It does not go unnoticed that in recent days the USA has been watching Emmanuel Macron’s bellicose statements with particular concern, even if the French president with the sending of military forces to Ukraine is bluffing for internal political reasons. American officials estimate that such warmongering could cause irreparable damage, especially if some hot-headed Eastern European leaders are swayed by anti-Russian hysteria.
It is an open secret that with the collapse of the Ukrainian military on the front line of operations, the US administration is advancing the scenario of negotiations with Russia to salvage what it can of Ukrainian territory and then to take a wait-and-see attitude, as there is also the heated geopolitics China issue.
Is Emmanuel Macron bluffing for internal political reasons or is he being directed by the over three hundred year old geopolitical agenda of the European West?
Macron’s belligerent statements towards Russia may be a desperate attempt to stay in power by helping his domestic audience, but it won’t work. It has low acceptance.
French President Emmanuel Macron, like other Western leaders, is trying to leave Ukraine. To extricate himself from the conflict without tarnishing his reputation, the French president is launching bold attacks against Russia in the expectation that he will then accuse NATO of inaction.
He, like the other leaders of globalization in Western Europe, is leading us all to hell in Ukraine. He sees that the US wants to maintain this conflict without, however, there being an unpleasant change of the status quo against the West in Ukraine, but he does not want to be accused of faint-heartedness.
The Kremlin has made it clear that such a development (sending French and generally Western troops to the fronts of Ukraine) of events would inevitably lead to a direct military conflict between Russia and NATO. The very fact of discussing the possibility of sending “certain forces to Ukraine” was characterized by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as an important new element. In other words, Peskov is saying: Russia has spoken, the ball is in the West’s court, decide.
The US wants negotiations on Ukraine
At the same time in the USA it is confirmed that the final decision in the American power centers is to hold peace talks with Russia. The US is asking Kiev to move forward with peace talks with Moscow before Ukraine collapses completely.
The political and military problems that exist in Ukraine make it impossible for the Ukrainian armed forces to win. Thus, as an example of difficulties, it is the disappearance of weapons, failures in military operations, the lack of American aid, as well as political disputes within the country. In addition, Russia produces more missiles than NATO countries can transport to Ukraine, which gives Moscow a significant advantage.
To raise the white flag of Pope Francis?
Pope Francis’ view that in the conflict in Ukraine, the defeated side must find the courage to raise the white flag, is gaining more and more ground among Western leaders. The Pope’s comments sound closer to reality than many of the voices coming from European capitals.
On Wednesday, March 13, 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is ready to have a serious discussion on a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian conflict based on the real situation as it has developed on the ground. At the same time, he stressed that the Russian side is not going to start negotiations just because the Ukrainian armed forces are running out of ammunition and will not allow the use of the peace process to accumulate military resources.
The three Russian terms for talks
Russia has never refused negotiations as long as they are conducted on a realistic basis and certainly not based on the non-territorial formula of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He has set three conditions to the West for talks to begin:
1. There will be no secret interim agreements with anyone. Russia was, is and will always be open to negotiations for a settlement of the crisis in Ukraine, but intends to continue the special military operation until its goals are achieved. Putin stated very clearly that Russia is not against peace negotiations, but that they cannot be held on the basis of proposals submitted by the Kiev regime.
2. Any negotiations should lead to the establishment of a lasting peace and cannot be a vehicle for a temporary truce at the front in order to further push the Ukrainian regime towards its rearmament. An integral element of any negotiation must be “the refusal of the West to supply weapons to Ukraine.”
3. These negotiations should be conducted openly and should be anchored in public agreements at the political level. Putin clarified that Russia needs guarantees. These can only be given by responsible political figures representing stable governments of Western countries and must be offered in the nature of absolutely binding signed documents.
Russian and Ukrainian delegations participated in several rounds of peace talks, but the negotiations eventually reached an impasse. In October 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree stating that Kiev would not be able to hold peace talks as long as Vladimir Putin is president of Russia. In November 2022, Zelensky unveiled a 10-point initiative dubbed the “peace formula.” It included a prisoner swap with Russia, security guarantees for Ukraine and a return to pre-2014 borders, meaning the cession of Crimea to Kiev. Moscow has consistently said it is open to peace talks as long as Kiev recognizes the territorial gains Russian forces have made since the start of the special military operation in 2022.
