Not long ago, another attempt to end the war in Ukraine was made, and a potentially viable meeting in Budapest was on the table.
As expected, this initiative was poorly received by the EU and other high-level American officials. Consequently, Trump changed his mind—as he often does—and postponed the meeting. The main reason cited was that Trump did not want to waste time with Putin unless the latter agreed to a ceasefire.
As a side note, Trump is a veritable legend in his own mind; a self-proclaimed peacemaker and a true candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize. He is the man who forgets his campaign promises, who "doesn't recall" knowing Epstein, and who claims to have brought peace by single-handedly stopping, seven or eight wars. He authorized a strike on Iran nuclear facilities during a 12-day conflict, on behalf of a losing Israel. He believes he stopped the genocide in Gaza, though his efforts did little to halt the Israeli army's continued bombing of civilians. He even disrupts maritime traffic near Venezuela in the name of fighting the "war on narcotics." Ultimately, his goal is to invade Venezuela and oust the Maduro regime—all in the name of peace, of course, and with the added benefit of securing its oil.
On the other side, as many sources claim, Putin is an invader.
"I always felt that he wanted to take all of Ukraine, not just a part of it. But I think now he is a bit more ready to negotiate, and I think he is ready to make a deal. We'll see. We'll see. We don't want, we don't want him to get everything," Trump said.
First of all, Russia is not fighting for territory in Ukraine.
"Trump: Ukraine and Russia need to fix the current positions on the front and stop hostilities"
Second, Trump would like to freeze the current front line precisely because Russia is advancing. If the situation were reversed, there would be no talk of a ceasefire.
Another reason for a ceasefire would be to allow for the reorganization and rearmament of the Ukrainian army, potentially even with the official stationing of foreign troops. In a few years, Ukraine could then be in a position to strike back.
This is exactly what Russia is trying to avoid.
Russia wants peace, but a point not understood in the West is that, at this moment, peace can only occur on Russian terms. The point where both parties had something to negotiate has long passed. The Ukrainian front appears to be crumbling by the day, with mass desertions and forced recruitment in broad daylight. Tons of NATO equipment are being destroyed on the battlefield. The economy is faltering, and the energy sector is in ruins. Millions of Ukrainians have fled to Europe and will most likely never return. The Ukrainian government needs billions of euros just to stay afloat. This is a war of attrition.
Denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine are Russia's stated conditions for peace. Yet, Western elites seem untroubled and refuse to even take these terms into consideration.
What do they still believe and do?
They believe that a 19th sanctions package from the EU will bring the Russian economy to its knees. Of course, this is merely a public relations stunt, as all 18 previous packages have inflicted minimal damage. In some cases, they have even been counter-productive, harming the European economy. The primary goal is to show solidarity with the United States and, in effect, to beg the Americans to impose their own sanctions against Russia.
And Trump has complied. He has enacted direct sanctions targeting Russian oil and gas, banks, and, by extension, has placed China and India in the crosshairs. Russia has proven to be quite resilient in the past. It will only be a matter of time before workarounds are found, causing the sanctions' impact to fade. Yet, Trump strongly believes these measures will force Putin to accept US conditions at the negotiating table.
In what timeframe? Approximately six months. This is how long Trump estimates it will take to collapse the Russian economy and force Putin come begging for a ceasefire.
Well, time will tell. However, six months is more than enough time for the EU to find new ways to escalate. They cannot accept reality, and if doing so pushes everyone into a wider war, then so be it. They either do not care or do not realize the consequences. The entire EU is now working for the "Ukraine project," and it is going down with it.
