Summary

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asserted that no world leader has the right to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin on behalf of Ukraine.

Speaking to Le Parisien readers, Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine alone determines its future and any dialogue with Russia must follow a peace plan based on strength and international support.

He warned against negotiating without clear guarantees of security, highlighting the risks of Putin resuming aggression after a ceasefire.

Zelenskyy called for a strategy ensuring Ukraine’s long-term stability and security, beyond NATO or EU membership timelines.

    • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works
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      4 months ago

      Tbh a lot of people in the states are under the impression that we CAN do precisely that, because we absolutely have done in the past. But this is also kind of a whole different ballgame, in a ton of pretty crucial ways.

      • HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        this is why our teachers taught us the difference between can and may (one implies ability, the other permission) because all of south america is looking at this like “fucking right dude”

      • ZK686@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Not only that, but we’re giving fucking BILLIONS of money to Ukraine, we SHOULD have a say so in what happens…

        • MutilationWave@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          No we’re literally not. We’re giving them our stocks of older equipment that has been in warehouses. That equipment is assigned a dollar value and then it’s argued over as if were stacks of cash.

          Yes we’re giving them money too, but when a headline says Biden authorizes $20 billion in additional aid to Ukraine, the vast majority of it is our old stuff.

    • scarabic@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Of course no one can negotiate on behalf of Ukraine. Ukraine is holding on thanks to the support of several parties, and those parties do have the right to continue or end that support depending on the conditions they see. I hope this never happens, but If the US says they’re okay with letting Russia keep the territory its gained as long as hostilities end, then they are within their rights to withhold further arms aid on those conditions. Is that the US negotiating as if they are themselves Ukraine? No. Zelensky understands that he is existentially dependent on others. He’s just reminding them not to abuse that.

    • ZK686@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Yet, he expects the US to just keep cutting those checks, right?

  • tired_n_bored@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    I am so sad by how Ukraine has been handled.

    The West should have been an overwhelming power against Russian imperialism. Ukraine should have been given everything from the beginning, no strings attached, with no self-imposed red lines.

    They will swallow another democracy in 10-20 years and the cycle repeats.

    • JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works
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      4 months ago

      And that would likely have ended the war sooner, causing less people to die, and making Putin less likely to try something like it in the future.

    • XIIIesq@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Tactically, the plan is to make Russia bleed to death rather than temporarily paralyse it.

      Maximizing the loss of russian life and draining the russian economy to the point that the population won’t tolerate any further war is the goal. It’s unfortunate that this is at the cost of ongoing war in Ukraine.

      • GuitarSon2024@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        This is a solid take, but the other side of the issue is the question of how long will it take the brainwashed Russian population to realize the economy has passed a point of no return? Outside of major cities much of Russia lives in 3rd world poverty. Will they even notice if the ruble falls to zero?

        • XIIIesq@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          Some might not notice a change in the economy, but they will notice that their sons are being taken and that they are not coming back.

          Approximately 1 in 1000 Russian males have now been killed. How many more will have to die for the average Russian to say “no more” is a tough question.

    • thermal_shock@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      everything keeps pointing to time being a circle, the same things will continue to happen every 20-30 years. like the show Dark.

      • DicJacobus@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        they’ll give a shit once all other options have been exhausted, and people realize the next step is actual shooting war, with the bombs falling on Warsaw, Helsinki, Berlin, etc. When they realize they’re on their last legs before the big one, then they’ll take it seriously.

        America is a write off, Regulatory captured by the Russian Federation / Russian Mob, Same thing At the very least until 2026 midterms. Europe is still in denial that its time to switch from butter, to guns. Literally

    • ZeroOne@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Ah yes “muh Russian Imperialism” argument/excuse that we all heard a bajillion times

    • DicJacobus@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      America can tell Russia Ukraine formally surrenders, and that the moon is made of cheese, it isnt going to stop anyone from fighting to protect themselves.

      The fact that even western countries seem to think that there can be negotiations about the fate of Ukraine and its people, without the Ukrainian voice present, is laughable and directley supports Putin and the Russian Mafia’s fantasy-narrative.

      • Bamboodpanda@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        If America and NATO pull back support, Putin will just say “fuck it” and take all of Ukraine and then do whatever he wants. Putin wants every territory that used to be Russia.

        • DicJacobus@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          even if Nato tucks its tails between its legs and runs away from a winnable confrontation, Russia isn’t taking the whole country, they don’t have the manpower to run an occupation on a territory the size of Texas, with one of the most heavily armed and battle hardened populations on earth.

          Russia already signed away any hope of an occupation that didn’t fight them tooth and nail to the death, when they decided to massacre the villages of Bucha , Irpin, and Konotop. The world saw Russia for what it was then, That event “steeled” the resistance. I’m not trying to use hyperbole or sensationalism here, I’m stating that flat out, the Ukrainian people saw that the Russians will murder every single person who doesn’t submit, and they’ve only continued that savage barbarism ever since. Bombing and Murdering people into submission NEVER works. It only gives them a reason to fight.

          they weren’t equipped to do an occupation in 2022. they sure as shit are less equipped to do so now. It would be one of the bloodiest insurgencies in history. The Taliban didn’t have Leopards, Javelins, and HIMARs rockets they could put into hiding.

