What if Trump did ‘Just Walk Away’ From Ukraine Peace Talks?
Michael Vlahos and James Carden say the U.S. has ‘done enough’ and time for Euros to step up
Where are the US-Russia and US-Ukraine peace talks going? For months now, the Trump administration has worked doggedly to follow through on its promise to end the war. President Trump started talks with Moscow, which didn’t make the Ukrainians and the EU happy. He then worked to bring Zelensky into the fold after some tense moments in the Oval Office.
Trump then tried to bring about a ceasefire, which really didn’t work as both sides blamed each other for not keeping it. Meanwhile, Europe is seemingly determined to undermine all of it by continuing to call for more weapons and aid to Ukraine, despite all evidence on the ground that this war cannot be won on the battlefield, and the longer the war continues, Ukraine will be in a worse position at the bargaining table.
Most recently the Trump administration suggested a peace plan in which Russia would keep Crimea. This didn’t go down so well with the Ukrainians. More recently Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said international recognition of Crimea, Sevastopol, the Donetsk and Luhansk, the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions as part of Russia is an imperative to a peace deal, along with lifting sanctions, withdrawing lawsuits and cancelling arrest warrants, as well as returning Russian assets subjected to the so-called freeze in the West. Anything else, Sergei?
Everyone seemingly wants “to talk” but they don’t really want to talk, leaving Trump to say he will walk away from it all if he has to. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterating this said Sunday that the Trump administration will decide this week whether to continue pursuing a negotiated settlement in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or to turn its attention to other matters.
This week will be “very important,” Mr. Rubio said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “We have to make a determination about whether this is an endeavor that we want to continue to be involved in or if it’s time to sort of focus on some other issues that are equally if not more important in some cases.”
“But we want to see it happen,” he added. “There are reasons to be optimistic, but there are reasons to be realistic of course as well. We’re close, but we’re not close enough.”
Are they over their heads, or are these just negotiating gambits? What are the prospects that the admin actually does turn away to other priorities if Trump can't see winning here? And if so, what would happen.
Here to talk with us today are two extremely straight shooters on the subject of the Ukraine War, and have been from the beginning. Michael Vlahos, who has had a long career teaching military strategy and policy and has been a regular Sunday staple on the John Batchelor Show for over 20 years. James Carden is a writer and senior advisor to the American Committee for US-Russia Accord. Please check out their substacks!