War as Survival: Why Talking to Putin Is a Dead End

Source: Author’s Facebook page

The war won’t end through negotiations; only putting Putin on trial can stop it

I repeat: there is no “collective Putin.” It was not some system that created him—Putin created the system. He is its backbone and core.

The system is made up of people, and in this case, they support Putin because their financial well-being and security depend on him. But the motivations of each individual differ.

Putin is the unifying force. Neither Patrushev nor Shoigu, Mishustin, Medvedev, nor anyone else created the ideological basis for the attack on Ukraine, wrote the pseudo-historical articles, or invented the myths. They either actively supported him or silently acquiesced—but did nothing independently without his orders.

Once Putin is removed, the entire pyramid will collapse. A power struggle will follow, opening a window of opportunity to end the war—something only Putin truly wants. All that remains is to back the right hyena and help it devour its rivals.

Therefore, negotiating with Putin is pointless. He cannot — and will not — stop this war, because the war is central to his power and to the system he built. The only way to end it is to remove Putin; once he is gone, the pyramid will fracture, and the war could be brought to an end.

Budapest would be an ideal place to lure the wolf into a trap. Yet, Europe is too cautious (or too politically constrained) for such an operation — even though similar maneuvers were common on this continent only a couple of centuries ago.

As a reminder, US President Donald Trump recently had a telephone conversation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. During the talks, the presidents agreed to organize a summit in Budapest. However, the groundwork for this meeting was to be provided by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

It later became known that the expected talks between Rubio and Lavrov, which were supposed to take place this week, have been postponed indefinitely. According to journalists, Washington concluded that the Kremlin’s position on the war against Ukraine has practically not changed. That is why Rubio will not advise US President Donald Trump to hold a meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in Budapest.

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