Putin takes pleasure in US begging him for talks – CNN
Russian President Vladimir Putin is not seeking a peace deal in Ukraine and is taking pleasure in the fact that the United States is begging him for talks.
Censor.NET reports this with reference to CNN.
A five-hour meeting between US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and the Kremlin produced no public results.
As Nick Paton Walsh, CNN’s chief international security correspondent, notes, Putin launched the invasion hoping to quickly restore Russia’s status as a leading military power in Europe. However, the hoped-for quick victory turned into a war of attrition in which Ukraine has achieved unexpected successes thanks to support from the United States and NATO.
"Putin is a pragmatist who adapts to every new opportunity or setback, but at the same time he has a broad global dream: to reset the balance of global security and undo decades of US dominance," Walsh writes.
According to the journalist, Trump swings between imposing tough sanctions on Russia and sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, while at the same time putting pressure on European allies and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"The damage done to Ukraine’s morale cannot be underestimated, and when historians describe this episode, they will likely focus first on Ukraine’s brave resistance and then on how sharply that sacrifice was undermined by the actions of the White House," Walsh notes.
According to the correspondent, Putin sees the United States’ desire to end the war quickly as a sign of weakness and is using it to strengthen his position at the front. He is trying to pressure Kyiv’s allies into making concessions, but has no intention of "buying" anything, as Russia is merely showcasing its strength in the territories it has seized.
"Moscow’s advances at the front may be extremely slow and bloody, with huge losses. But the broader picture is gradually becoming part of Putin’s geopolitical dream, which likely makes a genuine and lasting peace extraordinarily difficult to achieve," Walsh concludes.
US–Russia talks
- Earlier, Censor.NET reported that talks between US delegates in Moscow on 2 December ended without a compromise and that the meeting with Trump would not go ahead.
- During the talks, Witkoff and Kushner presented the parameters of the updated peace plan following discussions with Ukraine in Florida on 30 November.
- According to Axios, after Moscow, they were due to travel to Europe for a meeting with President Zelenskyy.
- However, as Euronews reported, the 3 December meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner was cancelled.
