Washington's Diplomatic Gambit Falls Flat as Putin Strikes Back
The US State Department breathed a collective sigh of relief on Monday after the crisis triggered by the presentation of a new 28-point plan for ending the war in Ukraine seemed to have stabilized. However, this brief respite was short-lived as Vladimir Putin promptly responded with another massive barrage of missile and drone strikes on Kyiv.
The back-and-forth between Washington and Moscow has become an all-too-familiar pattern. Diplomatic battles are fought by day, with hopeful statements issued from various capitals, while at night, Russia brutalizes Ukraine, reminding the world that war remains Putin's preferred tool for achieving "peace".
Ukraine's vulnerability was laid bare as the attack unfolded into the early hours of Tuesday. The country is able to track missile launches from Russian territory due to timely US intelligence. Outside the author's window, two Ukrainian air force fighter jets roared overhead - American F-16s supplied to Ukraine by one of its European allies.
The 28-point plan from Washington sparked intense emotion, debate, and deep concern. Yet, this script has played out before. Every new initiative from Washington unfolds according to the same pattern: a diplomatic cavalry charge against Ukraine, which Kyiv and other European capitals manage to fend off. They stabilize the situation but never actually win the battle.
The problem lies in Washington's inability to deter Moscow through words or deeds. The White House assumes that it is impossible to force Russia to relinquish the territory it already controls in Ukraine's south or east. Putin, however, remains convinced that time is on his side, and Ukraine and its partners are approaching exhaustion.
The US must recognize this reality and take concrete steps to change the trajectory of events. If Washington doesn't do so, Putin will continue to believe that he can outmaneuver Ukraine and its allies. On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that Ukraine can still hold out, slowly losing people and territory but avoiding a total frontline collapse until circumstances change in its favour.
Objectively, there are no real preconditions for a ceasefire. Now, subjective factors such as Trump's desire to broker a ceasefire and pave his way to a Nobel peace prize, and Zelenskyy's twin challenges - not to alienate a key ally and to rally Ukrainians around the flag against any US initiative Kyiv finds unacceptable - are driving the talks.
In conclusion, Ukraine and Europe will only be able to fend off diplomatic offensives from Washington that are based on Russian demands and reflect Trump's reluctance to change the course of events if they stand together and strengthen their defense capabilities at a much faster pace. If they do, neither Trump nor Putin will be able to break them. In the meantime, Ukraine's ability to repel nightly air assaults largely relies on the US.
The US State Department breathed a collective sigh of relief on Monday after the crisis triggered by the presentation of a new 28-point plan for ending the war in Ukraine seemed to have stabilized. However, this brief respite was short-lived as Vladimir Putin promptly responded with another massive barrage of missile and drone strikes on Kyiv.
The back-and-forth between Washington and Moscow has become an all-too-familiar pattern. Diplomatic battles are fought by day, with hopeful statements issued from various capitals, while at night, Russia brutalizes Ukraine, reminding the world that war remains Putin's preferred tool for achieving "peace".
Ukraine's vulnerability was laid bare as the attack unfolded into the early hours of Tuesday. The country is able to track missile launches from Russian territory due to timely US intelligence. Outside the author's window, two Ukrainian air force fighter jets roared overhead - American F-16s supplied to Ukraine by one of its European allies.
The 28-point plan from Washington sparked intense emotion, debate, and deep concern. Yet, this script has played out before. Every new initiative from Washington unfolds according to the same pattern: a diplomatic cavalry charge against Ukraine, which Kyiv and other European capitals manage to fend off. They stabilize the situation but never actually win the battle.
The problem lies in Washington's inability to deter Moscow through words or deeds. The White House assumes that it is impossible to force Russia to relinquish the territory it already controls in Ukraine's south or east. Putin, however, remains convinced that time is on his side, and Ukraine and its partners are approaching exhaustion.
The US must recognize this reality and take concrete steps to change the trajectory of events. If Washington doesn't do so, Putin will continue to believe that he can outmaneuver Ukraine and its allies. On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that Ukraine can still hold out, slowly losing people and territory but avoiding a total frontline collapse until circumstances change in its favour.
Objectively, there are no real preconditions for a ceasefire. Now, subjective factors such as Trump's desire to broker a ceasefire and pave his way to a Nobel peace prize, and Zelenskyy's twin challenges - not to alienate a key ally and to rally Ukrainians around the flag against any US initiative Kyiv finds unacceptable - are driving the talks.
In conclusion, Ukraine and Europe will only be able to fend off diplomatic offensives from Washington that are based on Russian demands and reflect Trump's reluctance to change the course of events if they stand together and strengthen their defense capabilities at a much faster pace. If they do, neither Trump nor Putin will be able to break them. In the meantime, Ukraine's ability to repel nightly air assaults largely relies on the US.
? it feels like the us is playing catch-up every time with russia... and now they're relying even more on american military might to support ukraine - that's not how diplomacy works, mate 
. putin's always gonna play hardball until he gets what he wants, and washington needs to come up with a real plan, not just some half-baked proposal every few weeks 
. it's time for them to stop playing games and start really working together with ukraine and europe to take on russia - we need to see some real commitment from both sides 
.
in the works. like, washington's all "hey let's talk peace" and then russia's all "peace? what's that?" 
it's like they're playing this game of chess but instead of pieces, it's people's lives 
. and honestly, i think ukraine's got more guts than either side is giving them credit for 
. the fact that zelenskyy's still holding on after all these months says a lot about him and his country 
. Newsflash: he didn't. The truth is, the US isn't doing enough to deter Russia, and their diplomatic efforts are just a waste of time 
. They need to stop relying on 'diplomatic cavalry charges' and start taking real action 
. The US needs to step up its game, not talk the talk but walk the walk 
. Otherwise, we'll just see more of the same – diplomatic efforts followed by Russia's brutal response 
.
I'm literally on edge thinking about all these missile strikes 
Russia and Ukraine are stuck in this vicious cycle of attacks & retaliations... it feels like we're witnessing a war of attrition 
. The thing is, what's with the back-and-forth between Washington and Moscow? Can't they just find common ground? It's like they're playing this game of diplomatic chess where one wrong move and it all falls apart 
. Like, I get that Putin's got a strategy but what about Ukraine? They're the ones losing people and land left and right 
. Ukraine needs some serious firepower and some actual support from Europe, not just empty promises 
. It's like, Trump wants a Nobel Peace Prize or whatever, but what about the people on the ground who are actually suffering? 
! Can't just sit back and let Putin do his thing 
. We need some real action, not just more empty promises 
This isn't some kind of PR stunt. And Zelenskyy is caught in this middle ground where he has to balance pleasing his allies while also not alienating Ukrainian people. It's like they're stuck in a bad soap opera. 