Putin’s ‘peace’ proposal for Ukraine isn’t serious — “The best way to ensure peace is to convince a dictator that he can’t get what he wants”: Bloomberg Editorial Board

7 comments

1. Excerpts:

   *Before heading off to North Korea last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a “peace” offering to Ukraine. He pledged an immediate cease-fire and peace negotiations if Ukraine withdraws from four partially occupied regions and abandons its bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.*

   *His other stipulation, of course, is that the West lift sanctions.*

   *This offer was patently designed to tempt and divide Ukraine’s friends. No one should fall for it.*

   *[…] At the recent Group of 7 summit in Italy, the US and Japan signed 10-year security agreements with Ukraine, signaling determination to stand by Kyiv. The allies are working on finding responsible ways to use frozen Russian assets to bolster Ukraine’s finances. And there are belated moves to tighten sanctions, which still have far too many holes, allowing Putin to amass more resources for his war.*

   *[…] The Biden administration’s decision to let Ukraine use US-supplied weapons against military targets inside Russia was another long-overdue shift. As French President Emmanuel Macron recently said, there’s no point in giving Ukraine weapons and then refusing to let it defend itself.*

   *[…] Assisting in Ukraine’s reconstruction will be another major challenge. Efforts to repair, rebuild and demine need to get going: This work cannot wait for the war to end.*

   *Putin has flooded the battlefield with ill-trained and badly equipped forces; nurtured alliances with Iran, North Korea and China; and launched indiscriminate attacks against civilian targets. His capacity for destruction is impressive.*

   *But the costs of his war are mounting for Russia as well, and becoming ever harder to disguise. Time isn’t necessarily on his side.*

   *Putin’s actions speak volumes. His proposal for talks in exchange for territory should be read as just his latest attempt to divide the allies and throttle Western support. Thanks, but no thanks.*

2. Yep, before that Kharkiv region was in his peace list, but not anymore. Just force, just ki11 all orcs on our land will make a peace.

3. I hope I get to see putin find out……..oh it would be so great to see him in handcuffs in his way to trial.

4. Not only that he can’t get what he wants, but also destroys what he has.

   Then dictators after Putin will think twice about embarking on such folly again.

5. Rissia says…

   All communication from the Kremlin is to make The West waste time in debate, perhaps even stirr political unrest.

   We must not react to what the Kremlin says, but only to what happens on the battlefield.

6. I mean…I doubt it was ever serious. It came across as insincere overall. He probably did that to paint Ukraine as the warmongering aggressor instead.

   After all, there are plenty of nations that either don’t care about the conflict or are hotly against the West, which means they’re against Ukraine’s narrative.

7. The best way for peace is to kill Putin, probably the only way for peace.