Contributed
Cutting through the bombastic claims of Donald Trump, the reality of Ukraine is cutting though. It can no longer be denied that that the proxy war is lost. There has been plenty of denial up to now. Washinton under Trump seemed to believe that it could impose defeat on Russia at the negotiating table. Britain, France, and Germany pretend that they can flex enough muscle to change the reality.
This reality is that Russia is heading towards military victory on the ground. The choice is to accept this and deal with it or continue the killing for no real purpose. Dealing with it means listening to and accepting Russia’s concerns. Russia’s president Vladimir Putin and other key officials have spelt out what these concerns are and the bottom-line requirements to secure a peace deal.
The video blow shows the state of the conflict in recent day, based on information from all sides.
Ukraine loses 3 cities in one day – Ukrainian Army flees westward in disarray
Video from ruslan belov
The next video update to yesterday 1 April 2025.
Military Summary For 2025.04.01
Video from Military Summary
Putin has demanded action on what he described as the “root causes “of the conflict. This involves recognition of the wishes of the people living in the Russian speaking majority in five regions of what was Ukraine, internationally supervised elections in Kyiv to ensure a legitimate government. The Zelenskyy regime blocked elections, banned all opposition, imposes martial law. Neo-Nazi elements hold the guns and are part of the regime. Russia wants the de-Nazification of Ukraine as part of a peace agreement. Russia also wants an end to sanctions. Another demand is for a United Nations peacekeeping force representative of the breadth of world opinion, and not just the west’s belligerent powers. And, of course, an end to the expansion of NATO.
Trump has not yet signalled a willingness to concede on any of this. Nor have the European powers. But when Putin and other Russian leaders say these demands would resolve the root causes of the conflict, they are telling the truth. Russia’s concerns were made clear long before intervention in Ukraine. They have been regularly made since. The difference now is that the balance of forces has turned.
One of the factors behind some rise in tensions between the United States and the European powers is that the latter missed out on a share of the spoils. Now there is a skirmish over rare earth deposits.
It may all come to nothing. Russia has the upper hand. It will impose its conditions. Wars always end in peace talks, and it is the victor in the battlefield that sets the conditions. In this case, the alternative is the continuation of war. And if this happens, the west will eventually be forced to surrender ignobly. A face-saving retreat would be the smarter way to go.
Those who cheer the continuation of war ignore the reality before their eyes. Even if this were not the case, Russia’s conditions are reasonable. Those who don’t think so ha better explain why.
An avalanche of propaganda in the West asserts that Russia is a power seeking to conquer Europe and the world. But who is it that is most guilty of interference in other countries and has a military presence across other nations? The United States most of all, followed by Britain, France, and Germany. Who is it that has armies on Russia’s borders?
Those who continue to sing the Ukraine song and present Volodymyr Zelensky as some sort of hero fighting for democracy would be wise to take note of the reality of global geopolitics. Washinton has used Ukraine as a global power grab. The European powers, at least those in ruling circles, to relive dreams of past colonialism. Ukraine is being economically invaded. American companies already own a large swathe of Ukrainian business, taken at bargain basement prices because of the dislocation caused by the war. Others ae heavily in debt to American banks.
The propaganda barrage suggests that Putin is a dictator. The accusation belies the fact that, regardless of anything else, Putin is extremely popular in his own country. Both internal polls and western security assessments point this out. The same cannot be said for the leaders of the west. They are clearly guilty of acting against democracy. Look at what Trump is doing in the United States. Britain is in a mess and headed by the most unpopular Prime Minister in History. The power brokers in France will not allow the party that won the most votes last year to form a government, and Germany, is in political chaos.
Be careful about believing these leaders are the defenders of freedom. De-escalation, and a ceasefire leading to lasting peace, especially then it involves nuclear powers, is critical for the security of the world.