Vladimir Putin has had his best week in almost five years. Surely the best since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, but probably even beyond. The climate is so favorable, after years of increasing international pressure, that the Kremlin has put forward a proposal for a trilateral summit next month between the Russian leader, Donald Trump, and Xi Jinping, a meeting to resolve the Ukrainian issue.
The location could be in southern China, taking advantage of the APEC Economic Cooperation Forum summit in Shenzhen, on November 18 and 19. A place far from Europe and the Europeans, without the presence of Volodimir Zelenski, of course, and that would give Beijing a reinforced leading role in global affairs of the 21st century. A kind of reissue of the Yalta Conference that brought together Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt in 1945, but to divide the modern world into areas of influence, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The other parties have not yet accepted, but they have not ruled it out either. According to the newspaper, Putin made the proposal in the phone conversation on October 9, the same in which the idea of millions of barrels of Russian diesel returning to the markets was closed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov confirmed that discussions were being held about a possible meeting but going much further. "There is still no clear understanding about the meeting itself or its possible agenda, although all three parties acknowledge the hypothetical possibility of such a meeting taking place."
Putin is emboldened and has good reasons for it. In just a few days, he has not only reached an agreement with the US to resume diesel sales, but also had President Donald Trump cancel the sanctions that were supposed to come into effect today after the approval by Congress of the so-called Lindsey Graham Act, the law driven and now in memory of the late senator.
Furthermore, the Pentagon, in an operation halfway between Elon Musk and Trump himself, according to the British press, restricted the use of Starshield satellite technology to Ukraine, a decisive instrument for the country's defense. Not only that, but it has limited or cut back or slowed down intelligence warnings about Russian missile launches against Ukraine for several days, causing the systems to not be able to detect the arrival of ballistic projectiles in time, including just yesterday. And all this while the White House was disregarding Zelenski, praising Putin, and pressuring Europe to resume buying Russian gas. A shaken Europe that has heard Marine Le Pen, in the midst of the crisis and riots in French streets, say that her first decision as president would be to cut military aid to Kiev, stating that the French can no longer afford it.
"My decision on Russia is very simple. I am negotiating peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and I do not want to do anything that, imprudently, pushes Russia away from the negotiating table. Great progress is being made, including negotiations on the release of hostages! Signing that document right now will contribute to it, and I can sign it later, or whenever! Perhaps even more importantly, Russia is doing very little, or nothing, to help the Islamic Republic of Iran, compared to what it could do, and I want it to stay that way, and I will, unless incompetent people get in the way," Trump stated in a post.
"Finally, Zelenski is using diesel refineries in Russia as a target, knowing that these attacks are severely harming global diesel markets, including those in the United States. Farmers, ranchers, and businesses of all kinds are suffering greatly from this, but Russia, despite everything, is sending millions of barrels of diesel into the world at a low price. Zelenski doesn't care, and frankly, with all the money Europe is giving him, and that corrupt Joe Biden gave him in the past, he doesn't want to end this war, and probably never did. He could have gotten a better deal two years ago than now. His country is in ruins, has lost much of its territory, has lost its oceans and seas, and its male population is scarce, injured, or dead. "I WANT THIS WAR TO END!" the Republican added on his social media account this Sunday.
The situation is critical for Kiev. The White House seems to have taken a very clear direction, and Zelenski, aware but not resigned, has abandoned the conciliatory tone and denounces the American attitude and Trump's decisions day after day. He has not thrown in the towel but seems to assume that Washington is almost no longer considered an ally.
"I have had a conversation with the envoys of the President of the United States, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Peace only comes through strength and cooperation built on trust," the Russian president said in a statement referring to the Trumpist motto of peace through strength. "We are doing everything possible from our side to make this happen, and to ensure that the position of the United States is strong and helps bring peace. The peace that everyone, except Russia, has been waiting for over the past four and a half years. In particular, we discussed the results of the meeting of our teams in Florida. Our teams maintain virtually uninterrupted communication. We are also preparing the next steps in diplomacy. We constantly inform our partners about the real situation with the Russian attacks, which do not cease for a single minute, and about air defense issues. Much here depends precisely on the position of the United States. Ukraine remains ready to work constructively, honestly, and towards a real outcome. I thank everyone in the United States who supports Ukraine and this particular approach," he concluded, leaving the ball on the other side of the Atlantic and practically imploring his supporters in the military and Congress to mobilize to prevent abandonment.