Kyiv, UkraineCNN — 

It’s a proposal that the Kremlin can neither reject nor accept, but one that may force it into an awkward choice, revealing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s true appetite for his brutal war of choice***.

Europe’s leaders have grasped the nettle of whether peace talks over Ukraine can lead anywhere meaningful, to force Moscow into a pause in violence, precisely when it seems to seek to escalate assaults in the summer months ahead.

It also gives Europe’s largest army – Ukraine - just over 30 hours to prepare their frontline forces for perhaps a month of tense peace, and then hopefully weeks of serious negotiation, in which the borders of their country will be decided.

 

Ultimately, Ukraine, France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland faced little choice: the Trump administration’s very public loss of patience – sometimes with Moscow, but also less justifiably with Kyiv – carried the risk of the White House simply “moving on.” That could lead to the United States dropping aid to Ukraine, together with their efforts for a peaceful solution – a potential disaster for European security.

The past week’s clear enormous diplomatic lifting by French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and of course Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky himself, has put the White House in a position where it has had to back a direct European bid to take control of the outcome of the biggest war on the continent since the 1940s.

Europe is indeed forcing on Russia a proposal initially made by the US and Ukraine – the 30-day unconditional ceasefire first offered after a bilateral meeting in Saudi Arabia almost two months ago. But they are also forcing the White House to step up, monitor the truce, and then back tough consequences – Macron called them “massive sanctions” – if the initiative falls apart.

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WHY NOW? AFTER YEARS OF THE WEST SUPPLYING WEAPONS AND (HYPOCRITICALLY) "STANDING WITH UKRAINE", THE WEST IS LOSING.... RUSSIA IS WINNING...

Vladimir Putin’s true appetite for his brutal war of choice***?????

SINCE THE BEGINNING, GOING BACK TO 1999, RUSSIA HAS EXPRESSED ITS REFUSAL TO NATO BEING ON ITS BORDERS, ESPECIALLY IN UKRAINE... UNTIL FEBRUARY 2022, PRESIDENT PUTIN MADE COUNTLESS OFFERS OF PEACE, DECENT COMPROMISES AND REMARKS THAT NATO COMING TO UKRAINE WOULD MEAN A DECLARATION OF WAR.

AS WELL UNDER A UNITED NATIONS RESOLUTION, HE PROMISED TO DEFEND THE RIGHTS OF THE RUSSIANS IN UKRAINE, EVEN OFFERING UKRAINE THE CONTINUATION OF THE MINSK AGREEMENTS, WHICH UKRAINE AND THE WEST REFUSED IN MARCH/APRIL 2022...

FROM THEN ON, THE GOALS OF RUSSIA HAVE BEEN CLEAR AND SIMPLE: DENAZIFY UKRAINE, DEMILITARISE UKRAINE, NO NATO IN UKRAINE AND THE FORMER RUSSIAN PROVINCES IN UKRAINE TO BE RETURNED TO RUSSIA, BECAUSE UKRAINE — INCLUDING ZELENSKYYYYY — HAS BEHAVED VERY VERY BADLY.

SO WHY IS THE WEST SO EAGER TO IMPOSE A CEASEFIRE?

SIMPLE. DESPITE THE WESTERN SUPPORT (SINCE THE 1990s) UKRAINE IS BEING BLED AND THE ONLY OPTION IS TO SURRENDER... THE WEST DOES NOT WANT THIS TO HAPPEN. THE WEST IS TRYING TO FORCE RUSSIA TO SUBMIT TO THE WILL OF THE "WILLINGS" — THE NUTS RULING THE DECREPIT WESTERN PORTION OF THE WORLD.

RUSSIA HAS TO SAY NO, POLITELY... BUT IT MIGHT AGREE IF THE WEST AGREES TO "CONDITIONS" WHICH THE WEST WON'T ACCEPT... 

RUSSIA IS WINNING. THE WEST HATES THIS NOTION...

RUSSIA DOES NOT WANT TO "CONQUER EUROPE" NOR HAVE TO RULE THE GALICIANS OF UKRAINE BUT IT DOES NOT WANT THEM TO CARRY ON AGGRESSIVELY TOWARDS RUSSIA...SO:

 

MAKE A DEAL PRONTO BEFORE THE SHIT HITS THE FAN: 

NO NATO IN "UKRAINE" (WHAT'S LEFT OF IT)

THE DONBASS REPUBLICS ARE NOW BACK IN THE RUSSIAN FOLD — AS THEY USED TO BE PRIOR 1922. THE RUSSIANS WON'T ABANDON THESE AGAIN.

