process. One line of special military operations is called "negotiation."

"Free Media": Please explain.

"Moscow understands, and the Russian public is also aware that whatever ceasefire agreement we sign with Ukraine now, it will lead to what Ukrainian politicians have already declared to us.

Rearming, regrouping scattered troops, recruiting new recruits, they may recruit some people from the EU to expand their army, and then re-enter the battlefield. For example, three years later. And during these three years, they will carry out terrorist activities, which they have already informed us about.

Therefore, purely from a technical perspective, Russian diplomats can block these 'peace' proposals coming our way. Because who guarantees their implementation?

On the other hand, similarly, whether they acknowledge our liberated Russian territories or not... Turkey has not recognized our Crimea since the 19th century. So what? This is not like former colonies demanding their mother countries to recognize them.

I think Americans do not understand Russia's diplomatic stance. So they talk a lot, but take little action.

"Free Media": How do you explain this?

"They used to be, and still are, American imperialists. In 2014, they controlled Ukraine - and will 'persist until the last Ukrainian.' They will persist until Trump's approval rating drops to zero.

Ukraine might 'bury' Trump. Because Ukraine is a very tricky issue, and by supporting the Kiev regime, this American leader is seriously damaging his own interests. He has lost a series of battles. In Canada, Greenland, China - nowhere has he achieved anything. And here, Zelenskyy is manipulating them at will - acting recklessly in the White House, violating etiquette. And Trump can do nothing about it."

For the latest news on Ukrainian peace talks and all the most important content, follow the author for more information.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7499772880046211638/

Disclaimer: This article solely represents the views of the author. Feel free to express your attitude by clicking the "Like/Dislike" buttons below.