Italian
If peace were a dish to be served at the table, Vladimir Putin would be that diner who first orders a tasting menu and then complains that the food is too hot, too cold, too seasoned, or not spicy enough.
RUSSIA. So, with the usual mix of phlegm and strategy, the Russian President has welcomed the ceasefire proposal in Ukraine with an attitude that could be summarized as follows: “Interesting, but only on my terms.” Terms that, coincidentally, would make the ceasefire more advantageous for Moscow than for Kiev.
The idea of a truce mediated by the United States, and supported by Donald Trump, has brought out the most calculating side of Putin. No outright refusal, no enthusiastic acceptance: just a long list of “legitimate doubts.” A month-long ceasefire? Fine, but only if Ukraine doesn’t mobilize troops, doesn’t receive arms, and maybe sits in silence while Russia continues to “liberate” territories. In other words: Kiev disarms while Moscow reorganizes its forces.
Zelenskyy has already exposed the game, defining Putin’s words as “manipulative”. It’s hard to disagree with him: proposing a ceasefire with conditions that amount to a disguised surrender is an exercise in subtle diplomatic hypocrisy. All this while the Ukrainian eastern front stabilizes and Kiev’s resistance strengthens despite the difficulties.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump moves around in the game like a gambler who has not yet revealed the cards. He says he is “ready to call” Putin, as if he were an old acquaintance to reach out to for a favor. What his true intentions are remains a mystery, but his financial pragmatism emerges when he threatens “economic consequences” for Russia, without specifying which.
And then there’s Europe, an involuntary spectator of a negotiation that risks selling it out. Putin is back on the table with his usual demands: Ukraine out of NATO, no Western aid, recognition of Russian occupation in Crimea and the four annexed regions in 2022. And, while he’s at it, he proposes dismantling the NATO military presence in countries that joined after 1997. An “all-inclusive” package that would have made Stalin smile.
The point is clear: Putin is not seeking a ceasefire, but a diplomatic victory without the need to fight. His strategy is not to stop the war, but to freeze it on his terms, and then reignite it when it suits him. While the Kremlin plays chess with geopolitics, the Ukrainian people continue to pay the price of a peace that risks remaining a mirage.
If recent history has taught us anything, it’s that Putin doesn’t sign peace treaties: he signs promissory notes, which he presents for payment when the West lets its guard down.
