As the bombardments escalate daily, and the number of dead and wounded civilians and military increases incrementally, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, continues to rely on the West for the supply of weaponry he needs to defend his country.

He and his people have proven themselves to be unbelievably strong throughout the three and a half years since Vladimir Putin’s massive army invaded Ukraine and demanded total capitulation, claiming that Ukraine historically “belongs” to Russia.

And Ukraine’s Western allies have stood behind it, providing materiel, technology and training while continuing to search for a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

All the while, Putin has done nothing but stall, digging his heels in with his outrageous demands, and piously claiming to desire an end to what he calls Ukraine’s “aggression.” He initially invaded the smaller, weaker country in the expectation that they would surrender within days, or weeks at the most. And when that failed, and the resistance of the Ukrainian people and the Western alliance proved so much greater than he could ever have imagined, he simply mobilized more and more troops, and ramped up the brutality of his attacks.

Putin knew that time was on his side; and now, after 41 months, he may be proven right.

Because last week, despite the continuing devastation, and Putin’s consistent refusal to consider any sort of compromise, Volodymyr Zelensky has once more asked for a new round of peace talks to be held — he hopes — this week:

“Everything should be done to achieve a cease-fire. The Russian side should stop hiding from decisions,” he said in his regular evening address on Saturday. Reiterating his position that a face-to-face meeting with Putin would be to everyone’s advantage, he added that “A meeting at the leadership level is needed to truly ensure peace — lasting peace.” [RFE/RL, July 20, 2025.]

This sudden plea for immediate talks — following on the heels of Donald Trump’s gift to Putin of another 50 days’ grace — sounds to me like the desperate last hope of a totally exhausted man. On the other hand, Zelensky may have an ace up his sleeve that he is now ready to reveal. I certainly hope for the best . . . but Moscow’s response didn’t leave much room for optimism.

Russian state TV aired the following comments by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov yesterday:

“President Putin has repeatedly spoken of his desire to bring the Ukrainian settlement to a peaceful conclusion as soon as possible. This is a long process, it requires effort, and it is not easy. The main thing for us is to achieve our goals. Our goals are clear.” [Id.]

So . . . is that a “no” to any talks this week? It certainly sounds that way. All Putin is offering is a “desire” for a “peaceful conclusion” — on his terms, and his terms only. As the world already knows, because it’s been repeated so many times, that would mean Ukraine having to cede at least 20% of its territory to Russia; forego any hope of ever joining NATO or the EU; limit its own defense capabilities; and leave itself completely vulnerable to almost certain further attack in the future.

Putin has also declared — despite the provisions of Ukraine’s Constitution to the contrary — that Zelensky is not the legitimate president of his country, and is demanding that Ukraine hold new elections before any face-to-face meeting can take place.

And Donald Trump, despite all of his tough talk about additional crippling sanctions, has once again failed to follow through. So where is Putin’s incentive to agree to a meeting now?

It’s only Monday; we’ll have to wait and see what this week may bring . . . though I’m afraid that time is indeed on Putin’s side.

But I really, really want to be wrong.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/21/25