Vladimir Putin finally wakes up one day and discovers; hey, why are we fighting NOT negotiating? Now if you believe this scenario to be likely I suggest you skip reading the rest of this post and go have some coffee or tea instead cause it would be time wasted. The fact of the matter is, thanks to Ukrainian resistance backed with western support, Putin now sees no military victory for his regime (NOT Russia cause it ain’t really Russia that’s at the heart of the conflict but rather an unscrupulous/delusional leader). The only way out for Putin in my opinion is to engage in unscripted/unconditioned negotiations with the West mainly because judging from previous experience pre this last Russian aggression in Ukraine ego of European leaders will come to create division, confusion which leads to diluting issues in desperation for immediate peace/economic recovery while cementing Russia’s claim to occupied regions of Ukraine both politically and militarily. The EU will especially be vulnerable to divisions on this issue considering the rotten seeds in this Union. Any western leader willing to give Putin the benefit of doubt in this recent proposition would be truly/utterly foolish. If negotiations are to commence they should be based on solid conditions, mainly defined by Ukraine as the lead negotiator and must include again in my opinion return of occupied regions as well as paying for all damages it sustained during this aggression. In other words the onus should be put squarely on Putin to prove good will based on actions NOT promises. The question is will the west take the Putin bate or will they wisen up and present him with a counter “bate”; making it easy for someone who could potentially face war crimes based on tactics in targeting civilians in this latest incursion in Ukraine would be a grave mistake. So the suggested approach from this end is NOT putting much stock in his announcements and I hope western media “begin” to learn lessons because serious/too much coverage of Putin’s actions and his cronies is similar to the mistake that produced Donald Trump, may we hear less from him/more about the accountability he faces in future.
Hope this helps.
27/12/22 Update
The confused Putin regime now goes on the offensive a day after his negotiation offer is largely ignored and particularly mocked by Zelensky. The offer now converted into a clear ultimatum by Sergei Lavrov demonstrating in no uncertain terms the game of political hide-and-seek the Putin regime has been playing all along….by themselves – a regime developed by a bunch of con artists from the core. I guess the one positive coming out of this recent statement is that this fact can no longer be disputed by friend or foe.
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