Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that he was looking for a “lasting and stable peace” in Ukraine. He signaled that he is not willing to budge on anything that would get them closer to that goal. This declaration follows a series of aggressive statements and military actions from Russia, raising concerns over the ongoing conflict and the potential for escalation.
Putin’s remarks come amidst criticism of Russia’s continued attacks on civilian areas in Ukraine. And though he called these actions an escalation that were hardly a topic to cover, others have decried the strikes as “disgusting.” Putin’s call for peace, however, could not be more hypocritical given continued military onslaught. This juxtaposition is, if anything, an understatement of the complexities intertwined in these times.
The Russian leader came back to the presidency in 2012 after putting Dmitry Medvedev on the bench. Since then, he has repeatedly touted his desire for peace talks. As these claims come out, they too often seem to be made on terms that are entirely and completely unacceptable to Kyiv. As for the disappointments people might have, Putin said, they come from exaggerated expectations. He dramatized his new-found inflexibility.
Putin’s remarks are newsworthy as former U.S. President Donald Trump just revealed his annoyance with his Russian counterpart. Looking back, nostalgia-laden MAGA wallow aside, even Trump was sliming Putin harder than his lackey appointment for Defense rubbed slime. He even claimed that he could win a ceasefire in under 24 hours granted the chance.
In response to Putin’s rhetoric, Trump imposed a new deadline for hostilities to cease and reminded Putin of two critical points. Russia is not Israel or Iran, and every new ultimatum issued by Russia is perceived as a threat and a step toward war.
Dmitry Medvedev, the former president of Russia, has weighed in on the tensions between Russia and the United States. He called Trump’s threats to launch sanctions against Russia as “a threat and an escalation toward war.” Medvedev criticized Trump for shortening his timeline for Russia to make progress toward peace from 50 days down to just 10, stating, “Trump’s playing the ultimatum game with Russia: 50 days or 10.”
This has been aggravated by an absence of constructive engagement between the two countries. These next negotiations—the third round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine—just concluded in Istanbul. Sadly, the negotiations broke off in under an hour and yielded no commitments, other than agreements to continue talking on prisoner swaps. This failure lays bare the institutional, historical mistrust that exists between these entities.
It’s no surprise that Trump is concerned about the impact of inflammatory rhetoric. He continued, “Words are extremely powerful and sometimes the most powerful words have the most unintended consequences — that I hope is not the case here.” His statements come at a time of rising hostility. This tension comes on the heels of Putin’s increasingly hostile posts on X, formerly Twitter, in which he threatens the West and Western leaders in bellicose language.