Social Media Poster Gerry Nolan has put the Russia-Ukraine Conflict and the ongoing activities of the US and Europe, in very proper and precise perspective.
In his OP-ED, Nolan writes:
Washington Blinks First: Baby Steps in Moscow, But Russia Holds All the Cards
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff heading to Moscow isn’t a negotiation, not yet. It’s a reality check. The empire knows it’s losing, but it needs to stage-manage the retreat, to make its inevitable defeat look like a strategic recalibration instead of a humiliating collapse.
Because let’s be honest: Moscow won this war before it even started. NATO is depleted, Ukraine is a graveyard, the EU is bankrupt, and the BRICS+ bloc is expanding by the minute. The global chessboard is shifting from unipolar fantasy to multipolar reality. But Washington can’t afford to admit this outright, not to its vassals, not to its media, and certainly not to the American public already seething over another imperial disaster.
So, what’s the play? Face-saving. The US needs a way to exit Ukraine without looking like it’s being kicked out. They’ll demand meaningless “concessions” from Moscow to save political face. But Russia doesn’t need to give them anything. This war ends on Russia’s terms, on the battlefield, not at the negotiating table.
We’ve seen this script before:
• Vietnam, 1975: The US loses but pretends it was a “noble cause.”
• Afghanistan, 2021: The US loses, but Biden blames Trump.
• Ukraine, 2024-2025: The US loses, but Zelensky gets the knife in the back.
And NATO? The great “defensive alliance” that couldn’t even defend its own ammo stockpiles? This is their Suez Crisis moment, an irreversible turning point where the entire world sees Western power for what it really is: a declining empire trying to control the future with outdated threats.
Meanwhile, Russia has all the time in the world. It’s militarily, economically, and diplomatically stronger than ever. The Kremlin isn’t rushing for a less than perfect peace, it’s waiting for reality to sink in. Because when the US comes crawling for a real deal, they won’t be dictating terms.
This isn’t about negotiations. This is about Washington slowly accepting that it lost.
And when the smoke clears, the multipolar world moves forward to the next battle.
