Two signs have emerged that indicate that the Russia-Ukraine war may be coming to an end. Putin revealed to the West the terms of peace talks, while the United States and the European Union have rejected plans to aid Ukraine. Does this mean that the West intends to give Putin a face in order to end this long-lasting Russia-Ukraine war as soon as possible?
On the eve of 2024, Putin held his annual press conference, as usual.
According to **, Putin once again emphasized Russia's military goals against Ukraine at a press conference, but also expressed his willingness to hold peace talks with Ukraine for the first time. Putin openly unveiled Russia's terms for peace talks, including claims for territorial control, as well as recognition of sovereignty over Crimea. At the same time, the Russian side said it did not seek to overthrow or overthrow the Kyiv regime.
This is not the first time that Russia has signaled peace talks.
As early as 2023, Russian Prime Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia is willing to end the war as long as Ukraine recognizes the legitimacy of the "referendums on joining Russia" held in the four eastern regions of Ukraine. However, Ukraine categorically opposed the proposal, so the peace talks failed to materialize.
At this time, the reason why Putin mentioned the peace talks again is that Russia's strategic goals have been basically achieved, and Putin hopes to end the war as soon as possible and avoid unnecessary costs.
Despite Putin's intention to end the war, will the West cooperate?It is worth noting that, judging by the performance of the United States and the European Union, their attitude seems to coincide with Putin's intentions. When the whole mind is set in one place, but the thunder is loud elsewhere. In the United States, why is the Democratic Party leading the way and the proposal to aid Ukraine vetoed?
Even if the Republican Party opposes Biden's spending proposal at every turn, the fiscal tension in the United States has not diminished in the slightest. Saranda Young, director of the White House budget office, said that the funding gap for aid to Ukraine has been exposed, with only $1 billion left for Ukraine to support for a week. There is no doubt that the United States is preparing to draw a line with Ukraine to counter China's challenge in the Asia-Pacific region.
At this juncture, the EU also showed a posture of retreat, and at the leaders' meeting, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban used a veto to block the EU's 50 billion euros in aid to Ukraine. "It is unacceptable that they want to use the Hungarian money to continue the war," Orban claimed. "Within the EU, Poland and the three Baltic states advocate aiding Ukraine against Russia, while other member states are not very enthusiastic about it, but they do not dare to openly oppose aid to Ukraine.
At present, an inventory of the latest developments between Russia and the West shows that the long-standing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has made all parties feel full of complaints, and it is in no interest for anyone to continue the conflict. Since Russia is willing to stop, what reason does the West have not to take advantage of the situation?In international politics, the rhetoric of the creed cannot hide the inner business.
Isn't it a fact that one might say that Ukraine was "invaded".According to the details, Russia did violate the territorial documents signed at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, and the accusation of "aggression" is not unreasonable. In Ukraine, the flames of war are sweeping through the lives of ordinary people. The problem, however, is that the current international landscape is still in line with the law of the jungle, meaning that weak countries do not have any bargaining power in front of strong countries.
Back in the 30s of the last century, when Japan invaded and occupied Northeast China, Chiang Kai-shek naively pinned his hopes on the Western-led "League of Nations" to expel Japan. However, we must recognize how naïve such fantasies are. Let's take a look at the behavior, in the war, the leading blind bombing of the territory of those small countries, countless civilian homes were run over by armored combat vehicles.
And at this time, who will uphold justice and morality?
It is not difficult to see that morality is only a disguise for their means of concealment.
The only way not to be at the mercy of others is to make yourself be. Give up humanity and we will lose a lot;But if we give up, we will lose everything.