UKRAINE: “There is no other option. No one should be left alive in Ukraine” 

“There is no other option. No one should be left alive in Ukraine”

Jeffrey Owens 

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin cannot believe his luck.  After three and a half years of full-scale war in which he has brazenly violated every rule of war in existence, and eleven years of aggression towards Ukraine, he is today exactly where he has  long wanted to be. 

For years Russia has openly advocated for the destruction of the post-Cold War world order, for the dividing of the world into “spheres of influence” and for a return to the bygone era of Great Power politics in which large countries decide the fate of smaller nations.

Today he has been invited onto U.S. soil, in Alaska, a former Russian territory, to meet one-on-one with President Trump to do exactly that.  Today there will be no peace talks, no settlement of the conflict and no exchanging of territories.  Today is a day of moral surrender to a warmonger and wanted war criminal, who seeks not peace, but to enhance his relationship with Trump for the purpose of delaying further U.S. sanctions on his war machine.

“Like Putin, Trump believed his own propaganda.  He deluded himself into believing that Russia’s war was “Joe Biden’s war” , that Ukraine was a proxy of the U.S., and that assisting Ukraine was prolonging the war.  This resulted in dozens of statements on the campaign trail that he could end the war “in 24 hours” or better yet “with a single phone call.” “

Russia’s war is far larger to them than a strip of territory in Eastern Ukraine, which is why true peace talks are not even on the horizon.  Russia openly sees itself at war with the collective western world, with Ukraine merely the battlefield.  Their war is a battle of wills between the free world and its authoritarian counterpart, and its aims are political, not territorial. 

For Russia, any survival of a free, democratic and armed Ukraine, no matter its size or where its borders are drawn, is a defeat.  Even after suffering a million casualties and burning through decades of stockpiles, Russia hasn’t altered its war aims by an inch.  They continue to insist, three and a half years into its full-scale invasion that no ceasefire can be considered until the “root causes” of the conflict (Ukraine’s existence) has been resolved. 

Russia in no way wants to be part of the civilized world and is far more comfortable in the company of rogue states such as North Korea and Iran, while massively supported by China.  Ukraine has been turned into a 21^st century Spanish Civil War for the testing of Russia’s allies equipment in action against western systems.  China has openly stated that Russia losing is an unacceptable outcome, as a victory for democracy would be disastrous for China’s own imperial ambitions. 

The title of this essay is not a quote from an  Alexandr Pushkin Nineteenth Century novel but rather the title of an article published in Russian state media just weeks ago.  “No one should be left alive in Ukraine” reads the headline coupled with an image of the Grim Reaper floating above the battlefield. 

Putin initially deluded himself into believing that subduing Ukraine would be a cakewalk.  He trusted his own propaganda.  He convinced himself that Ukraine didn’t exist, that its leadership were puppets of the west who would fold at the first sight of a Russian tank, and that its population were brainwashed Russians who would welcome his troops as liberators.  None of Putin’s hopes came true. 

Ukrainians have and continue to resist Russian aggression more passionately that he ever could have imagined, and leaving “no one alive” is Russia’s publicly declared position.

These are not just words but are backed up by Russian action.  No matter the number of genocidal statements that flow from the Kremlin nor the number of missiles which fly into hospitals and apartment complexes, nor the number of cases of torture, nor the ever increasing number of kidnapped children have had the slightest impact on western idealists who remain convinced that some mythical deal exists that can be struck with Russia.

Like Putin, Trump believed his own propaganda.  He deluded himself into believing that Russia’s war was “Joe Biden’s war” , that Ukraine was a proxy of the U.S., and that assisting Ukraine was prolonging the war.  This resulted in dozens of statements on the campaign trail that he could end the war “in 24 hours” or better yet “with a single phone call.” 

Since Ukraine never was a proxy, once in office, Trump had no means of “calling them off” from defending themselves. The war continued unabated and Trump’s frustration yielded the disastrous Oval Office debacle.  He and Vice President Vance publicly browbeat President Zelensky to accept whatever terms were presented to him, and promptly cut Ukraine off from arms supplies and intelligence sharing upon his resistance.

Still the war continued. Trump’s administration went on a months long embarrassing campaign of simping to Russia, from flattering phone calls and personal meetings, to bowing to Russian pressure.  The U.S. voted against its traditional allies in the UN and in stead voted with Russia and North Korea.  More than six months in office, he has yet to pass a single additional sanction on Russia, and western components in Russian weapons are at an all time high. 

Despite his crimes and openly considering himself at war with the collective west, Trump’s priority remains rehabilitating Putin rather than pressuring or especially punishing him.  There will be no bullying of Putin as there was of Zelensky, as Trump shares Putin’s worldview.  Each desires dominion over there own perceived spheres of influence, but Trump is new to the business and wishes to level up with Putin, not knock  him down. 

By welcoming Putin onto U.S. soil, Trump is setting Ukraine up to be the guaranteed loser of this summit, even though they have no seat at the table.  Putin will cast Ukraine as being the bulwark for peace by rejecting Russia’s ultimatums for Ukrainian capitulation, ignoring the fact that it was he who has thrown out every effort at a ceasefire Trump has attempted so far.  

Do not fall for the fanfare today that some sort of peace negotiations are ongoing, as they are not.  Trump has no authority to offer up Ukrainian territory and Russia has no interest in gaining land for a peace which they do not want.  Putin intends to defeat the collective west in his battle of wills for global supremacy, in which there is no room for peace, and Trump is dead set on helping him do it.

Jeffrey Owens is the Author of the Victory in Europe: A People’s History of the Second World War. He is from Grove City, Ohio, United States. Jeffrey is the correspondent of Mahabahu.

16-08-2025

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