President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, Call President Putin And Stop The Madness

As bombs drop in Ukraine, it is time for the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy,  to open a channel and speak directly with his Russian counterpart, Putin. When a war is fought on your land, you are losing despite whatever anyone tells you! Speaking with Putin is not a sign of weakness; it is understanding asymmetric capabilities and saving the lives of citizens.

I expect many to think otherwise, encouraging President Zelenskyy to keep fighting even as his nation is ravaged. But I do think that he needs to make that call by himself. Interestingly, this is the hypothetical 3am phone call moment and only Zelenskyy can make it and help his nation; France, US, Germany, etc cannot.

Mr Zelenskyy, call Putin and have a conversation as men. Your nation has done well but with this war on your soil, statistically, you have less than 7% of “victory”.

I write this as someone  who grew up in a village in Abia State, Nigeria. More than 50 years after the Biafran war, the signs of desecration remain.

War is bad and a major quasi-victory is making sure NONE is fought in your land. President Zelenskyy, it is now time to call Putin and find a way to stop this madness. Forget those telling you that you are winning; you cannot “win” a war fought on your land.

It’s Sunday; peace to this world.

Comment on Feeds

Comment 1: I agree. He needs to call Putin to try and put an end to this. I stand corrected, but, think I read where Zelenskyy said he called Putin and all he got was silence. I don’t think Putin wants to talk. Putin wants to depose Zelenskyy. As a democratically elected president, Zelenskyy needs to convene his cabinet and make a decision. There is no way he can stand the might of Russia. He can AVERT unnecessary loss to life and infrastructure. The objective now ought to be “anything but war”.

Comment 2; Sure, I support him making the call. But What if Russia gives him a condition he can’t accept? What Russia wants is clear enough. Perpetual keeping of Ukraine under her control. Truly, it’s a dilemma for Ukraine as the big boys have suddenly turned toothless bull dogs. Peace to Ukraine.

Comment 3: True, it’s good to be brave and strong but it’s better to be wise. Lives are being displaced, structures destroyed faster than they can be replaced and all for what?

Comment 4: Well done Professor. There is a difference between common sense and textbooks. I see Putin listening to him and ready to help rebuild Ukraine. There is no need for brothers to fight.

Comment 5: Calling Putin directly at this stage is weakness and nothing else. Unimaginable terms will be put forward by Putin. The best way is for a third party to do the calling. Calling Putin at this stage is weakness I repeat! Ukraine can not be under Russia siege forever as an independent nation. We should also consider the body language of Ukrainians, are they telling the president to do what we think he should do?

My Response to #5: Whether today, next week, next month or next year, that call will happen. Russia has more military power and there is no need delaying the deadline. While the probability that Putin will not attack was not 1, but when he did, the signs were there. No need delaying the show of “weakness” because that is evident.

Comment 6: Mr Zelenskky has tried to call President Putin and the response? Silence! So, this post of yours is a little too late, except you mean he (President Zelenskky) should reinitiate the call which will show a sign of desperation from the Ukrainian President. Putin is out to humiliate Zelenskky, so, the windows for discussion are closed, the next step is either for Zelenskky to surrender or allow the US evacuate him from Kyiv (which he has refused to accept)

Comment 7: Mr Zelenskky has tried to call President Putin and the response? Silence! So, this post of yours is a little too late, except you mean he (President Zelenskky) should reinitiate the call which will show a sign of desperation from the Ukrainian President. Putin is out to humiliate Zelenskky, so, the windows for discussion are closed, the next step is either for Zelenskky to surrender or allow the US evacuate him from Kyiv (which he has refused to accept)

Response to 7: good point. I had a post in my blog but did not share it here. I was waiting to see if Biden will sanction Russia’s oil and gas sector. But when he refused this morning, I concluded that Ukraine has no chance. Technically, Europe and the US do not want to bear the pains through energy prices. If that is the case, what is the end goal for Ukraine? The US sanctions are limited. Russia uses less than 0.1% of global semiconductors (it commands 3% of global GDP) and they probably stocked inventory to last for years before this campaign. So, that semiconductor sanction is toothless. The only pain ti Putin will be oil & gas but no one is ready to go there. That shows that Ukraine is alone.

Further comment to Response 7: Ndubuisi Ekekwe I can not agree more. The man is being cheered on, dressed in military fatigue for photo ops and beautiful inspiring speeches, but none of his cheerleaders is ready to pay the slightest price. There is no substitute for experience. If Ukrainians had elected a knowledgeable experienced politician/leader for a president, he/she would know better (1) not to get himself/his country entangled in a fight between 2 powers, and (2) the necessary damage control measures – rather than stubborn belligerence.

Comment 8: Prof Ndubuisi Ekekwe. God bless you Sir. The people encouraging Ukraine to fight on are the number one enemies. They seat at their comfort while encouraging untrained civilians to take up arms against sophisticated Russian army.

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