Trump’s peace talks are just a charade. Russia wants to obliterate Ukraine

London: Having humiliated and belittled the most brave and heroic political leader of our generation, the charade of a Donald Trump-led peace deal with Russia has reached a milestone.

Having spent months debating what kind of concessions Ukraine might be willing to make to secure peace, it turns out a 30-day cease-fire was a good starting point.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously rejected any ceasefire without strict monitoring, enforcement, and security guarantees, seeing it as a trap Moscow would exploit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Tuesday.Credit: AP

His refusal sparked fury in Washington, leading to a fiery showdown with Trump on February 28 and the suspension of military aid and intelligence-sharing. Zelensky has since signalled he is prepared to conclude an accord on sharing Ukraine’s mineral wealth with the US, but that agreement hasn’t been completed.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a press conference in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, that he hoped Russia would accept the proposal.

Ukraine was “ready to stop shooting and start talking,” he said, and if Russia rejected the offer, “then we’ll unfortunately know what the impediment is to peace here”.

Following the meeting, the Trump administration lifted its suspension of military aid and intelligence sharing for Ukraine.

US national security adviser Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) meet Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Head of Presidential Office Andriy Yermak and Defence Minster Rustem Umerov (right).Credit: Getty Images

The Americans say the two sides have discussed “substantive details” on how the war would permanently end. This includes what guarantees they’re going to have for their long-term security and prosperity.

“We’ll take this offer now to the Russians, and we hope they’ll say yes to peace. The ball is now in their court,” Rubio added.

And so to the far more pressing question: Does Russian President Vladimir Putin even want peace?

All the available evidence suggests he does not. On the contrary, Putin remains fully committed to his overarching goal – obliterating Ukrainian statehood. For over a decade, Putin has made his intentions crystal clear.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Royal Palace in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Credit: AP

He has consistently dismissed Ukraine as an artificial state and labelled those who oppose this view as anti-Russian or, worse, Nazis.

Even since Trump came to power, the Kremlin has shown no signs of backing down, doubling down on its demands despite international efforts for peace. Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rejected a proposal from Britain and France to deploy peacekeepers to monitor a future agreement, a plan even welcomed by Trump.

Russia’s military aggression continues unabated. In Kursk, Russian forces are actively pushing Ukrainian troops out of the region, aiming to strip Kyiv of a key bargaining chip in any potential negotiations.

Lavrov has also dismissed calls for a moratorium on attacks targeting energy infrastructure. When American officials raised the idea, Lavrov claimed Russia didn’t strike power sources that supply Ukraine’s population – a claim widely discredited.

Putin’s refusal to compromise underscores that Moscow’s true aim is not peace but continued domination. Every move – from rejecting peacekeepers to escalating military action – makes it clear: Russia is far more interested in winning than negotiating.

When Putin launched his full-scale invasion in February 2022, he framed it as a “special military operation” for the “demilitarisation” and “denazification” of Ukraine.

Yet, what these terms really meant became apparent during failed peace talks in Istanbul months later. Putin’s demand was chilling: a defenceless Ukraine, stripped of military capability and forced into neutrality, and with no ability to fend off future Russian aggression.

In those negotiations, Putin’s representatives insisted that Ukraine’s army be reduced to a mere 50,000 troops – an impossibly small force in a nation of over 40 million. They also demanded strict limits on Ukraine’s military assets, including tanks and missiles, while Russia would face no such restrictions.

Putin’s obsession with Ukraine is not a matter that can be settled by a handshake or a compromise. Trump’s attempts to end the war by leveraging his famed deal-making skills will likely be futile.

The notion that a peace deal can be brokered with Putin is a dangerous delusion, as the US is about to find out.

The world has seen this play out before. History is littered with leaders who pursued peace at any cost, only to find that their adversary had no interest in anything short of total victory. Even after Putin signed up to both Minsk accords, Russian and Moscow-backed forces proceeded to violate those agreements.

Until the international community demands that Putin recognise Ukraine’s right to exist as an independent, sovereign nation, any talk of peace is irrelevant.

Negotiations with a leader so singularly focused on destruction will only delay the inevitable – more suffering, more destruction, and more death.

Zelensky is no paragon. He has made mistakes and missteps along the way. He is not negotiating from a position of strength.

But for Ukraine, for Europe, and for the world, the only path forward is to confront Putin with the reality that his war will not succeed and that Ukraine’s sovereignty is non-negotiable.

Now, more than ever, is the time for resolve.

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