Ukrainian President Zelensky Delivers an Impassioned Plea to Vladimir Putin – Opinion

Wars are not won on hopes and dreams, and that’s becoming clearer as Russia continues to push deeper into Ukraine under the guise of “demilitarizing” the Eastern European nation. If you just paid attention to social media, you’d think The Ukrainians were routing the Russians, but the situation on the ground is far more complicated.

Vladimir Putin’s forces are seizing key objectives, beginning to take major cities, and are starting to fight with more reckless abandon. This has changed the equation a little, as Volodymyr Zelensky (Ukraine President) made a passionate plea for peace negotiations on Thursday.

Zelensky writes Putin: Leave our land. Sit down at the table with me if you do not want to go. However, you shouldn’t be able to see Macron or Scholz from more than 30 metres away. Let’s talk. Are you worried about anything? “We are not a threat to anybody.” pic.twitter.com/CNsLj2yQ1N

— max seddon (@maxseddon) March 3, 2022

You can hear the desperation in his voice, and it’s completely understandable. He is seeing his people die at the hands a much more powerful invader, while Ukraine does not possess the capability to win this war. There was a sense at the start of the week that Russia was struggling, and they did. But the real question was, as I stated, how far Putin would go. Russia could overthrow Ukraine with no problem, it was clear. It was not clear if Putin would like to see the spectacle of razing civilian areas to dust.

Zelensky’s statements are not those of a man who believes he’s winning. Even more, he said that Zelensky does not wish to sacrifice his people for Western lore.

“I don’t want Ukraine’s history to be a legend about 300 Spartans. I want peace.”
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian president, addresses Ukraine in the wake of Russian invasion. pic.twitter.com/fXZu6igpsr

— CNN (@CNN) March 3, 2022

Here’s a reminder for the people on the right who insist that the Ukrainians be allowed to fight till the death to spite Putin. I’ve fallen into that trap as well, even as I’ve also cautioned that Ukraine is not likely to win in the end. Are you ready to see Putin defeated? Yes, of course. However, my life and the lives of my cities is not at stake. American social media users will not be picking up the pieces or burying loved ones when the dust settles.

War is not won by virtue signaling and flag emojis. They aren’t won with viral disinformation meant to project strength where there is actually struggle. Zelensky has to weigh the costs, and I believe he’s shown himself capable of doing that. It will probably mean making concessions to the Russians, which I have warned about since the beginning. Ukraine doesn’t have the warhorses necessary to defeat Putin without full-scale Western intervention.

Some will say I’m being a “Putin-apologist” for pointing that out, but that’s ludicrous. This isn’t a game. There are real people who are suffering and lose everything. People who tweet from their American homes should be reminded of this fact.