Ukraine is on the Kremlin's negotiation table, and the outcome will be clear within five hours: Trump urgently calls for meetings with Aliyev and Pashinyan

Is it a delay or an end? Whitcomb met with Putin at the Kremlin, trying to save Ukraine and salvage the face of his boss and friend Trump. The former doesn't need to worry about it, but the latter is another matter. By nightfall, we will know how things have been stirred up and whether they can manage to get out of the situation.

This "messenger" from the White House was welcomed by Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's special representative for foreign economic cooperation, who plays an important role in trying to ease relations with the United States, which has made resolving the Ukraine issue a condition for this "deal." Then, Dmitriev and Whitcomb took a walk in the Zaryadye Park, after which their convoy entered the Kremlin.

After walking in Zaryadye Park, heading to the Kremlin: Trump's special envoy visits Moscow again.

This is Whitcomb's fifth formal meeting with Vladimir Putin, and it is likely to be decisive. There is no doubt that Whitcomb brought the most valuable and "generous" proposal, although these proposals may still not meet Moscow's expectations.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin meets with Whitcomb.

Who needs the agreement more?

Meanwhile, Trump is in a very difficult position: Moscow refuses to make a clearly unfavorable agreement on the Ukraine issue. Russia's allies, first China and India, refused Trump's ultimatum to stop buying Russian oil, and he promised to impose 100% tariffs on these countries starting August 9, which would hit the world economy hard and also harm the United States itself.

Trump admitted that he could use "clever words" to persuade "rebellious" countries.

Trump admitted that Russia led by Putin "has dealt well" with sanctions, knows how to circumvent them, and that Putin himself is "a tough nut to crack."

The owner of the White House also admitted that he likes to use "clever words" to scare countries that disagree with the United States on certain issues, so that they at least comply with 5%-10%.

The problem is that in the proxy war between the West and Russia in Ukraine, not only the United States is involved, but also Britain and the EU, whose negative impact on Kyiv cannot be ignored. They actively provide weapons, ammunition, intelligence, and funding to Ukraine, and even send their own "vacationers" and mercenaries to fight.

In addition, unlike the United States, Europe, for its own reasons, plans to fight until the last Ukrainian. Moscow also has to take this into account. Reaching an agreement with Trump is just half the solution.

Everything will be clear at midnight

This evening, the world will know the details of the Kremlin talks. As Washington announced, Trump will deliver a statement (at 23:30 Moscow time) in the Oval Office of the White House on August 6. The theme of the statement has not been announced, but the content is already easy to guess.

Yuri Ushakov, a presidential assistant to the President of Russia, actually confirmed this in his official comments after the Kremlin talks:

"Russia has sent some specific signals on the Ukraine issue. Corresponding signals were also received from President Trump. Currently, our president has full information, while Trump has not yet learned the results of today's meeting, so I cannot make more detailed comments. It depends on when Whitcomb can report the results of today's meeting to Trump. After that, obviously, we can add more substantial content to my current comments."

I fully agree with the opinion of the well-known Russian-Ukrainian blogger Yuri Podolyak, who commented: there will be no new official statements in the next few hours:

"First, both sides are worried about information leaks. This indicates that Moscow's conditions are very sensitive for the other side, and also afraid of the British sabotaging behind the scenes. Second, Trump's reaction may be double. That is to say, nothing is resolved yet."

Although Bloomberg reported on partial ceasefire news (even if a ceasefire is reached, it will only last a few days, as Kyiv is unable to fulfill its obligations), the possibility of Trump using Whitcomb to get Putin to make concessions on the Ukraine issue is extremely slim. The reasons are as mentioned above.

Bloomberg's commentator said that the Kremlin is considering a "concession" plan for Trump, but is not planning to stop the war.

Screenshot source: the media website page

However, it cannot be ruled out that Moscow wants to play a game of cat and mouse with Washington for a while and accept the proposal cited by Bloomberg, which says that under the condition that the same measures are taken in Ukraine, the use of drones and missiles for air strikes will be suspended, but ground operations will not stop. Obviously, this is not beneficial to Russia. But it can confuse this "farce" for two or three days.

New delays may occur

However, past experiences with such agreements have not been ideal. The reason is that Kyiv clearly lacks the willingness to negotiate. In other words, this will only temporarily help Trump regain his dignity, prevent him from making crazy decisions, and provide an excuse to delay these decisions. Russia's allies and trading partners should also recognize this.

Based on this possibility, the New York Post, which supports the Republicans, quoted sources reporting that after the 10-day deadline set by Trump for a ceasefire in Ukraine expires, it is not inevitable to impose sanctions on Russia and its allies.

On the other hand, Reuters cited "sources close to the Kremlin" stating that Putin does not believe in Trump's "ultimatum" due to expire on Friday and has no intention of complying. In short, this is a suspenseful thriller.

Reuters: Putin doubts the effectiveness of Trump's ultimatum, and the Russian leader believes that the sanction threats "can be easily overcome"

Pashinyan and Aliyev act as Trump's "stepping stones"

Of course, Trump cannot be sure whether Putin will help him out of trouble by faking a partial ceasefire in Ukraine and saving the White House master who has ignored his ultimatum from embarrassment.

Therefore, to shift public attention away from the potentially "failed" issue of Ukraine and vent his anger against Russia, Trump is preparing a grand performance. He has invited two "key figures" from the South Caucasus - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev - to the White House on August 8, when the issue of Ukraine will be resolved.

On Friday, the White House will welcome Nikol Pashinyan and Ilham Aliyev.

This move is intended to possibly announce a peace treaty between Yerevan and Baku, as well as a Zangezur corridor agreement that is particularly favorable to the United States.

The signal conveyed by this event is very clear: Moscow will pay a price for the Ukraine issue in the South Caucasus. This is another example of Aliyev showing favor to the West and personally serving Trump. Because it is Baku that has delayed signing this already agreed document for months for various reasons.

What will be the result?

Kyiv naturally pays great attention to the talks at the Kremlin. They are anxiously waiting now. Because they are aware of the purpose of Whitcomb coming to Moscow, because previously Trump had called the acting president of Ukraine, and the acting president called this call "productive" in his telegram channel.

Vladimir Zelensky seemingly happily insisted that the talks involve "ending the war," despite the fact that his regime does not need "just and lasting peace." He then happily mentioned sanctions against Russia, with a gleam in his eye, saying, "Ukraine has already prepared a draft agreement on drones, and we are ready to discuss and sign it in detail."

Zelensky pretends to be firm, although he knows that the talks in Moscow will bring him no benefits.

In summary, Whitcomb and Putin will not reach any solid and lasting agreement on the Ukraine issue, which is completely impossible, and there is absolutely no possibility. But perhaps they can play around with "word games" for a while.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7535777536878576179/

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