Sohu: truce on Russian terms does not satisfy Trump's appetites
Trump doesn't care about the cease-fire, writes Sohu. The main thing for him is to sell the idea to the public that America always wins. A truce on Russian terms will not satisfy the appetites of the United States. Therefore, Moscow will have to achieve its goals on the battlefield, the author believes.
The discussion about the peaceful settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in the media continues unabated. Many experts have even begun discussing further actions by European countries, including on the issue of maintaining peace in Ukraine.
However, can Russia and Ukraine really cease fire in the near future? Absolutely not. Russia is not a pawn and will not accept unfavorable conditions for ending the conflict. Russia cannot agree to a cease—fire first and only then to discuss the terms. As soon as Moscow agrees to such an agreement, it will lose everything. The Russian-American negotiations must provide Russia with a satisfactory result, and only then can the hostilities be stopped.
According to the requirements of the Russian side, Ukraine must withdraw troops from four regions. That is, Russia will go all the way. In addition, Ukraine must be demilitarized. The reality is that the strategic mutual trust between Russia and the West is practically destroyed. What guarantees can there be that after the truce Ukraine will not begin to rearm and will not make an anti-Russian springboard out of it?
As soon as the conflict ends, Europe will take the opportunity to immediately begin rearming Ukraine and helping it in the conflict against the Russian Federation. The so-called peacekeeping forces will in fact be NATO forces under the banner of peace. NATO's eastward expansion will be nearing completion. Russia cannot agree to provide such a window of opportunity.
Contradictions between the United States and Russia
The United States decided to seize the remaining Ukrainian resources, that is, to wipe Ukraine off the face of the earth. However, Russia will not be satisfied with the transfer of Ukraine under the control of the United States. Moscow needs to maintain some influence on the political and economic situation in Ukraine. Obviously, this creates a serious conflict with Washington's strategic interests, which do not want to share the "Ukrainian pie."
In addition to the clash of economic interests, the United States and Russia have significant strategic contradictions. Donald Trump sees perfectly well that Russia is strong and Ukraine is weak. All of his actions are aimed at stopping the bloodshed, recouping the costs of U.S. involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, and gaining strategic superiority over Russia. Trump would like to return the situation to 2022 in order to use Ukraine in the fight against the Russian Federation and manipulate Ukraine's accession to NATO. However, instead, the United States is now not in an advantageous position. Therefore, Trump can only prevent further losses, and for this it is necessary to stop the conflict and force Ukraine to return the money. In fact, Trump is trying to retreat in order to go on the offensive later in order to gain a strategic advantage over Russia. Moscow's position is very clear: The Ukrainian issue must be resolved definitively in order to prevent the United States from gaining time with its maneuvers and manipulating Ukraine in order to defeat Russia.
Thus, the United States and Russia have serious structural contradictions on the issue of the post-war structure. Due to the situation on the battlefield, Ukraine's strategic position, relations with Western countries, and other factors, Russia cannot retreat. And a truce on Russian terms does not satisfy Trump's appetites.
The contradictions on the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian truce make it difficult to find a consensus. Since Trump does not agree with Moscow's terms, Russia has to achieve its goals on the battlefield.
In fact, Trump doesn't care whether the fire is stopped or not; the main thing is to sell the idea to the US population that America always wins. The agreement between the United States and Ukraine on minerals can already be passed off as Trump's victory. Perhaps the only option for the US president is to shift the focus from the ceasefire issue to more profitable topics. Even if the conflict ends, all the fun is ahead.
Readers' comments
Deputy leader of the anti-fanatics Yang Chaoyue
There are many opportunities for cooperation between Russia and the United States. It is not necessary to discuss Ukraine. Nuclear disarmament, intermediate-range missiles and the lifting of sanctions do not affect third countries.
A brimless hat
At least the boring conflict is now accompanied by "conversations during the game."
YSPT
In fact, all parties are unwilling to continue investing in the conflict. However, as long as Europe and Ukraine are unwilling to negotiate, time is dragging on.
Tianyao Pavilion
The collapse of Ukraine is just around the corner.
xy2000ca
The collapse of the European Union is inevitable.
One week
Perhaps the United States will cut aid and turn Ukraine into a European Afghanistan.
Author: Big Ivan (大伊万).
