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VLADIMIR Putin’s constant refusal to accept a fair peace deal over his war with Ukraine could now prove to be the tyrant’s downfall.
Ukraine may end up as the ultimate benefactor of the Kremlin’s latest arrogant stunt which saw Putin and his top officials torpedo a second peace summit with Donald Trump.
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The US president hit out at Putin on Tuesday as he said a meeting with the despot would be a total “waste of time” as he isn’t serious about wanting peace.
Trump and Putin held a “very productive” phone call only last week where they appeared to be on the same page over halting the war.
Both men even said they had agreed to meet in Hungary soon following the chat.
But in recent days, a slew of Russia’s top officials have downplayed any notion of accepting peace terms put forward by the US.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said: “An immediate ceasefire in Ukraine would mean only one thing: most of it would remain under Nazi rule.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov added that Moscow will only stop the fighting on their own terms.
He said: “This topic was repeatedly raised in various forms during contacts between Russia and the US.
“The Russian side answered every time, this answer is well known: the consistency of Russia’s position doesn’t change.”
This rhetoric quickly caught the eye of Trump and his fellow top officials.
In a turbulent 24 hours, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called off a meeting with Lavrov.
An official explanation for why Lavrov and Rubio didn’t hold the first of several key US-Russia meetings is still yet to be revealed.
But they did hold a phone call earlier in the day.
Due to this interaction, many have potentially suggested it sparked a key breakdown in communications between the two nations.
One source familiar with the matter believes Rubio and Lavrov had widely differing expectations about how to end Russia’s invasion in this chat.
Rubio is even said to have advised Trump himself to avoid agreeing to meet with Putin until the differences are resolved.
Later that day, a White House official confirmed the planned Budapest summit was no longer going ahead.
They added that there are no plans for a meeting between Trump and Putin in the near future at all.
Now with peace talks seemingly off the table, Trump is left facing a key decision over his involvement in the war going forwards.
For weeks now, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pleading with Trump to give Kyiv long-range Tomahawk missiles which can be used against Russia.
Trump is yet to agree to any such deal with many feeling he wanted to speak to Putin.
When Zelensky went to the White House last week Trump told him he hoped the war could be resolved “without thinking about Tomahawks”.
But with communications between Moscow and Washington now teetering on the edge it could allow Kyiv to push for the Tomahawks even more – especially if the fighting continues.
The lack of correspondence between Moscow and Washington could also help to drive conversations forward among US allies.
European nations are now said to be working with Ukraine on a new proposal for a ceasefire with follows similar terms as under Trump’s original plan.
Trump's divisive peace plan
AS Trump battles to end another key global conflict, he is facing perhaps his toughest task to date – Vladimir Putin.
The pair met for historic peace talks in Alaska on August 15, where the plan in Trump’s eyes was to get Vlad to the negotiating table.
Things didn’t go quite to plan as the pair shared a jovial few hours in each other’s company.
Little geopolitical work was undertaken regarding ending the war as Putin left to go back to Moscow and launch more deadly attacks on Ukraine.
His strikes have only ramped up in the two months since he met with Trump.
Now, all eyes are back on Ukraine following Trump’s Gaza peace declaration.
The US president hosted Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington last week as Kyiv pleaded with the US to send them Tomahawk missiles to be used against Russia.
Trump declined to agree to the deal and even erupted by shouting and swearing at Zelensky as he told him to accept Putin’s terms, sources told the Financial Times.
A defiant Zelensky managed to get the US leader back on side as Trump put forward a new peace plan.
On Sunday, he suggested freezing the frontline and drawing new borders along it – which would mean Ukraine handing vast swathes to Russia.
This would give Putin almost full control of the Donbas – which he has demanded as a condition for ending the war – but for a small stronghold still under Ukrainian control in the Donetsk oblast.
Russia has so far failed to capture Ukraine’s sturdy “fortress belt” – but is adamant that any peace settlement will see it handed over.
But even this deal wasn’t good enough for the Kremlin.
It also closely follows the 20-point plan put forward by Trump and accepted by Israel and Hamas over in the Middle East.
A ceasefire would come first before the current frontlines across Ukraine are frozen to help reshape the borders meaning both sides can keep the land they currently control.
The idea behind the fresh peace proposal is keep the US in a central role, according to four European diplomats.
A senior diplomat even suggested one term could see Trump lead a “peace board” to settle any disputes in the months after the ceasefire.
Some 35 Ukrainian allies are now set to meet on Friday in London for a peace summit.
All of those in attendance say they are willing to provide long-term support to Kyiv.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will chair the meeting alongside Zelensky.
The pair have already hit out at Russia in recent days for their continued “stalling” of peace negotiations.
A statement from Downing Street on Tuesday read: “We strongly support President Trump’s position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations.
“We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force.
“Russia’s stalling tactics have shown time and time again that Ukraine is the only party serious about peace.
“We can all see that Putin continues to choose violence and destruction.”
Can President Trump continue his winning streak and finally end the war in Ukraine?
ON the latest edition of Harry Cole Saves The West, Harry was joined by former congressman Lt. Col. Allen West to discuss Trump's role in Ukraine peace talks.
West believes that Trump must toughen up his stance on Putin and “go for the kill” when he has the chance at their upcoming meeting.
Trump must ensure the war is over as soon as possible but also get a guarantee from Moscow that they won’t attack another of their allies anytime soon.
West is adamant that any form of compromise from the US will be exploited and used by Putin to get exactly what he wants at the negotiating table.
He also told Harry that Trump needs to remember he is dealing with an “evil dictator”.
The colonel explained: “You have to be very careful with fence walking on this type of foreign policy when you’re dealing with a person like Putin.
“You can sit down and meet with him. You can have F-35s flying over his head, but there’s only one thing that he understands.
“And that presumably is brute force and having the windows of the Kremlin rattled with long-range American missiles.”
Watch the latest episode of Harry Cole Saves The West now
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