Putin's "Do or Die" choice about ending his war 'peacefully' in Ukraine in 2025.

As we enter the New Year of 2025, let us recall that,

"On 14 March 1939, Slovakia, led by Vojtech Tuka (1880-1946), declared itself independent, an act which was encouraged by Hitler as a means to break up the remainder of the old Czechoslovakia.
...
On 15 March, on the pretext that they were “invited to restore order" (McDonough, 80), German soldiers marched into what remained of Czechoslovakia. 

Hitler, later the same day, made a triumphant tour of Prague." (Mark Cartwright: World History: 30 October 2024) (my emphasis)

Mark Cartwright (right) goes on to record in his article that,

"Hungary, as promised by the First Vienna Award of 2 November 1938 (an agreement between the Axis powers), seized the southern parts of Ruthenia and a southern slice of Slovakia – both of these areas had large or majority Hungarian populations." (ibid Mark Cartwright)

Fast Foreward to 2024 and Gabriel Gavin, Ketrin Jochecová and Hanne Cokelaere report that,

"As ordinary Slovaks were preparing to celebrate Christmas and New Year, their populist prime minister [Robert Fico] was locked in a battery of diplomatic talks in Brussels and Moscow to try and keep Russian gas flowing to the country.

But, after his bid to keep paying the Kremlin for fuel failed — and the pipelines were turned off as 2024 came to an end — his increasingly hysterical warnings of an energy crisis in Central Europe look to be hot air." (Politico: 2 January 2025) (my emphasis)

They go on to report that,
".... the Slovak leader [Robert Fico] has even threatened to cut off electricity exports to Kyiv in retribution for its refusal to renegotiate the deal with Russia, teaming up with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to pressure Ukraine." (ibid Gabriel Gavin, Ketrin Jochecová and Hanne Cokelaere)

Just as Hungary and Sovakia stood with Germany during WW2,  we now, in 2024, have history repeating itself as Fico and Orbán confront the rest of the EU countries by supporting Putin with their demand that Ukraine pipelines continue to allow Russian gas to flow into Slovakia and Hungary, irrespective of the fact that the Ukraine-Russia pipeline contract has expired. 

And as Orban and Fico team up against Ukraine, Tara Copp (right) reports that,

"President Joe Biden said Monday that the United States will send nearly $2.5 billion more in weapons to Ukraine as his administration works quickly to spend all the money it has available to help Kyiv fight off Russia before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
...
Biden said all longer-term USAI funds have now been spent and that he seeks to fully use all the remaining drawdown money before leaving office.

“I’ve directed my administration to continue surging as much assistance to Ukraine as quickly as possible,” Biden said in a statement. “At my direction, the United States will continue to work relentlessly to strengthen Ukraine’s position in this war over the remainder of my time in office.” " (AP :  30 December 2024) (my emphasis)

Spurrring Biden on is the fact that, as Maya Mehrara (right) reports,

"Russia has rejected parts of Donald Trump's proposed Ukraine peace plan, according to comments given in an interview by Moscow's foreign minister to the state news agency Tass.

Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow is "not satisfied" with elements of the president-elect's peace plan that were revealed in an interview with Time magazine and other leaks, namely delaying Ukraine's ascent to NATO by 20 years and deploying a contingent of EU and U.K. peacekeepers in Ukraine." (Newsweek: 30 December 2024) (my emphasis) 

Palki Sharma: Firstpost: 3 January 2025

As I wrote in my last blog post (28 December 2024), and which underscores what that dyed-in-the-wool Soviet foreign minister Lavrov has said (cf: Palki Sharma: Firstpost: 3 January 2025),

"But, as Chris Jansing (left) reports,

"I want to read to you what John Kirby has to say about Putin's comments [about peace talks]. He described them as vacuous and said, "This is not a man that anyone should take seriously when it comes to saying, "...  he is ready for a negotiated settlement ...".

She then asks the former US ambassador to Ukraine [William Taylor], "Are you as sceptical as John Kirby?"

To which the former ambassador replies, "I am Chris .. I am" (MSNBC on MSN: 27 December 2024) (my emphasis)

MSNBC on MSN: 27 December 2024

 

Palki Sharma (below) is correct in stating that,

 

"Donald Trump's plan may still work. To deliver peace he will have to build consensus. He made it sound like a 'cakewalk'. But it may turn out to be one of the toughest challenges of his presidency. We do hope he 'cracks' it." (video above: Palki Sharma: Firstpost: 3 January 2025)

In 2025, Putin will have to make a "Do or Die" choice about ending his war in Ukraine 'peacefully'.

            

 

 

(to be continued)

(Palki Sharma: Firstpost: 3 January 2025)