Trump’s inept diplomacy sows seeds of next war in Ukraine, - Telegraph
A peace process that ends one war but could provoke another is risky. Donald Trump does not seem to fully realise this, sending his special representative Witkoff with a mission to conclude an agreement – virtually any agreement – between Ukraine and Russia.
This is reported by The Telegraph, according to Censor.NET.
Details
These negotiations are expected to focus on what Witkoff called "one issue" that remains unresolved: the future of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, the article says.
The Telegraph recalls that Russian dictator Putin is trying to achieve through negotiations what he has failed to achieve by military means.
"But that is still not enough for Putin. He insists not just on keeping what he currently holds but on being given still more.
And Putin’s demand is not merely an injustice but profoundly inhumane. The territory in question has some 200,000 inhabitants who would be handed over to an enemy that, if experience is any guide, will murder the men, rape the women and kidnap the children," the authors note.
The publication warns that even more dangerous is the fact that transferring this territory to Russia could create conditions for a new war.
"This vital area encompasses some of Ukraine’s most formidable defences, including the fortress towns of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, which protect the rest of the country and the route to Kyiv.
If all these painstakingly constructed strongpoints are simply handed over to Russia, the way would be open for Putin to launch another invasion designed to conquer the whole of Ukraine, which has always been his real objective," they noted.
Journalists note that any real mediator in peace talks would immediately notice this trick. But Trump and Witkoff, who are seeking fame for their mediation, do not bother with this and indulge Putin's worldview.
"The obvious way to break the deadlock and achieve an agreement would be for the US president to tell his Russian counterpart to drop this absurd demand for territory that Moscow’s forces have not captured.
Trump could back this with real pressure, for example by supplying Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles to destroy Russian oil refineries, or by allowing the Senate to pass a bill – which has lain dormant for a year – to suffocate the Kremlin’s oil exports by imposing US tariffs of 500 per cent on any country that buys them," the article writes.
Instead, Trump considers himself an impartial mediator between the aggressor and the victim, without considering any claims on the merits, but only instructing Witkoff to develop wording with which the parties can pretend to have reached an agreement.
Journalists write that an alternative could be joint efforts by the US and Europe to put pressure on Putin.
But even now, Trump and Witkoff still seem to consider Zelenskyy the main obstacle to be overcome, and Putin relatively reasonable.
"In short, Trump’s inept diplomacy may either perpetuate today’s war or achieve a flawed peace that sows the seeds of the next," the authors concluded.
What preceded it?
- Recall that the day before, US President Donald Trump said that he personally asked Russian dictator Vladimir Putin not to shell Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities for a week. According to Trump, Putin allegedly agreed.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked US President Donald Trump, who said he had asked Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to stop shelling Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.
- In turn, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine would respond in kind if Russia did not attack Ukraine's energy sector.
Russia's attack on Ukraine on 3 February
- As reported, three people were injured as a result of the Russian Federation's night attack on Kyiv. High-rise buildings, a kindergarten, a petrol station and an administrative building were damaged in the capital.
- Kharkiv was also under attack from Russia: hundreds of homes will be left without heat due to an attack on a thermal power plant.
- In addition, the enemy attacked DTEK's thermal power plants, causing significant damage to equipment.
- The Darnytskyi and Dniprovskyi districts are mostly without heat, and 1,170 high-rise buildings are not being heated.
- The enemy also attacked Vinnytsia region, hitting critical infrastructure facilities.
- Emergency power cuts have been introduced in part of the left bank of Kyiv.
- In addition, Russia attacked the Odesa region, and critical infrastructure is now running on generators.
- Shmyhal reported that Russia attacked eight regions, targeting thermal power plants and thermal power stations that provided heating in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro.
