Irish Examiner view: Importance of words during a war

As Putin claims 'it’s not us who is refusing to negotiate, it’s them', 40 rocket attacks were launched from Russia at Ukraine

Given the duplicitous game Putin has been playing since he claimed forces massing on the Ukrainian border before the invasion last February were involved only in “planned military exercises”, it is no surprise the Russian leader’s words are treated with suspicion, if not downright scorn. Picture: Sergey Fadeichev/Pool Photo/AP

Invidious claims coming from the Kremlin on Christmas Day indicated president Vladimir Putin was willing to work towards a negotiated settlement to his illegal and merciless war against Ukraine. 

The Russian leader’s words, however, were laced with insincerity and left the distinct impression he was speaking with a forked tongue.

Putin’s claim that he wanted to negotiate and that “it’s not us who is refusing to negotiate, it’s them” were reported by Russian state television on Sunday and repeated by the state news agency TASS yesterday.

At face value his comments seemed generous, but as 40 rocket attacks were launched from Russia at Ukraine on Christmas Day, it has to be remembered that his rhetoric was aimed at his audience within Russia and nobody else.

For the people of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, sheltering in fear as the attacks rained down on them, there can have been no sense whatsoever that Putin had peace on his mind. 

In fact, the Ukrainian armed forces spoke for them instead with retaliatory attacks.

Ukraine and its allies have long suggested that Russia’s only aim in perpetuating talk of peaceful negotiations to end this brutal conflict is to buy time for the administration to re-arm after successive battlefield losses and continued accusations against it of war crimes and genocide.

Ukraine also responded by saying that Russia should be removed from its permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council and banned from the US altogether — an understandable riposte. There have been no substantive talks between the two sides for over six months and given the continued Russian belligerence, it is hardly any surprise that none are planned either.

Given the duplicitous game Putin has been playing since he claimed forces massing on the Ukrainian border before the invasion last February were involved only in “planned military exercises”, it is no surprise either the Russian leader’s words are treated with suspicion, if not downright scorn.