If international politics were a game of chess, the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States would resemble the moment when the player throws the board over and declares triumphantly: “Well, let’s do it my way”. Here, then, the new president-elect began his series of diplomatic phone calls, collecting world leaders as if they were stamps from a private collection. But not everyone was ready to answer his call. While Trump sipped his coffee, enriched with a generous dose of self-satisfaction, on the other end there was someone who, with the phone firmly placed on the desk, had no problem ignoring a call that, in reality, did not never arrived: Vladimir Putin.
“I think we’ll talk,” Tycoon said about a possible conversation with the Russian leader, hinting that Putin’s phone will ring soon. But on the other side of the Kremlin, the Russian president, with his usual icy smile, declared: “I just don’t do it”. In short, if it were a dance between old friends, Putin would have decided not to participate in the first dance. But Trump, faithful to his businessman style, does not seem to lose heart. In fact, he has already spoken to “around 70 world leaders”including an enthusiastic Netanyahu who apparently found the conversation “very positive”.
It’s a shame that not everyone in the world shares the enthusiasm for the second mandate of those who promised a resolution to the war between Russia and Ukraine in 24 hours.“A quick solution does not necessarily mean a just peace”commented a rather skeptical Vladimir Zelenskij from the press conference in Budapest, where the summit of the European Political Community (EPC) was taking place. A crucial meeting that brought together European leaders to discuss security challenges, from Russian aggression in Ukraine to growing tensions in the Middle East. “I think Trump really wants a quick solution, but it would mean losses for Ukraine”the Ukrainian president said, echoing the concerns of many present.
Meanwhile, Putin wasted no time warming up the Valdai Club audience, the prestigious international forum that every year brings together politicians, experts and intellectuals from all over the world in Russia to discuss geopolitical issues. This event, which has long become the Kremlin’s privileged stage, offers Moscow the opportunity to convey its vision of the world and influence the international debate, presenting an alternative narrative to Western policies. In one of his speeches that oscillate between the rally and the declaration of war, Putin took the opportunity to launch new (or old?) accusations at the West: “Western liberalism has degenerated into extreme intolerance and aggression towards any sovereign and independent thought”he thundered, pointing the finger at Western liberalism, which he believed was guilty of supporting “Neo-Nazism, terrorism, racism and even mass genocide of civilian populations”.
While Trump enjoys the spotlight, the lights are literally turned off in Odessa. On a freezing November night, Russian drones struck the port city, damaging schools and homes, breaking the peace of a population already devastated by years of conflict. The images of the gutted school ‘125’, the shattered windows and the smoke enveloping the remains of the building, paint a very different picture from the chatter among powerful people about “positive talks”. On the front line, there are no diplomatic smiles, only the bitter cold of the approaching winter, accompanied by explosions and terror.
But let’s go back to the match between Trump and Putin. Between one accusation and another, the Russian president dropped a dig, disguised as a kind wish: “I take this opportunity to congratulate Trump, but let’s not forget that we are talking about a hostile country, directly and indirectly involved in a war against our state”a statement which, in summary, sounds like: “Welcome back to the White House, but don’t fool yourself into thinking we’ll give you a red carpet welcome.”
Meanwhile, from the Ukrainian trenches, soldiers like Maksim Sviezhencev are not easily enchanted by Trump’s high-sounding promises. “The reality is that we simply don’t know what will happen. Trump is unpredictable. One time he says one thing, the next day he does something else.”Maksim communicated to the American National Public Radio (NPR), with his voice almost lost in the roar of the Russian drones that echoed above their heads. “Here on the front, we see the real cost of this war every day. It’s easy to talk about peace from a luxurious office, but we ask ourselves what the price we will have to pay for this promised ‘peace’ will be.”
It’s hard not to feel bitter when faced with the idea that the fate of millions of Ukrainians could depend on phone calls between leaders who treat peace as a commodity to be negotiated. Maksim, with his uniform dirty with mud and his face marked by tiredness, commented harshly: “We are not fighting for diplomatic agreements, but for our land, for our freedom. Their promises do not stop the missiles that continue to rain down on us.”
And if Trump has already hinted at his intention to reduce billions in aid to Ukraine, doubts about his real commitment to defending Kiev against Russian aggression are only growing. After all, we are talking about the same man who accused Zelenskiy of sparking the conflict. Do we remember “Ukrainegate”? In 2019, Trump tried to extort the Ukrainian president into an investigation into Joe Biden and his son Hunter in exchange for military aid, bending foreign policy to their own interests. Zelenskij, certainly, has not forgotten that episode, although for now he has chosen a diplomatic facade by congratulating Trump. But behind these superficial declarations, could there ever be an authentic intent of collaboration?
In this new political season, the world holds its breath as Trump revels in the idea that he is the man to end the conflict. But the real question is: will he really be willing to do what is needed to protect a Europe under siege, the same EU that he did not hesitate to criticize during the election campaign? Or, between one tweet and another, will he allow Putin to continue his game of drones and bombs, while in Ukraine people fill bottles of water from public fountains, preparing for an even harsher winter?
The only certainty is that, between fiery speeches and empty promises, the powerful continue to dance on the stage of a diplomacy that sounds like an orchestra out of tune: violins screeching as bombs explode, winds blowing notes out of time as drones soar across the skies. Here, citizens wait in silence, forgotten and suspended in uncertainty, wondering when the next act of this never-ending tragedy will befall them.
