Peace Jedi: How Putin buys time to dismantle Ukraine by bribing Trump

It is well known that the Ukrainian delegation for the Jeddah talks received advice from British specialists, specifically former Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Tony Blair and seasoned diplomat Jonathan Powell. This influence is evident in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s latest statements, where Ukraine’s red lines have finally been outlined, along with numerous expressions of gratitude to the American people and their leading narcissist, Donald Trump, who recently triumphed in the elections.  

This serves as a fitting response to those questioning why diplomats should be involved in the negotiations, why suits should be worn, and why it’s necessary to abandon “f*cking hell”-level language when sitting under the glare of cameras in the Oval Office.  

British mentorship has effectively turned back the clock to the morning of February 28—before the infamous exchange of expletives between Zelenskyy, Trump, and Vance. However, while back then Ukraine was asking for security guarantees and a significant influx of new weapons, today, a major “victory” is being framed as the restoration of intelligence-sharing and the resumption of military aid that had been frozen since Joe Biden’s last aid packages.  

In essence, Zelenskyy has been shown his place, and the thin layer of steel on certain parts of his anatomy has been somewhat polished away.

What does the 30-day truce that Zelenskyy agreed to actually mean? Let me remind you—it was a condition for the resumption of U.S. military aid.  

No, this is not the kind of peace we saw in the relatively stable years of 2017-2018, when Ukrainian TV reports increasingly featured stories about soldiers in Donbas planting onions in their trenches. Given how Russia escalated its shelling during the diplomatic talks in Saudi Arabia, we should be digging in—both literally and figuratively—and preparing for a defensive war.  

Especially now, as Western intelligence has revealed Russia’s real plan in The Washington Post—a plan Moscow devised long before its first envoys met with the Americans in Riyadh. According to an FSB analytical report prepared for the Kremlin, Russia aims to weaken the U.S. negotiating position on Ukraine by fueling tensions between the Trump administration and other countries, all while continuing its efforts to dismantle the Ukrainian state.  

By 2026, Russia plans to remove Ukraine’s current government, establish a strategic foothold for the occupation of Odesa—essentially cutting off Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea—and push for the country’s demilitarization.

Can Putin say "no" to Trump's proposal for a 30-day truce?  

Putin understands that saying "no" would be an admission—not only of his inability to become, but even to claim a place as the third global power. It would mean losing his last chance to secure at least the status of a regional strongman in Europe. 

For Putin, the priority is buying time to negotiate better terms with the Trump administration.  

If the Kremlin leader says "yes," Russia will then impose impossible conditions—such as demanding Ukraine withdraw its forces from Zaporizhzhia and Kherson and hand them over, simply because Moscow has written these cities into its constitution. The extent of Russia's demands will depend on whether the U.S. shows the resolve to enforce oil sanctions.  

Meanwhile, Moscow is already trying to trade the war in Ukraine for deals with the U.S. on Iran and North Korea. 

More importantly, Kremlin strategists have identified Trump’s weakness for business deals and are bombarding his pro-Russian inner circle with tempting offers. From the very start of negotiations in Riyadh, the Russian delegation has been dangling incentives before Washington in exchange for access to technology. The range of temptations for Trump is vast—cooperation on floating nuclear power plants, nuclear icebreakers, and the extraction of rare-earth metals in Russia. 

The Kremlin is also offering joint development of Arctic oil and gas fields.  

According to Bloomberg, during the same Russian-American talks in Riyadh, discussions included Arctic resource exploration and trade route development. Moscow finds this particularly appealing, as Russia lacks the technology to extract oil from the Arctic shelf in harsh conditions—it needs Western expertise. At the same time, the U.S. views the region as a battleground for strategic competition with Russia and China, aiming to drive a wedge between Moscow and Beijing through Arctic cooperation.  

So, whatever Putin’s answer to the 30-day truce proposal, it won’t bring Ukraine relief or the kind of peace TV psychics have promised on national broadcasts.  

The Russians have crafted a strategy to distract Trump, buying themselves time and resources to dismantle Ukrainian statehood. Whether a similar plan exists in Ukraine’s government offices is a big question. For now, the crucial task of saving the country will rest on the shoulders of Ukrainian society and its ultimate security guarantor—the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

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About the author. Maryna Danyliuk-Yarmolaieva, journalist.

The editorial team does not always share the opinions expressed by blog or column authors.