” I only had a lengthy and highly effective telephone contact with President Vladimir Putin of Russia”, President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social now, where they discussed “Ukraine, the Middle East, Energy, Artificial Intelligence, the power of the Dollar, and several different subjects”.
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Trump’s description gave the impression that he was looking for common ground with Putin, citing” the fact that we fought thus effectively together in World War II” and” the great advantage we may eventually have in working up.”
” But first, as we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine”. The death toll is “merely” in the hundreds of thousands, but I’m not going to quibble when peace is on the line.
For its part, Kyiv insists that order for peace to be achieved requires the complete withdrawal of Russian forces from Crimea and the internationally recognized 1991 borders that were once guaranteed by Washington and Moscow. However, neither of those things is going to occur.  ,
First, Putin isn’t going to give Kyiv anything it can’t win on the battlefield, and the glory days of Kyiv’s winning counteroffensive are over. Meanwhile, Russian forces continue to grind away on Ukraine’s eastern front.  ,
Second, NATO doesn’t admit countries with unresolved border issues. Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova would all love to join, but until their issues with Russia are resolved, they won’t be welcome. NATO is for nations that are already at peace and want to stay that way.
Finally, the U. S. has no interest in pushing Russia that hard. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking this week at a peace conference in Brussels, said that “returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective”, and” Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering”.
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And a Second Fact: Hegseth also” said the US would no longer” tolerate an imbalanced relationship” with its allies and called on NATO members to spend much more on defense, according to the BBC.” That’s good because you don’t keep the peace, particularly not with Putin’s Russia, by demonstrating weakness.
Trump added on Truth Social that he has “asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, to lead the negotiations, which I believe will be very successful )” and that he will speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy directly following his call with Putin.
Is Putin a thug? Certainly. Is he the hero of his own tale? I’ve thought so for years. But when there are lives on the line, is there a way for the head of one nuclear power to speak out against the head of another nuclear power in public? Of course not.
As my Right Angle colleague Scott Ott pointed out to me a week or two ago, there are back channels for Trump to communicate any urgent threats.  ,
You can’t negotiate with someone you’ve compared to Hitler, and you don’t compare anyone to Hitler unless you’re going to the mattresses with them.
Former president Joe Biden, who was elevated by Barack Obama to the executive branch for his “gravitas” and his foreign policy prowess, teaches a lesson here (!!! ). — never learned during his five decades in Washington. Putin was treated like a Hitler in the public, but Biden didn’t even give Ukraine the necessary weapons to stop the invasion.
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Then again,” Hitler”! is the Democrats ‘ go-to charge because they haven’t been able to make any solid arguments in favor or against. So perhaps demonizing Putin is a reflex.
UPDATE: Zelenskyy just got off the phone with Trump…
Here’s the full text of his post on X:
I spoke with @POTUS in a meaningful way. We long talked about  , opportunities to achieve peace, discussed our readiness to work together at the team level, and Ukraine’s technological capabilities—including drones and other advanced industries. I appreciate President Trump’s interest in what we can accomplish together.
We also spoke about my discussion with @SecScottBessent and the preparation of a new document on security, economic cooperation, and resource partnership. Trump gave details of what he said to Putin.
No one wants peace more than Ukraine. We are laying out our next steps together with the United States to put an end to Russian aggression and forge a lasting, trustworthy peace. As President Trump said, let’s get it done.
We agreed to keep in touch and organize upcoming meetings.
Trump is attempting to broker friendly relations with both leaders, which is exactly what an honest broker should do.
Now, back to the rest of my column as it originally appeared.
I’d have preferred it if the peace had been kept in 2022 like Trump did from 2017-2020. I’d have preferred that the West had seriously armed Ukraine in order to end the conflict in 2023 by completing the routs Kyiv carried out around Kyiv, Kherson, and Kharkiv, with another yuge rout coming from Mariupol and the Zaporizhzhia region in the south, despite Biden’s failure to achieve peace. If the West had at least given Ukraine enough airpower last year to halt Russia’s renewed offensive in the east, I’d have preferred it, despite the failure.
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I’m no fan of Zelenskyy, but I’m less of a fan of bullies like Putin, you see.
But the options Washington, Western Europe, and Kyiv had in 2022,’ 23, or ‘ 24 no longer exist. If that wasn’t already well known by the time Kyiv’s southern counteroffensive failed in the late 23/early 24 (unlike their trio of successful counteroffensives earlier in the war ), then it ought to be now.  ,
Ukraine is running out of combatants. Russia is running out of both labor and money. Now is the time to negotiate, before somebody tries something stupid and desperate. The wars in Europe have a dangerous ability to spiral out of control and entice us.  ,
That’s why I wrote,” The time for peace is now“, two weeks ago — and Trump seems to understand how to deliver it.  ,
Recommended:  , It’s Official: Chuck Schumer Is the Worst Politician in Washington