          • ameancow@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            They have no intention of occupation. They will raze every city to the ground to control the pipes and food. They just want the pipes and food, and people who don’t allow that are just going to be ground up like so much meat.

        • ameancow@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          Putin wants every territory that used to be Russia.

          And then when he gets them all, he will want every territory that’s near Russia.

          And people will be like “Oh no, why didn’t anyone DO something when we could?”

  • Wisas62@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    Except that they can’t, especially Europe. While EU has drastically reduced oil and gas from Russia it’s still like 20%. I’ve heard Hungary and Austria don’t have access to gas from other countries other than Russia. (If someone has a source that says otherwise I’d be open to it).

  • mycall@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    While what Zelenskyy says is absolutely true, no county is obligated to help. Is this a good strategy to lend into?

    • megopie@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      4 months ago

      Yes, because it sends a clear message that retractions of aid will not cause them to negotiate, and thus removes a domestic political incentive to do so.

  • CriticalMiss@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    The only thing that’s worse than having the US as your enemy, is having the US as your ally.

    • Saryn@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Speak for yourself. A majority of Eastern Europeans see the US as a key strategic ally, and for good reason.

    • cyd@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      The original quote is: “It may be dangerous to be America’s enemy, but to be America’s friend is fatal.” – Henry Kissinger

      • Eezyville@sh.itjust.works
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        4 months ago

        They sure LOVED having the US as an ally when they were getting their asses handed to them during WW1 and WW2.

  • ZK686@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    Yet, all other countries are supposed to send unlimited amounts of money and weapons? This is the same bullshit with everyone else… you want all our money, and that’s it.

      • ZK686@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        And that’s the problem I have with how “some” of the government is selling this thing… “if we don’t send UNLIMITED funds to Russia, they’ll keep taking over everything!” And I just don’t buy it. Putin doesn’t want to be surrounded by NATO, that’s the sole reason he’s going after Ukraine. He’s not going to “keep going” like some are proclaiming, because he knows that will be a death sentence.

      • ZK686@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        And that’s the US’s problem right? We’re the World Police only when it’s convenient for some, but not others? If it that’s the case, I really wish people would stop hating on our government when we’re doing things like financing small proxy wars…

  • mightyfoolish@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine alone determines its future and any dialogue with Russia must follow a peace plan based on strength and international support.

    Support [outside of the racist countries’ unilateral support for Israel] will always be based on agreements. It doesn’t matter how much Ukraine supports Israel or sends its mercenaries to Gaza. How many countries will help out another for no return?

  • FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    It’s terribly ironic to watch people who support US interventionism pretend that Ukraine gets to have any real say in their own destiny at this point. Hundreds of billions of US taxpayer dollars do not go into your coffers without strings.

  • sanpedropeddler@sh.itjust.works
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    4 months ago

    In principle I agree, but he doesn’t really have a choice. Other world leaders are providing the funds to continue the war in the first place. If Zelensky does something they don’t like, they can just stop the funding and end the war on Russian terms.

    • saltesc@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      You need to educate yourself on the geographical foothold that Ukraine is. It is a very important part of land with mobilisation consequences. Without it, at least for now, it leaves very drastic measures as the only option.

    • takeda@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      If Ukraine loses we will have war with Russia (now able to use their resources and people) and we will have to send our soldiers.

      Military analyst Anders Puck Nielsen, who was spot on with predictions when covering this war says that is we allow cease fire without security guarantees for Ukraine this ultimately will be victory for Russia.

      https://youtu.be/MhpoNL1gZbw

      It looks like the vast majority of people in the West don’t really understand what this war is about.

      • MehBlah@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Not in 2014 and not now. I remember how no one understood in my circles what it meant when they booted out putins puppet.

      • sanpedropeddler@sh.itjust.works
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        4 months ago

        I don’t see how any of this takes away from what I said. Ukraine can’t continue the war themselves, so they have no choice but to do what their benefactors wish.

        • takeda@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          So is Russia. Russia was unable to help Armenia, what we see in Syria, there are some signs of things breaking up in Libia, Georgia, we will see how Belarusian election will go in January, last time Putin needed to send his military to stop the protests.

          The war economy cannot work forever and 2024 was estimated to be its peak for Russia.

          The support the West is providing also is negotiable (compared to GDP) and if Russia will win in Ukraine we will have to spend 7 times more while being in actual war according to analysts.

          • sanpedropeddler@sh.itjust.works
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            4 months ago

            I still don’t see how any of this takes away from my point. Are you just saying that other countries have a vested interest in the continued existence of Ukraine as we know it? Because I know that, that’s why they started funding the war in the first place.

            Let’s say that when Trump takes office he negotiates new terms with Putin. Zelensky will agree to those terms because he knows things will only be worse for his country if he continues fighting without US support.

            Are you just trying to say that the us or other countries would never threaten to pull support because it would be foolish? If so, then you don’t know how common fools are. What is it you think Trump means when he says he will end the war immediately after taking power?