Russia Is Now Fighting To Avoid Defeat As Trump, Xi May Decide Ukraine Peace

Talk about humiliation. Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are meeting today to discuss a number of issues. Among them is likely to be the fate of Russia's stalled war against Ukraine. And Putin hasn't been invited to join them. He can rattle the nuclear saber - though that tactic is getting old - and he can continue to target Ukrainian kindergartens with missiles, but he overplayed his hand with Trump who, with his instinct for the jugular, sensed an opportunity to bypass Putin and deal directly with the Chinese leader to whom the Russian is beholden. And just in case Putin missed the point, Trump is also expressing interest in meeting Putin's other key supplier, North Korea's Dear Leader, Kim Jong Un.

The original Kremlin theory of victory in Ukraine arguably died amid the wreckage of downed Russian helicopters and burning tanks outside Kyiv in March 2022. The exclamation point has come in Kursk, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia and, most of all, Donbas, amid hundreds of thousands of moldering Russian soldiers' bodies. Putin understood that continuing the war was more likely to preserve his reign than acknowledging failure with something far less than victory. But by underestimating Trump's ruthless ambition, he has now lost much of his leverage. Trump remains an admirer of Putin's harsh, autocratic rule - and could change his mind again - but he expects Putin recognize the US' superior economic and military power by giving him the ceasefire he wants. Putin's refusal has led to the current situation. JL

Espreso Global reports:

Putin had an opportunity to end the war in the summer, when Donald Trump offered him acceptable terms; now, Russia is fighting to exit the war with at least some gains. Putin’s repeated nuclear threats reflect that as Russia will become a subject of negotiations between Trump and Xi Jinping, he wants to remind everyone that, despite huge failures on the front and the catastrophic state of a collapsing economy, he still possesses nuclear weapons. "Their scenario of victory ended a long time ago. Currently, Russia is fighting to avoid defeat and to leave the Russian-Ukrainian war with at least something.” 

Putin had a prime opportunity to end the war in the summer, when Donald Trump effectively offered him acceptable terms; now, Russia is fighting to exit the war with at least some gains.

Political analyst Oleh Saakyan shared his opinions on Espreso TV.

“It’s clear that the Russians will fight to the end. But whether it will be a victorious end is something I would dispute with Putin. The ending could be very different for him and for Russia and is clearly not victorious for them. Their scenario of victory ended a long time ago. Currently, Russia is fighting to avoid defeat and to leave the Russian-Ukrainian war with at least something,” Saakyan said.

The analyst noted that Putin’s repeated nuclear threats reflect the catastrophic state of the Russian economy and the lack of significant successes on the frontlines. He believes Russia will become a subject of negotiations between Trump and Xi Jinping. 

“The period of July–August was when Putin still held a golden opportunity in the form of Trump. At that time, the U.S. president offered him terms and a chance to reach at least some agreement. Later came Alaska, where Putin continued to demand maximalist conditions and was rejected. That’s why now Trump will try to negotiate with Xi Jinping, and in response, Putin has once again issued his nuclear threats. He wants to remind everyone that, despite huge failures on the front and a collapsing economy, he still possesses nuclear weapons and must be reckoned with,” he added