Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a limited cease-fire on Tuesday after a brief call with President Trump. Putin agreed to stop strikes on energy infrastructure as long as Ukraine does the same, Kremlin said in a statement.
Putin’s statements have no correlation to the goals he set as a young motivated agent of the KGB, the Committee for State Security of the former Soviet Union. Starting a decades-long ideological battle rooted in the border disputes of a failed communist powerhouse that lingers in the back of Putin’s mind like an unreachable itch.
To bend at the steep of your aggressor only brings more cause for strife. Years of Russian cannon-fodder sent by Putin have soured the close ethnic ties that the two regions shared; prying a wedge so deep between the two countries that peace has become a distant memory.
Putin’s grievances towards NATO expansion remain one of the core issues of his war, stating that the United States needs to stop aiding in Ukrainian intelligence. Yet Russia has trained and deployed North Korean troops in Ukraine since October 2024, many of which have little to no combat experience.
For a country whose military might was previously thought to be on par with modern warfare, Putin has been failing to stand up to his own credibility; seeking support from a long time communist ally whose human rights violations number in the thousands.
The notion to stop a proxy war with more proxy seems to be the only option for Putin. Demanding that foreign nations stop assisting Ukraine, while he flys Iranian made Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV’s) over the battlefield daily, seems to be a bit counter-intuitive.
Putin’s stench of blatant hypocrisy ripples through the European continent week after week. His so-called “Special Military Operation” has now led to some of the worst casualty numbers since World War II.
Late Tuesday evening, the two warring countries accused each other of breaking the cease-fire, making claims of targeting civilian infrastructure through a series of drone attacks. The first of many agreement-breaking incidents that are yet to come.
“When Putin said that he was allegedly giving orders to stop strikes on Ukrainian energy, there were 150 drones launched overnight, including on energy facilities,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a conference with Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
On Wednesday President Trump and Zelenskyy held a conversation over the phone that lasted much shorter than previous talks, highlighting the encouraged cooperation between the two nations. Zelenskky was reportedly thankful of the support given to Ukraine, recalling President Trump’s initial backing of portable surface-to-air Javelin missiles.
Both leaders discussed operations in the region of Kursk while Zelenskyy inquired about obtaining Patriot missile defense systems.
The Kremlin said Wednesday that Putin has agreed to release 23 injured Ukrainian soldiers while seeking to exchange 175 prisoners in a swap.
President Trump Friday morning said “contracts” are being drafted to divide up occupied land to end the war entirely, pushing for a piece of Ukrainians resource development. Although both nations continue to strike deep into each other’s territory, Ukraine targeted Engles air base causing a fire late Thursday.
On Saturday Russia launched a drone attack on the city of Zaporizhzhia killing three and wounding several others.
Delegations from the United States and Ukraine are slated to speak in Saudi Arabia on March 24th, hoping to define conditions for a ceasefire.
However, these talks have opened up opportunities for Putin, allowing him to suckerpunch Ukrainian defenses while their leaders delegate. Russian forces are reportedly sweeping the Kursk region of the last remaining Ukrainian forces.
Putin will always act in accordance with his own ideological interests, no matter the cost of his country’s reputation on the world stage; traits Americans are very familiar with in today’s age.
In 1994, Russia signed the Budapest Memorandum with Ukraine, assuring that denuclearization of the region’s stockpile would guarantee its own territorial integrity.
The memorandum stated that Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom would come to the country’s aid in the event of military aggression. The Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014 breached this contract with its “Little Green Men” stunt, highlighting the frail nature of pen to paper that Putin echoes constantly.
Putin should halt his advancements in the eastern regions of Ukraine, allowing Russia to better negotiate for its prized cities of Donetsk, Mariupol and Kherson, while also keeping access open to the waters near the Ukrainian port of Odessa.
The Ukrainian led incursion into Russia’s Kursk region remains a highly contested space for both nations, remaining as one of Ukraine’s only bargaining tools and defensive fronts for the capital of Kyiv.
For President Zelenskyy, Ukraine should delegate for quick peace with Russia without giving up any more geographical importance. Most importantly, the country should continue to push for admittance into NATO, allowing for the assurances made off of the shared responsibilities of our hegemonic nations to protect sovereignty.
Ukraine is poised to stand against Putin’s aggression, entering into the war’s third year. Recent financial support from European allies in excess of $53 million for military assistance, especially after the primetime television dispute between President Trump and Zelenskyy, has managed to keep Ukraine in the fight during various recent Russian advancements.
However, for President Trump, Ukraine seems to be of more economic interest to his cabinet, suggesting that America should gain control of Ukraine’s energy production. This statement is truly damning to a country in the midst of a brutal conflict striking deep into the heart of its own identity.
Putin doesn’t want peace, he dances with it; he flirts with the possibility of mercy, eagerly grasping for the attention of the world’s eye. He isn’t scared of President Trump. Ukraine isn’t a country to Putin, it is a lost love he hopes to meet again. He wants to save himself from regret and the failure of a party that molded him.