this post was submitted on 26 Apr 2025
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Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy have sat down for a face-to-face talk in the opulent halls of a Vatican basilica to discuss a possible ceasefire, after which the US president accused his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, of not wanting to “stop the war”.

The White House described Trump’s meeting with the Ukrainian leader before Pope Francis’s funeral as “very productive”, while Zelenskyy said on X that the talk with the US president was symbolic and had the “potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results”.

It was the first time that Zelenskyy and Trump had met face to face after a frosty February encounter in the White House where Trump and the US vice-president, JD Vance, berated the Ukrainian leader and accused him of ingratitude for US aid.

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[–] LandedGentry@lemmy.zip 88 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Is he seriously just realizing Vlad doesn't want to end the war? I really can’t tell when he’s an idiot or colluding these days

[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 53 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Vlad wants to end the war. On his terms though, cause he knows he can get it.

[–] LandedGentry@lemmy.zip 8 points 1 day ago (2 children)

With Trump yes his chances have certainly increased. Though the EU looks more willing to help Ukraine than I expected, which is great.

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 6 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

There was literally no scenario where Russia could possibly lose this war. Anybody who has an even minimally functioning brain understood this long before the war began.

[–] Jakeroxs@sh.itjust.works 1 points 16 minutes ago

It's not even a war according to Putin lol

[–] LandedGentry@lemmy.zip -1 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

I’m sure folks said that about Afghanistan and the USSR too

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 2 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Imagine being so historically ignorant as to try and draw comparisons between the two.

[–] LandedGentry@lemmy.zip -1 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Well Putin notoriously was a KGB man who still thinks the worst day of his life was the fall of the USSR so…

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 1 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Ah yes, the fall of USSR when millions of people had their lives ruined of course would be the day somebody like you would celebrate.

[–] LandedGentry@lemmy.zip 2 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

I don’t celebrate it. You’re making shit up and avoiding what I said/the obvious implications.

Done wasting my time. Enjoy the boot 🖕

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 1 points 14 hours ago
[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 15 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Chances have been looking good for russia. I don't believe Europe has the capacity to deal with russians by themselves, they'd really have to ramp up manufacturing.

[–] technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (2 children)

If you can't tell whether Trump is an idiot, then sorry I can't help you.

[–] Robust_Mirror@aussie.zone 3 points 4 hours ago

The issue is figuring out whether any given statement is due to stupidity or maliciousness.

[–] LandedGentry@lemmy.zip 5 points 18 hours ago

No no he is an idiot but not everything he does is because he’s an idiot.

[–] raltoid@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

In his mind he's ~6' 3", ~230 lbs with an IQ of 150.

He truly thinks that world leaders look up to him and that he's playing everyone else.

[–] freagle@lemmygrad.ml 27 points 1 day ago (16 children)

What is the strategic advantage for Russia for continuing the war?

[–] obbeel@lemmy.eco.br 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

If I had to guess (my knowledge is a couple of geopolitics books), I'd say Russia wants to create a rift between East and West that is beneficial to China as well. China helped Russia build a quantum computer recently and there are more clues that they're getting even closer together. I think Russia wants to shake the current world order.

[–] freagle@lemmygrad.ml 27 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Why does maintaining a war, which consumes resources, laborers, and focus/attention, and also creates security threats, be beneficial to to Russia for shaking the current world order?

[–] obbeel@lemmy.eco.br 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Russia has been cut out from the West, it couldn't even participate in the Olympics. So it got closer to China. Its economy is resilient despite the war. Russia has also been the leading country in the BRICS in regard to finding an alternative to the dollar together with Brazil. And it is working to ditch SWIFT (the banking system). So I'd say Russia is pretty interested into getting away from the West, at least economically and politically.

[–] freagle@lemmygrad.ml 20 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Why does staying at war on Ukraine advance these aims?

[–] obbeel@lemmy.eco.br -2 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Because it deepens the rift. Donald Trump as president also helps Putin a lot, as the russian president have said before, since Trump also wants to shake things up. As could be seen by his tariff policies.

[–] freagle@lemmygrad.ml 15 points 1 day ago (1 children)

How does continuing the war deepen the rift? Clearly it strengthens the resolve of European countries to develop their militaries and build alliances.

[–] 3abas@lemm.ee 1 points 3 hours ago

You're asking good questions, but there’s a bigger picture here.

Keeping the war going does deepen the rift between the "West" and the "rest" (Global South, China, parts of Africa, Latin America) because the longer it drags on, the more global fatigue sets in.

Europe may strengthen militarily, but economically and politically it's getting weaker... inflation, energy crises, internal divisions (think of Hungary, Slovakia, even parts of Germany), and rising far right movements that don't necessarily want to give aid to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, countries in the Global South see the West’s endless funding of the war and start asking why wars and genocides elsewhere (like in Palestine, Sudan, Yemen) don't get the same attention or aid. That erodes Western moral authority globally, this alone is probably why you're here on this platform today.

China and Russia use that frustration to present themselves as “alternatives” to U.S. and European dominance — even if it's obviously self-serving.

Also, a prolonged war keeps the U.S. distracted and pouring resources into Ukraine instead of focusing fully on Asia-Pacific (where China’s real ambitions lie). From Putin’s view, even if Russia suffers economically, the systemic weakening of Western unity is a bigger win in the long run.

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