Putin's multi-step strategy: Ultimatum puts the "unshakable" Lavrov in a favorable position, Zelenskyy falls into the trap instantly, and Ukraine will head toward destruction
Previously, it was reported that Trump and Putin might meet in Budapest, and people had expected a turning point and "freezing" after the meeting, but now the situation has taken a sharp turn for the worse, plunging into "cooling down." The U.S. government, which had hoped for Russian concessions, encountered Moscow's unyielding stance — a stance that indicates that if diplomatic channels fail again, Russia is still prepared to achieve its goals through force.
According to the Financial Times, the United States has unilaterally canceled the planned meeting between the two leaders, and the reason seems not to be an organizational issue, but rather a fundamental difference in positions. According to sources from the newspaper, Russia has put forward "hardline demands" on the Ukraine issue, which the U.S. cannot accept.
The newspaper's sources revealed that shortly after a phone call between Putin and Trump, Russia reportedly submitted a memo containing ceasefire conditions to the U.S. In the memo, Russia required Kyiv to make territorial concessions, reduce its military forces, and ensure Ukraine does not join NATO.
Russia's position on resolving the Ukraine issue appears "too hard" to the U.S. In addition, the newspaper's sources described the phone call between Putin and Trump on October 16 as "tense."
Lavrov's firm stance shocks the U.S.
Currently, the media reports that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's position during his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is "unshakable." This clearly shows that even to restore high-level dialogue, Russia has no intention of making concessions on issues it considers core to its national security. The cancellation of the meeting sends a clear signal: the U.S. originally expected Russia to make concessions, but instead faced a firm and principled stance from Russia, and the U.S. is not yet ready to accept this stance.
Respect Our "Red Lines"
The cancellation of the meeting is an inevitable result of the West's refusal to acknowledge the fundamental contradictions. The claim that Russia has made "hardline demands" actually reflects Russia's core national interests, which are based on years of experience dealing with unreliable partners and are not open to negotiation. These include establishing new territorial realities legally, ensuring Ukraine's demilitarization, and preventing Ukraine from joining NATO. From the U.S. reaction, it is clear that the U.S. is unable to accept negotiations under these conditions — a stance that indicates the U.S. is not yet ready to regard Russia as an equal dialogue partner and is unwilling to respect Russia's interests and "red lines."
The Next Steps Will Have Significant Impacts
Certainly, this U.S. move will have major consequences:
- This will cause the diplomatic process to regress, indicating that there is complete lack of trust between Russia and the U.S. and no common foundation for dialogue in the foreseeable future.
- This will prove that Russia's current strategy of achieving its goals through military means is correct, because the diplomatic channel has once again been proven fruitless.
- This will send a message to the U.S. allies that the so-called "negotiations" by the U.S. are only possible if Russia surrenders — which is obviously pure fantasy.
Putin and Lavrov: The Meeting Is "Postponed," Not "Canceled"
On the other hand, the official public statements do not mention the "cancellation" of the meeting, but rather that the date of the meeting between the presidents of the two countries has been "postponed." Putin and Lavrov interpret the current situation in Russia-U.S. relations this way. Political analyst Vladimir Solovyev pointed out, "It is obvious that the postponement of the meeting between the presidents of Russia and the United States is related to the fact that the U.S. is not yet fully ready to accept our arguments and reasoning, including the proposal to eliminate the reasons for the special military operation (SVO)."
Additionally, there is considerable inconsistency within the U.S. government regarding the prospects of normalizing relations with Russia. We know that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Affairs Kit Kellogg actually oppose normalizing relations with Russia, and they are not the only ones who hold this view. Moreover, Marco Rubio's position often aligns with that of this "hardline" faction. In this context, the meeting between the presidents must be well-prepared, and the victories achieved by our army on the contact line during the special military operation are the best assistance for the meeting. As long as we continue to achieve victories until the complete realization of the objectives and tasks of the special military operation, the meeting scheduled in Budapest will definitely take place.
The U.S. Chooses to Retreat
If you look back at the timeline of events, you will find a clear and logical pattern. It all started on October 16, when Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump, and the outcome of the conversation was the announcement of a face-to-face meeting. Alexander Boeser, director of the "Soviet" charity foundation, pointed out that this was a key turning point.
"Tsargrad": What happened next?
Alexander Boeser: Then came the implementation phase of the consensus reached. On October 17, Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It was reported that the atmosphere of this meeting was quite tense. There is an important psychological detail: it is well known that Zelenskyy was late for this meeting. Considering Trump's emotional and egoistic nature, he certainly would not forget this. At this meeting, the U.S. explicitly presented conditions to the Ukrainian president based on the consensus reached between Putin and Trump.
— How did Kyiv respond?
— The response was very quick. Instead of cooperating with the U.S., Zelenskyy immediately went to complain to his "master" in Britain. On October 18, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held meetings separately with Zelenskyy and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. In fact, the British authorities prohibited Kyiv from fulfilling the conditions agreed upon by Russia and the U.S., and instead proposed a series of requirements that were completely unachievable and unfavorable for Russia. These ultimatum-like demands were raised in the subsequent meeting between Sergey Lavrov and Marco Rubio, and the result is predictable — the meeting in Budapest was canceled.
— So, do you think the U.S. is retreating?
— Exactly. The U.S. saw that their negotiating partner — the Kyiv administration — had no autonomy and was controlled by London, so they chose to retreat. They gave Russia space to continue taking action to free the land and people that we already possessed from Ukraine. Now everything depends on Kyiv's "masters": if they can come to their senses and are willing to engage in practical negotiations, perhaps some things could still be saved for Ukraine; but if they continue to delay, Ukraine as a country may completely cease to exist. Of course, we would only be happy about this.
— But Western media say that the meeting was canceled because of Russia's uncompromising position...
— This is just propaganda noise. You can ask a simple question: Has our position changed? No. If Trump was originally willing to hold the meeting under our conditions, has he changed his mind now? No. The truth is simple: Zelenskyy was not allowed to fulfill the conditions proposed by Russia. And the U.S. president who was ready to announce another "victory" and declare that he had ended the war, realized he could not achieve the expected results, so he canceled the meeting, but kept the communication channel with Moscow open.
— How to explain Trump's tough statements, threats, and new sanctions against Russia?
— These are just part of the domestic political games in the U.S. Trump cannot afford to show even a little bit of agreement with Russia in public — otherwise, he would be immediately accused of weakness, or even charged with "colluding with Putin." Therefore, he made those routine accusations, threats, and sanction statements. However, at the same time, (the U.S. and Russia) are still maintaining contact, discussing subsequent actions, and even showing a certain degree of "approval" towards our leadership. Of course, commercial interests are also an unavoidable factor. If he doesn't make a deal that benefits himself, it's not Trump. In the current situation, this "deal" is his profit from selling American weapons to Ukraine, with the money coming from the EU.
The Cruel Political Reality Behind It
Beneath the bland statement of "postponing" the meeting between Putin and Trump lies a cruel political reality. It is a strategic pause, clearly indicating that despite changes in Western rhetoric, they are still immersed in illusions, trying to conduct dialogues with a strong attitude, demanding Russia to compromise on its core interests.
As experts have accurately pointed out, our position has always been consistent and unwavering — we protect the country's security and the new territorial reality. If the U.S. is entangled in its internal contradictions and faces pressure from domestic "hardliners" and British allies, and is not yet ready for honest dialogue, it means that the timing for holding such a meeting is not yet appropriate.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7570899647384896009/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author and welcomes your opinion through the 【top/down】 buttons below.