President Zelensky Won’t Negotiate Face-To-Face With President Putin? Waiting For Gadot Or Guy Who Plays Ping Pong. Defining De-Escalation. Remember Who’s Paying The Bills.

Government Of Ukraine Won’t Negotiate With President Putin?  That’s Dumb. 

So, if Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, shows up in Ankara, Turkiye, to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, the head of state will remain in Kyiv?  For President Zelensky, matters not whether the armed forces of the Russian Federation have returned within the pre-2014 borders with Ukraine and the government of the Russian Federation has abandoned commercial, economic, military, and political control of the Crimean Peninsula.  This certainly seems to be the posture adopted by the President of Ukraine. 

Irresponsible for a head of state and head of government of a country in conflict with one or more other countries to dictate who will sit across the table when discussions commence for a cessation of hostilities- whether that discussion is about a cease-fire or end-of-conflict treaty.  A particularly arrogant position when one leader agrees to meet. 

Seeking to end a conflict, temporarily or permanently, is a responsibility of leadership.  The decision with whom to negotiate is not like selecting a partner at a dance- there are not often the selection that is desired. 

A government can chose to implement a strategy of waiting out the lifespan (political or actuarial) of whomever they oppose.  That too comes with a cost- not only with choosing to continue offensive and defensive military operations which are costly in terms of lives and treasure, but too for those third parties whose taxpayers are providing the majority of military equipment and financial support to one of the parties.  

• Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, this month signed decrees completing the annexation of four areas (none of which was under the complete territorial control of the armed forces of the Russian Federation) in eastern Ukraine- Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. 

• In response, Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, shared: “He (Putin) does not know what dignity and honesty are.  Therefore, we are ready for a dialogue with Russia, but with another president of Russia.” 

• Mr. Andriy Yermak, Chief of Staff to President Zelensky, shared “There will be no negotiations with Russia while Putin is the president.  We are moving forward. To victory.”

Nice word bites, but let’s be practical… 

Not the first utterance from President Zelensky that he does not like President Putin, does not trust President Putin, believes President Putin is a war criminal, and does not want to negotiate face-to-face with President Putin. 

Enough.  Stop it.  Move on.  Whomever is the head of state or head of government in Kyiv must negotiate with whomever sits within the walls of the Kremlin in Moscow and makes decisions for the government of the Russian Federation.  When the time arrives to negotiate, perhaps neither President Putin nor President Zelensky will be facing one another. 

Useful to remind President Zelensky that the military equipment and funding for Ukraine is sourced from taxpayers in other countries- and those taxpayers continue to reel from enormous burdens reverberating from the COVID-19 pandemic which began in January 2020 through the inflationary impact of government spending, and for the last eight months the war between the Russian Federation and Ukraine.  

Arrogant for President Zelensky to maintain that Ukraine will continue to fight, and seek funds from other countries, solely because he does not want to negotiate face-to-face with President Putin. 

What then is the message to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkiye?  Should he abandon is efforts?  Or, is the “face-to’face” focus by President Zelensky about optics- that negotiating “not-face-to-face” is problematic, but negotiating “room-to-room” might suffice.    

• Does President Zelensky want President Erdogan to hustle between two offices within the 1,150-room Presidential Complex located in Ankara, Turkiye, similar to what Jimmy Carter, President of the United States (1977-1981) did in 1978 for days at Camp David (presidential retreat in Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland)- using a golf cart to shuttle between the cabins of Anwar Sadat, President of the Republic of Egypt, and Menachem Begin, Prime Minister of the State of Israel.   

• Does President Zelensky want President Erdogan mirroring what diplomats are doing in Geneva, Switzerland, as they re-negotiate the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JPCOA) with the Islamic Republic of Iran- moving from hotel-to-hotel, room-to-room; some delegations refusing to be seated in the same room with other delegations.   

President Erdogan would be tasked with this request because President Zelensky is repulsed by President Putin.  Would be acceptable to taxpayers in those countries providing military and financial support to Ukraine and particularly acceptable to citizens of those countries whose entire economies have been impacted? 

President Erdogan at the September 2022 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA): “We will continue to increase our efforts to end the war that has flared up again in recent days on the basis of Ukraine's territorial integrity and independence.  I invite international organisations and all countries to give sincere support to Turkiye’s efforts.  Together, we need to find a reasonably practical diplomatic solution that will give both sides a dignified way out of the crisis.”   

An as yet to be answered question:  To what level can President Putin escalate before Ukraine deescalates?  To what level can President Zelensky escalate before the Russian Federation deescalates?  Absent escalation, can there be de-escalation?  Can there exist a conflict where both parties continue to escalate, then cease fighting?  If Ukraine deescalates, will the Russian Federation do the same?  If the Russian Federation de-escalates, will Ukraine do the same?  Will de-escalation be perceived as weakness by one and an opportune moment for the other to escalate?  Just how does Ukraine and the Russian Federation define de-escalation? 

President Erdogan enjoys the game of table tennis (ping-pong), introduced to the United Kingdom in 1901, and he has been seen wearing sneakers.  Having 2.7 gram white plastic ball moving quickly, then narrowly above a net dividing two players on a table 2.74 meters by 1.52 meters, and trying to hit that ball over the net, but not off the table requires skill and the patience required to gain that skill. 

If President Erdogan is deemed as the individual to whom Presidents Putin and Zelensky turned seeking an end to the war, and President Erdogan assists with crafting a document acceptable to both parties; signed and provisions implemented, the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize awarded in December 2023 will be residing in Ankara, Turkiye.  Note: President Erdogan is seeking re-election with the voting scheduled for 18 June 2023.   

A reminder to Presidents Zelensky And Putin…. There is not a long line of heads of state and heads of government who are or want to be on speaking terms with both of you…