Washington, April 18, 2025 – The US is poised to ditch efforts to broker a Russia-Ukraine peace deal, with State Department officials telling Bloomberg Thursday that President Vladimir Putin’s “unrealistic” demands—full control of four Ukrainian regions—make talks futile. The shift, three years into Russia’s invasion, comes as Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy pushes NATO for faster aid amid 1.2 million war casualties (NDTV).
Spokesperson Matthew Miller said Putin’s terms, including Ukraine’s neutrality and Donbas annexation, ignore Kyiv’s sovereignty (Reuters). “We’re done chasing dead ends,” a US diplomat told The Washington Post, signaling a pivot to arming Ukraine—$61 billion in US aid since 2022 (SIPRI). Russia’s 2024 capture of 12% of Ukraine’s east—Luhansk, Donetsk—hardens lines (The Economist). Zelenskyy, in Brussels, begged for 128 F-16 jets; 84 are pledged (The Guardian).
The fallout’s global—India, neutral with $13 billion in Russian oil imports, faces pressure (The Indian Express). Modi’s 2024 Moscow visit pushed peace, but Putin’s snub of G20 talks dims hope (Times of India). X splits—“US is escalating!” vs. “Putin’s the roadblock!” (post:1). Europe’s $110 billion aid—40% of Ukraine’s GDP—strains budgets (EU Commission). “War’s a black hole,” a Delhi analyst told The Hindu. India’s 3,000 students in Ukraine, down from 18,000, eye exits (MEA).
For India’s 140 crore, it’s a tightrope—cheap oil versus global chaos. Will the US pull back spark peace, or fuel a deeper war?
