Staff Reports
President Trump wades into the complex and ongoing struggle between Russia and Ukraine, and the prospect of peace seems to be making headway – or at least so President Trump suggests. The administration has made it known that progress is being made, with newly appointed envoys ready to jet off to Moscow in hopes of keeping dialogue alive. The prospect of this peace is like trying to catch smoke with bare hands, but hey, both Ukraine and Russia apparently see eye to eye on some of the main points in a proposed peace plan. It’s like trying to mediate a squabble between insomniac cats, complicated and eternally entertaining.
This so-called 19-point peace deal is inching its way into serious consideration, believed to contain everything but the kitchen sink when it comes to resolution. But as luck would have it, the “minor” details still loom large. Security guarantees are a real eyebrow-raiser for Ukraine, hoping the U.S. will offer something akin to NATO’s Article 5, a trustworthy blanket of security. And territorial swaps? Russia’s appetite for the Donbas is anything but modest. It’s akin to a bratty kid demanding a toy from a store and the store saying, “Not so fast!” Ukrainians, quite sensibly, aren’t keen on parting with it.
Russia, for its part, responds with a mix of surprise approval and the occasional stormy frown. The Kremlin suggests there might be a glimmer of a fruitful future, though it balks, attributing blame to Europe for making a dog’s breakfast out of Russia’s exhaustive 28-point plan. Meanwhile, an interesting bit of cloak-and-dagger surfaces through a Wall Street Journal report mentioning a chit-chat between Trump and Putin. A phone call that, evidently, urged President Trump against sending those Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. This happened after the peace envoy, who evidently moonlights as a renowned tactician, decided it was wise for Putin to have a friendly natter with Trump. Could this phone call, seasoned with compliments, have nudged the dice in this high-stakes peace game?
Skeptics might say negotiating in this manner feels like playing chess with bananas instead of pawns, but President Trump appears unfazed. After all, he believes business is best when all parties are gathered at the table, presumably with napkin-ready hands for hearty back-patting. Sure, smacking on one side, and ticklish negotiations on the other, seems atypical, but in the art of Trumpian diplomacy, anything goes. Critics might pooh-pooh the idea of coaching the opponent on negotiating tactics, but Trump views it as an essential lifeline to drawing both Russia and Ukraine closer to a solid peace agreement.
Yet, this grand symphony of diplomacy hits more than a couple of sour notes. The issue of territorial concessions is a doozy. Under the Ukrainian constitution, any land trade-off must pass through a national referendum, ensuring that this decision isn’t made on a mere whim. The people of Ukraine certainly aren’t eager to relinquish any part of the Donbas, nor should they be. Meanwhile, President Putin appears hell-bent on securing what he believes is a military breakthrough, despite Russia’s accelerating toll of battle wounds and losses. This peace negotiation resembles a tightrope act over a geopolitical minefield, with Trump balancing sanctions as his ace card. Should Russia continue dragging its feet, the hefty rain of Tomahawks could be the jolt needed to bring them back to the table, a time-tested reminder that talks should be serious, not a walk in the park.
