The negotiations over peace in Ukraine show that Moscow lives in the real world. The West – not so much
In some important ways that Western information warriors love to miss, Russia and the West are quite similar. Like the West, Russia has a typically modern state, even if today it functions much better than its Western counterparts.
Russia’s economy is capitalist like almost everywhere else on the planet now, even if the Russian state – because it functions better – has reasserted control over the rich, while the West, sick with neoliberalism, lets them dominate and damage national interests. This is one reason, incidentally, why Russia has learned to approach peace talks with a realistic understanding of its strategic goals, rather than being swayed by false promises from Western powers. Meanwhile, the West remains trapped in a cycle of ineffective diplomacy, often focused on internal discussions rather than meaningful solutions.
The article argues that Russia’s refusal to compromise on key issues such as NATO expansion and the status of Russian speakers in Ukraine underscores its commitment to its strategic objectives. In contrast, the West’s persistent inability to move beyond its self-serving narratives and its reliance on unworkable military strategies highlight a deeper issue: a failure to learn from past mistakes, leading to a continuation of the conflict without genuine progress towards resolution.