THESE WILL ALSO INCLUDE ODESSA, KHERSON AND KHARKIV.....

CRIMEA IS RUSSIAN — AS IT USED TO BE PRIOR 1954

TRANSNISTRIA WILL BE PART OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.

A MEMORANDUM OF NON-AGGRESSION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE USA.

 

EASY.

 

THE WEST KNOWS IT.

 

READ FROM TOP.

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

 AND IF YOU WANT A BIT OF CRINGE, SEE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoFPY3ONgn8

 

SEE ALSO: https://yourdemocracy.net/drupal/node/44862

 

SEE ALSO: https://yourdemocracy.net/drupal/node/40188

 

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered Kiev the opportunity to restart direct negotiations in Istanbul, which it unilaterally walked away from in 2022, despite Ukraine’s failure to honor the Victory Day truce and attempts to “intimidate” world leaders who gathered in Moscow for the celebrations.

Addressing the media early Sunday morning, following a day of meetings with foreign heads of state, Putin reiterated Russia’s offer to resume the negotiations that Kiev abandoned shortly after the escalation of the current conflict.

“We propose that the Kiev authorities resume the negotiations they interrupted in 2022 – to resume direct negotiations, and I emphasize, without any preconditions. We propose to start without delay next Thursday, May 15, in Istanbul,” Putin said.

“We do not rule out the possibility that during these negotiations it will be possible to agree on some new solutions, about ceasefires, about a new cessation of hostilities, and a real one at that would be adhered to not only by Russia but also by the Ukrainian side,” Putin added.

READ MORE: Putin’s speech on Ukraine talks and truce violations: Key takeaways

Earlier on Saturday, after a meeting with European leaders in Kiev, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky demanded that Russia agree to a full unconditional 30-day ceasefire before he would agree to resume direct talks with Moscow. The Kremlin has rejected what it described as external pressure surrounding the proposed truce.

Putin noted that Kiev has violated the three ceasefires offered by Moscow: The 30-day US-brokered moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure which expired last month, the unconditional Easter ceasefire, and the recently lapsed 72-hour Victory Day ceasefire. Ukraine not only refused to honor the May 9-11 ceasefire, but also attempted to intimidate the foreign leaders who attended the celebrations in Moscow, Putin said.

“The Kiev authorities not only rejected our proposal for a ceasefire, but also, as we all saw, they tried to intimidate the leaders of states gathered for the celebrations in Moscow,” he stated.

“I repeat, Russia is ready for negotiations without any preconditions,” Putin said, adding that the talks would represent a first step toward a “long-term, sustainable peace – not a prologue to the continuation of armed conflict after the rearmament of Ukrainian forces and frantic digging of trenches and new strongholds.”

“Those who truly want peace cannot help but support this,”Putin stated, expressing his gratitude for all genuine mediation efforts by China, Brazil, African and Middle Eastern countries, and the administration of US President Donald Trump.

Reaffirming Moscow’s readiness for serious talks aimed at addressing the root causes of the conflict, Putin said he has asked Ankara to host future negotiations.

In 2022, Moscow and Kiev reached a draft peace deal in Istanbul, in which Ukraine reportedly agreed to neutrality and military limitations, while Russia offered troop withdrawals and security guarantees. Kiev ultimately walked away from the deal under alleged pressure from London, and Zelensky later issued a decree banning himself from any negotiations with Putin.

https://www.rt.com/russia/617355-putin-ukraine-direct-talks/

 

 

READ FROM TOP.

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

SEE ALSO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNxqil9Pf4M

Ukraine: Merz says Putin's peace talks proposal falls short
Kieran Burke | Kate Hairsine with AP, Reuters, dpa, AFP

Friedrich Merz says Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal for direct peace talks with Kyiv is insufficient. The German chancellor says a ceasefire with Ukraine should come first. Follow DW for more.

Germany's Merz says 'weapons must be silenced' before peace talks

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Russia's willingness to talk is "positive sign" but "far from sufficient" in comments made after returning from his first trip to Kyiv.

Merz said that European allies were backing a 30-day truce, which "Ukraine agreed to without reservation."

"We expect Moscow to agree to a ceasefire that allows real talks to take place. First the weapons must be silenced, then the discussions can begin," the new conservative leader said in a statement posted on social media platform X.

https://www.dw.com/en/ukraine-merz-says-putins-peace-talks-proposal-falls-short/live-72504154

 

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US President Donald Trump has expressed support for his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin’s proposal to resume direct peace talks with Ukraine, which have been on hold since 2022. Putin earlier suggested restarting negotiations in Istanbul, Türkiye next week.

Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday to praise what he called “a potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine! Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending ‘bloodbath’ hopefully comes to an end.”

The US, he added, “wants to focus, instead, on Rebuilding and Trade. A BIG week upcoming!”

Putin previously proposed resuming direct negotiations with Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul, where talks were last held in 2022. Moscow said that while the sides were making progress toward peace at the time and had reached a preliminary draft agreement, the process was derailed by then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who advised Kiev to “keep fighting.” Johnson has denied the claim.

https://www.rt.com/news/617366-trump-reacts-putin-ukraine-talks-proposal/

 

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Türkiye has accepted Russia’s request to mediate direct peace talks with Ukraine, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin. The country previously hosted negotiations between Moscow and Kiev in 2022, which ultimately collapsed after Ukraine walked out.

In a phone call on Sunday, Erdogan welcomed Putin’s recent statement suggesting that “talks between Russia and Ukraine would continue in Istanbul from where they left off,” adding that Ankara “was ready to host negotiations that would lead to a permanent solution.”

The Kremlin has confirmed the call, stating that the two leaders “discussed in detail the Russian president’s initiative to resume direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations.” 

“The Turkish side will provide all possible assistance in organizing and conducting negotiations aimed at achieving a lasting peace.”

On the same day, Erdogan told French President Emmanuel Macron that “a historic turning point” to end the conflict had been reached, and that this opportunity should be seized.

This comes after Putin offered Kiev the opportunity to restart direct negotiations in Istanbul on May 15, “without preconditions.” Kiev ultimately walked away from reaching a settlement in 2022 under pressure from London, and Vladimir Zelensky later issued a decree banning himself from any negotiations with Putin. 

Zelensky and several of Kiev’s Western backers have been insisting that Russia agree to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire before direct talks. Putin noted that Kiev has not adhered to the three ceasefires offered by Moscow.   

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that while Moscow supports the idea of a ceasefire “in general,” “there are lots of questions” that remain unresolved. Moscow previously voiced concern that the halt in hostilities would allow Kiev to regroup its battered troops and has insisted that all Western arms shipments to Ukraine must be suspended for the duration of the ceasefire. 

Türkiye hosted several rounds of negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in the spring of 2022. Moscow later said the talks had yielded tangible progress, including a tentative draft agreement on Ukraine’s neutral status, security guarantees, and other core issues. However, Moscow accused then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson of derailing the peace process, claiming that he advised Kiev not to accept the terms and to “keep fighting.”

While Johnson has denied the claim, David Arakhamia, head of the Ukrainian delegation at the time, acknowledged that he had played an influential role in the process.

https://www.rt.com/news/617374-turkey-ready-host-russia-ukraine-talks/

 

SERIOUSLY, MERZ IS A WARMONGERING IDIOT....

 

 

READ FROM TOP.

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOsmOCUvZQc

Lavrov Explains the West’s Anti-Russia Obsession | Russian-English interpretation

 

At a Diplomatic Club meeting, Moscow, May 15, 2025, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov responds to a direct question from an African delegate asking why the West shows hatred toward Russia despite its contributions to sports, culture, and science.

Lavrov traces the roots of Russophobia through centuries of conflict, from Napoleon and Hitler’s invasions to today’s U.S.-led coalition supporting Ukraine, which he says uses Nazi symbolism and anti-Russian ideology. He contrasts the West’s historical hostility with Russia’s ability to reach mutual respect with eastern powers like the Mongols and Ottomans, highlighting how the current U.S. and EU stance reflects a continued attempt to suppress Russia’s independence.

Lavrov criticizes the breakdown of diplomacy under the Biden administration, points to growing disunity between the U.S. and Europe, and mentions Donald Trump’s more pragmatic interest in fair cooperation. He warns against Western escalation in Ukraine, especially moves like deploying stabilization forces, and calls out European leaders—particularly President Macron—for pushing narratives that, in Lavrov’s view, defy logic and risk wider conflict.

 

READ FROM TOP.

 

YOURDEMOCRACY.NET RECORDS HISTORY AS IT SHOULD BE — NOT AS THE WESTERN MEDIA WRONGLY REPORTS IT.

 

         Gus Leonisky

         POLITICAL CARTOONIST SINCE 1951.