Putin Will Never Give Up in Ukraine
Foreign Affairs
Putin: China, India, and Brazil Could Mediate Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks
Above: Russian President Vladimir Putin enters the hall during Russian-Azeri meeting at the Zagulba State Residence on August 19, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan. Image copyright: Contributor/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Pro-Russia narrative
Russia reached a preliminary peace deal with Ukraine in 2022. Everything was in writing. But the UK's Boris Johnson persuaded Ukraine to ditch the talks in favor of defeating Russia on the battlefield. Ukraine chose its fate and that's where we are today.
Pro-Ukraine narrative
Early peace talks with Russia fell apart because it insisted on veto power over parts of the agreement. Since then, Zelenskyy has made several attempts at talks with Putin that were ignored. After that, Zelenskyy concluded that Putin was not sincere about negotiations.