Zelensky Outplayed Both Trump and Putin

The coming weeks will be a test for diplomacy.

The GazIe reports on it according to the Telegraph

This Christmas season could prove to be a decisive moment for Europe. It could mark the beginning of peace in Ukraine and a degree of stability across the continent. But they could also be the point at which any hope for peace in Donbas disappears, bringing Europe closer to direct confrontation with Russia. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte gave a grim assessment of the situation: if this war continues unchecked, such an outcome will become increasingly likely.

Speaking in Berlin, Rutte warned that Europe must prepare with the same seriousness that our grandparents once showed, quickly strengthening its defence capabilities and rejecting any complacency.

‘Europe must prepare for war,’ he said, adding that Russia sees us as its next target and that NATO is already ‘in danger.’

His message was clear: time is not on our side, and the moment for decisive action has come, notes military expert Gemish de Bretton-Gordon.

According to the military expert, this week, or at least in the period before Christmas, we should see an answer to the question of whether a just and lasting peace is possible, or whether we really are in the same ‘moment of 1939’ that Rutte alludes to. This is the context in which US President Donald Trump's interview with Politico, published earlier this week, should be viewed.

In it, he criticises Europe and hints that he will put his own relations, and therefore America's position on Russia, above traditional transatlantic ties. He claims that Ukraine is losing, which is not actually the case, and suggests that it should simply give up. He sets another artificial deadline — Christmas — for ending the war and declares that it is now up to Europe to force Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to comply.

For his part, Zelensky is engaged in active dialogue with European leaders and has already presented his peace plan to the White House. Their reportedly brief and tense conversation with Trump was later summarised by the US president as containing ‘some pretty strong words’ and, unusually restrained for him, ‘some minor disagreements about people’.

If Trump really considers these issues ‘minor,’ then peace remains a distant prospect. Zelensky seems pragmatic enough to accept — albeit reluctantly — that some of the territories already illegally seized by Russia may not be restored. But he will not agree to give up the entire Donbas, no matter how ‘minor’ Trump tries to portray it.

Continuing Trump's style of expression, such a concession would be equivalent to giving up Alaska — something that in ‘Trump's world’ could even be a bargaining chip if the price were attractive enough.

In the same interview, Trump accused Zelensky of allegedly using the war to avoid elections, repeating the Kremlin's thesis that the Ukrainian president has no mandate. In a bold strategic move, Zelensky has now proposed holding elections within 60-90 days, provided there is a ceasefire and reliable security guarantees from both Russia and the United States.

In doing so, he may have outmanoeuvred both Trump and Putin. Now it remains to be seen how quickly the Kremlin will decide that elections are not necessary after all — which is entirely consistent with its hostility to free and fair democratic processes. If Trump were thinking strategically, he might even insist that Russia hold genuine elections as a reciprocal step," de Bretton-Gordon argues.

There are grounds for cautious optimism. Most of the multi-point peace plan seems acceptable to Ukraine, including accelerated EU accession, reconstruction commitments and security guarantees. However, the future of Donbas remains the centre of gravity that will determine whether peace will prevail or a new phase of war will erupt.

Russian claims of major progress near Pokrovsk this week took a heavy blow as Ukrainian forces recaptured about a quarter of the city, where fierce fighting continues. Despite deploying some 170,000 troops, Russia has failed to achieve a decisive breakthrough. 

Europe cannot stand aside while Trump tries to force Zelensky, and cannot allow Putin's aggression to be rewarded. 2025 is coming to an end, and we are in an ‘all or nothing’ phase.

"The encouraging thing is that recent polls show that most Americans support Ukraine, not Trump's proposal to hand it over to Moscow. The American people have twice come to Europe's defence to the sound of cannon fire. We must hope that they will do so again — this time to prevent World War III, not to participate in it," the military expert concluded.

As the Gaze reported earlier European Heavyweights Head to Washington to Strengthen Support for Kyiv