Despite President Donald Trump's loud proclamations during his election campaign to end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, his efforts have yet to yield results, as both conflicts remain deeply entrenched. This is not for want of effort from the Trump administration, as the White House had spent time and energy to get President Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy바카라 and Benjamin Netanyahu to get the peace process in place, but with limited or no success. At best, talks between Russia and Ukraine remain ongoing.
Reining in Netanyahu is also proving difficult for Trump as Israel continues to starve Gaza바카라s people and threatens another ground invasion of the enclave. At the same time, Israel바카라s targeting of civilians, in the name of hunting down Hamas fighters, remains in place.
Donald Trump바카라s easy boast of halting the bloodletting will come to haunt him as his team struggles to come to grips with complex issues that cannot be wished away. So far, peace in Europe appears elusive, as does the situation in West Asia.
Peace Talks in Istanbul
There were doubts that Monday바카라s peace talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian officials would take place, after a massive overnight drone attack on five Russian airfields by Ukraine, which caused extensive damage according to Kyiv. This was in response to Russia바카라s relentless bombing of several locations in Ukraine throughout the week. There were calls from Russian hawks for a massive Russian retaliation.
But the talks, though postponed and short, did take place. Officials met in Istanbul for under an hour. A prisoner swap agreement was reached, with Ukraine saying that a third meeting was on the cards. It is doubtful that either side discussed any ceasefire or peace agreement to end the war. Both sides were to have submitted their conditions for peace. But as of now, it is not clear whether anything other than a prisoner swap was on the agenda.
The truth is that Moscow and Kyiv are under pressure, with neither side willing to displease President Donald Trump. They are talking, but neither Putin nor Zelenskyy is in a hurry to initiate serious and meaningful peace talks. Both want to negotiate from a position of military strength. Russia is not giving up Crimea nor the Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhya Oblasts.
For Zelenskyy, Sunday바카라s drone attack on Russian targets was a major morale booster, but whether Ukraine can sustain this over a longer period of time is the question.
Putin바카라s Best Chance Is to Seal a Deal Now.
Putin is perhaps making a strategic mistake. It is best for him to get a peace deal through while Donald Trump is in the mood to back him. Already, Russia바카라s obduracy is angering Trump, who threatens to walk out of the effort to make peace and is also threatening sanctions on Russia. During his first term, too, while reaching out to the Kremlin boss, he finally got frustrated and imposed sanctions on Russia. Any other U.S. President after Trump may not be as accommodating as him. Somehow, Putin바카라s maximalist position may haunt him in future. Russia must realise this is its best chance to get a deal with Ukraine.
What Next in Gaza?
With ceasefire talks stalling and humanitarian conditions worsening, the future of Gaza hangs in the balance. The Israeli government's uncompromising position, coupled with internal political pressures, has left little room for negotiation. Hamas wants a ceasefire, but not according to terms dictated by Israel. Hamas, in talks with Steve Witkoff, Trump바카라s chief firefighter, has agreed to a peace and hostage release plan on May 25. Netanyahu rejected it. On May 29, Witkoff and Israel announced fresh terms that would allow Israel to resume the war within 60 days of a hostage exchange. There are now 58 hostages in Gaza, 35 of them dead. Hamas naturally said no. At the moment, even with the best of intentions, Witkoff is unable to get both sides to agree to a stop to the war.
What is frightening is that as the war continues, the Israeli public is getting radicalised. Haaretz, Israel바카라s oldest English newspaper, reported that a recent survey of Israeli Jews showed that 81 per cent of the people polled now approve of the idea of forcibly expelling Palestinians from both Gaza and from within Israel바카라s borders. The newspaper also found that a ``significant minority바카라바카라 supported the mass killing of civilians in enemy cities captured by Israeli troops. This falls in line with the demonstration of Orthodox Jews against action taken against soldiers who raped and brutalised Palestinian prisoners.
바카라These disturbing trends reflect the radicalisation of religious Zionism since Israel's 2005 withdrawal from Gaza, and the failure of secular Israeli Jews to articulate a vision that challenges Jewish supremacy,바카라바카라 the newspaper said. As the war drags on, there is a palpable hardening of stance in Israel, though the world바카라s support for Israel is dwindling with each passing day.
Netanyahu바카라long considered an ally of Trump바카라has adopted a hardline stance on the peace process, aiming to solidify support from his ultra-Orthodox and right-wing cabinet members. The mounting complexity of these crises continues to test diplomatic resolve.
