A potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine?
American idealism, which has largely defined the character of the postwar world order (b.r. after World War II), is inflicting defeat on itself with its own weapons, Kissinger used to say of the U.S. war in Vietnam. Now, Trump’s pressure on Putin and Zelensky to find a quick solution to the war in Ukraine has birthed a day for negotiations – without negotiators. No one knows who will show up in Istanbul today, if they will show up at all, and what basis for peace talks there might be under the circumstances. What is more frightening for the world is that no one is yet willing to face the objective truth, to draw lessons, to stop looking for culprits and to mourn the victims. On the contrary, both sides are prepared to continue to wrongly interpret the war as a tool to strengthen their objectives and positions, while sacrificing more time, resources and people.
At the last minute, late last night, Russia announced the composition of the delegation for the direct talks in Istanbul, and it turned out to be made up of low-level bureaucrats.
