War against Ukraine: The Kremlin is also successfully playing for time in Abu Dhabi

An important political meeting, staged for publicity, must have at least a concrete result in addition to diplomatic phrases. Hats off - at least that's what the two-day meeting between representatives of the USA, Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi in the middle of the week has on its side. Another major prisoner exchange is soon to take place between Moscow and Kyiv, which could allow up to 3,000 soldiers to return home. This is a success.

But that’s about it for the good news. The resumption of the direct “exchange of opinions” after nine months has not brought war-torn Ukraine, which has been fighting for its survival for almost five years, an inch closer to an end to the Russian war of aggression. The sole responsibility for this lies with the Kremlin. He lets his delegation present well-known positions. There is the so-called territorial question - for Ukraine one of the most critical points on the way to a lasting peace that would not be a Moscow dictate. Reports from Ukrainians living under Russian occupation in their country lead to only one conclusion: whoever is willing to hand them over to this hell has lost their minds.

The head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, a well-deserved historian, spoke plainly in Abu Dhabi. “Every inch of our land will be returned to Russia one way or another,” he said. Translated, this means that Moscow's desires could not stop at other European countries in the future. Finland and the Baltic States know only too well what we are talking about.

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During Putin's tête-à-tête with US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Thursday, the Kremlin chief announced that the official external border defined by the Kremlin was the only possible border line with Ukraine - so he claimed Crimea and four other areas that are not yet fully under Russian control. The fact that Putin, almost in the same breath, offers another humanitarian action along the lines of the evacuation of the southern Ukrainian front-line town of Oleschky cannot mask the aggressor's ugly war face.

Nevertheless: Russia's leadership is creative. Suddenly it's all about a new European security order again. This term is a noble paraphrase for Moscow's catalog of demands to the USA and NATO from autumn 2021: a stop to further NATO expansion and the return of the stationing of armed forces and weapons in European countries to the level of May 1997. This would include the withdrawal of allied troops stationed later as well as restrictions on NATO military activities in Ukraine, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

Behind this is the old legend that NATO's eastward expansion forced Russia to take action. This doesn't become truer when the usual suspects in the West repeat it like a prayer wheel without any factual knowledge. It is brazen perpetrator-victim reversal in its purest form.

This raises the question: Why is the Kremlin able to present itself in such a broad way? The succinct answer is: Because you let him. Washington, especially US President Donald Trump, is only interested in lucrative deals - with whomever. It doesn't matter whether and how Ukraine continues to exist. The EU is currently divided. Even the “willing” ones are increasingly coming under pressure in view of tight budgets and are finding themselves in need of explanation to their own population. If the new head of state in France after the elections next spring is Marine Le Pen or Jean-Luc Mélenchon - well.

Vladimir Putin knows how to cleverly use this situation and is playing for time. As planned and cynical, he is bombing Ukraine across the board at the beginning of winter with the aim of making this country uninhabitable. If Kyiv's supporters don't do something quickly now, Ukraine could be history in a few months. But be careful: hopes for (cemetery) peace in Europe are naive: the ravenous bear is far from full.