On Sunday, Vice President JD Vance and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky met to discuss the Russo-Ukraine war and ways to end it. President Zelensky took to his official X account after that meeting to strike an optimistic tone as to the results of that meeting.
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Good meeting with @VP J. D. Vance and Secretary of State @SecRubio in Rome.
During our talks we discussed negotiations in Istanbul to where the Russians sent a low level delegation of non-decision-makers. I reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to be engaged in real diplomacy and… pic.twitter.com/ko2cKKYvCZ
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 18, 2025
President Zelensky’s post continues:
I reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to be engaged in real diplomacy and underscored the importance of a full and unconditional ceasefire as soon as possible.
We have also touched upon the need for sanctions against Russia, bilateral trade, defense cooperation, battlefield situation and upcoming prisoners exchange. Pressure is needed against Russia until they are eager to stop the war. And, of course, we talked about our joint steps to achieve a just and durable peace.
Thank you to all American people for the support and leadership in saving lives.
There is some indication that other European leaders are willing to involve themselves and their countries in negotiations, and at least one of those countries is one whose involvement will probably raise a few eyebrows in Moscow.
Zelenskyy spoke with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the U.S. ambassador’s residence, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he had spoken both to Zelenskyy and to Rubio on the sidelines of the new pope’s inauguration.
Merz said that he had also agreed with the leaders of France and Britain “that we will speak again with the American president in preparation for this conversation.”
“My firm impression is that both the Europeans and the Americans are determined to work together, but now also in a goal-oriented manner, to ensure that this terrible war ends soon,” Merz told reporters in Rome.
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It’s belaboring the obvious to note that Russia and Germany haven’t always been on the best of terms.
There’s a catch to all this optimism: Russia wasn’t at the meeting. A peace deal will not and cannot be made until Russia is present. President Trump is expected to talk to Tsar Vladimir I by telephone this week, but it’s anyone’s guess what the outcome of that conversation may be.
See Also: Watch: JD Vance Demolishes Biden Attack About Ukraine With Perfect Policy Response
While bringing an end to this conflict, which seems to have settled into a high-tech war of attrition, would be a major relief for Europe and a major foreign policy coup for President Trump, there’s still the elephant in the room: Vladimir Putin. He is showing every sign of being stubborn, especially where the Crimea is concerned. He won’t give up what is now a major warm-water port for Russia, and we might also note that Russia is reactivating a Cold War-era submarine base in Crimea; Tsar Vladimir I won’t give that up without being forced to, and that amount of force would represent a significant escalation; one that Ukraine can’t afford and Europe probably won’t be willing to attempt.
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I will stand by my prediction: The best Ukraine can hope for now is a return to the status quo ante 2022, where Russia withdraws from the Ukrainian territory it now holds and Ukraine surrenders its claim on the Crimea. I’m not saying that’s a good deal, I’m not saying it’s a fair deal, but at this point, it’s probably the best Ukraine can hope for. President Zelensky would be well advised to accept that deal.
The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie.
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