Russia-Ukraine war: Putin accused of manipulating US with peace talks

Hope for Ukraine founder, Yuriy Boyechko, has accused President Vladimir Putin of tactically using the peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine war to slow down the United States’ mediation.

He made the comment after Ukrainian cities were rocked by another massive wave of Russian missile and drone attacks Tuesday night, killing at least two in Kyiv and injuring over a dozen in Zaporizhzhia. Odesa was also hit.

“A clear and disturbing pattern has emerged,” Boyechko warned in a statement. “Vladimir Putin is masterfully manipulating the U.S. administration with the illusion of peace talks, leading directly to escalated, brutal attacks on Ukrainian civilians.”

The humanitarian emphasized that cancellation of a planned Putin-Trump summit, just days after it was announced, “is the latest and most dangerous example of this cycle of deception.”

The White House on Tuesday confirmed there are no plans for the heads of state to meet in the immediate future, backtracking from the American leader’s indication of an upcoming second meeting in Budapest, Hungary.

According to Boyechko, while the Trump administration “engages in a delusional ‘will he, won’t he’ dance with Putin” over parleys and negotiations, Russia continues to “unleash hell” on the Ukrainian people.

The Moscow critic noted that with the diplomatic charade over and Tomahawk missile support for Ukraine derailed by a phone call from Putin to the White House, the bombs immediately began to fall.

“The pattern is now undeniable,” he wrote. “Putin signals willingness to negotiate, prompting the U.S. to ease pressure and delay critical military aid; Trump makes concessions; Russia maintains maximalist demands ensuring talks collapse; and then Russia escalates attacks on Ukrainian civilians.”

Boyechko said hollow pledges from Washington are not only failing to bring peace, but are fueling the conflict, deploring how each canceled summit and broken promise is followed by a new round of terror on Ukrainian homes, schools, and power plants.

“The attack on Chernihiv on October 21, which left the city in a total blackout, and last night’s assault on multiple cities, are the bloody price of this diplomatic naivete,” the statement added.

“Russia continues to do everything to weasel out of diplomacy,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in response to the latest attack. “As soon as the issue of long-range capabilities for Ukraine became less immediate, Russia’s interest in diplomacy faded almost automatically.”