Why Donald Trump must remember Munich 1938 during Ukraine talks with Vladimir Putin
Russia’s current demands would turn Ukraine into a defenceless puppet state that could be annexed with ease
The apparent agreement that Donald Trump will meet Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, possibly next week, to discuss the war in Ukraine offers a glimmer of hope that a ceasefire deal could be achieved.
While the US President has praised Putin in the past and falsely accused Ukraine’s truly heroic leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, of being a dictator and even of starting the war, he may indeed be serious about wanting the killing to stop.
Many Ukrainians appear to agree with him. A Gallup survey conducted in July found seven out of ten Ukrainians wanted to see a negotiated settlement as soon as possible, an understandable viewpoint given Russia’s brutal bombardment of its towns and cities has killed more than 12,000 civilians since the start of the full-scale war in February 2022, according to the United Nations. These are not acts of war, but war crimes.
‘Time to end the war’
Throughout it all, Ukraine has only been acting to defend itself against Russian aggression. While Zelensky really should be included in any talks about the fate of his country, he said Ukraine was “not afraid of meetings and expects the same bold approach from the Russian side. It is time to end the war.”
However, Putin’s current demands are ridiculous. Not only does he want recognition of Russian sovereignty over Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, he also insists the rest of Ukraine must demilitarise, pledge ‘neutrality’ and hold new elections, which no doubt Russia would seek to interfere with.
In other words, his plan is to turn Ukraine into a defenceless puppet state that could be annexed with ease. Trump must recognise the dangers this outcome would pose, not just to Ukraine but all of Europe.
In Munich in 1938, the leaders of the UK, France and Italy agreed to allow Adolf Hitler to annex the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia, giving the Czechs, who were excluded from the talks, little choice but to accept it. A year later, Nazi forces marched into Poland, sparking the Second World War.
Appeasing war-mongering dictators only makes them stronger and more dangerous. Trump and everyone in the West need to remember who the good guys are.
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