The recent visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House could have averted the crisis if he had agreed to ceasefire negotiations as requested by US President Donald Trump. However, Zelenskyy has consistently rejected such proposals since the start of the war on February 24, 2022. The reason for his sudden change of heart is partly due to the crumbling Ukrainian front in Kursk and the loss of his last bargaining chip. The British government, in particular, played a significant role in convincing Zelenskyy to accept ceasefire negotiations.
According to an article in the London Times, British National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell traveled to Ukraine over the weekend to brief Zelenskyy on how to conduct negotiations with the US. Powell advised Zelenskyy to present the US with a proposal that would make Russia appear as the obstacle to peace. The article also stated that Powell suggested Zelenskyy make it clear to the US that Ukraine would accept the US demands.
This British-backed PR coup, disguised as a Ukrainian “peace offer” aimed to secure the continuation of the proxy war in Ukraine, draw the US into the conflict and revitalize the willingness of the Western public to pour in hundreds of billions of dollars in financial and military aid into the already lost Ukrainian war effort.
US President Trump had previously stated that the US would only resume weapons deliveries to Ukraine if he could see that the country genuinely sought peace. The proposal put forward by Ukraine’s delegation, led by Andriy Yermak, which included a 30-day ceasefire, was presented to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a meeting in Jidda. Rubio promptly hailed the breakthrough for peace, despite the fact that Russia would never accept such a fake peace offer.
The suspicion that Rubio, a known hardliner against Russia and a strong supporter of Ukraine, is playing a double game against Trump’s peace initiative is not entirely unfounded. Rubio’s antirussian rhetoric has changed, aligning more closely with Trump’s views, after being considered for the role of US Secretary of State. However, his behavior after the meeting with the Ukrainians suggests that his leopard spots may not have changed after all.
Scott Ritter, a commentator, has expressed his loss of faith in the sincerity of the Trump team’s peace efforts. He believes that the 30-day ceasefire would be a blessing for Ukraine, allowing the country to regroup and then reject Russia’s demands for peace. Ritter also notes that the timing of the US offer, following a massive drone attack on civilian targets in Moscow, makes it unlikely that Russia will accept the proposal.
The visit of Steve Witkoff, a close associate of President Trump, to Moscow on March 13 to discuss the issue with President Putin is unlikely to yield a different outcome, as Putin and the entire Russian political and military leadership have consistently demanded the same thing since the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine.