Has Tsar Vladimir the First noted the writing on the wall? Has he noticed that this writing loudly proclaims “TRUMP?”
It’s an intriguing question. The current Russian leader, Putin, has indicated a newfound openness to engage in discussions with the incoming US President. This development is noteworthy considering his previous reluctance to engage in dialogue with the outgoing American President.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he was ready to meet U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in search of compromise in potential talks to end the war in Ukraine almost three years after ordering the full-scale invasion of Moscow’s neighbor.
Speaking at his annual phone-in with journalists in Moscow, which lasted more than four hours, Putin claimed he hadn’t spoken to Trump in more than four years but that he was “ready” to discuss the war with the incoming U.S. leader “at any time.”
“If a meeting takes place at some point with the newly elected president, Mr. Trump, I am sure we will have plenty to talk about,” he said.
They certainly would. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, in such affairs “jaw, jaw jaw” is better than “war, war, war,” but both sides have to see it that way. President-elect Trump has long been an advocate of talking to people, presumably on the theory that you can’t reach any kind of agreement or understanding with anyone unless you’re talking to them. But does Tsar Vladimir have a return to the status quo ante in mind?
That’s doubtful. There’s always a catch, and that may be found in Putin’s continued remarks, with a bit of judicious reading between the lines:
Putin, who sounded bullish on Russia’s military gains in Ukraine during his marathon press conference, said Moscow has “always said that we are ready for compromises and negotiations,” but that “the other side needs to be ready” as well.
The longtime Russian leader said Moscow does not want a long-term cease-fire agreement but rather a “durable peace secured with guarantees for the Russian Federation and its citizens.”
Let’s take this through in segments, shall we?
First, that comment that Moscow is “ready for compromises and negotiations,” with the caveat that the “other side needs to be ready,” coming from Putin, who we should remember is an old KGB apparatchik and comports himself accordingly, and that second part of the quote sure seems to carry the added meaning that the “other side needs to be ready to give me what I want.”
Second, the remark that Moscow, on whose behalf Tsar Vladimir apparently speaks, wants a “durable peace secured with guarantees for the Russian Federation” may very well be taken to include “guarantees for the Russian Federation to keep most if not all of the Ukrainian land we now hold.”
