Diplomacy of Deception: Putin Offers $1 Billion to Trump's 'Board of Peace' While Bombing Ukraine
Hours after announcing Moscow would contribute to Trump's new international body, Russian forces launched another wave of attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure. The EU responds with action, not words.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Moscow's willingness to contribute $1 billion to Donald Trump's "Board of Peace" just hours before Russian forces launched another wave of attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, highlighting what analysts call a pattern of diplomatic maneuvering designed to buy time rather than achieve genuine peace.
Putin's offer, made during a Russian Security Council meeting on Tuesday, proposes using frozen Russian assets in the United States to pay the membership fee for Trump's new international body. According to Bloomberg, around $5 billion of Russia's approximately $300 billion in frozen global assets is located in the US.
The timing drew immediate scorn on social media. "Moments later, he bombed Ukraine," noted Brian Krassenstein, whose post went viral with thousands of shares. The juxtaposition underscored what observers describe as the Kremlin's standard playbook: peace talk accompanied by battlefield escalation.
A Pattern of Deception
This is not the first time Moscow has paired diplomatic overtures with military aggression. According to UN News, Russia launched over 200 attack drones onto Ukraine on New Year's Day alone, targeting energy infrastructure in seven regions. The attacks have continued throughout January, with a massive strike on January 13 consisting of almost 300 drones, 18 ballistic missiles, and seven cruise missiles.
Video footage released by French President Emmanuel Macron last week showed that Ukraine accepted a 30-day ceasefire proposal in May 2025, which Putin rejected. The footage contradicted claims by some that Ukraine was the obstacle to peace negotiations. "Putin is the roadblock to peace," noted Democratic Wins Media, whose post sharing the Macron video garnered nearly 60,000 engagement points.
The infrastructure assault has pushed Ukraine's available generating capacity from 33.7 GW at the start of the full-scale invasion to approximately 14 GW today. Temperatures inside some Kyiv apartments have dropped below freezing, with residents facing blackouts lasting up to four days.
Ukraine Strikes Back
While Russia targets civilian infrastructure, Ukraine has maintained pressure on Russian military assets. Ukrainian forces struck a large Russian ammunition depot for the second consecutive night this week, according to reports from NAFO-affiliated analysts monitoring the conflict.
Ukrainian drone strikes in 2025 reportedly crippled two-thirds of Russia's refining capacity, according to Forbes analysis. President Alexander Stubb of Finland summarised Russia's strategic position: the country has suffered an estimated 1 million casualties, decreased its sphere of influence, and faces 30% inflation, 16% interest rates, and depleted reserves.
Europe's Response: Action Over Words
The European Union has responded to Russian aggression with its largest coordinated aid package in history. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced at Davos that the EU will provide Ukraine with a 90 billion euro loan for 2026 and 2027, with approximately two-thirds allocated to military assistance.
"We all want peace for Ukraine," von der Leyen stated at the World Economic Forum. "Ukraine must be in a position of strength to go to the negotiation table. And this is why we Europeans have decided to provide Ukraine with a loan of 90 billion euros."
The EU also announced it will permanently immobilise Russian assets and reserves the right to use them, serving as what von der Leyen called "a starting reminder to Russia and a message to the world: Europe will always stand with Ukraine until there is a just and lasting peace."
This commitment builds on the unprecedented European support that has brought total EU assistance to Ukraine to over 216 billion euros since the invasion began. France, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine have signed a declaration of intent for the deployment of a multinational peacekeeping force.
The Board of Peace Question
Trump's Board of Peace, unveiled last week in Davos, has divided the international community. According to NBC News, while Hungary, Morocco, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, and Argentina have signed on, none of America's European allies had joined as of Thursday.
Britain declined to participate, with UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper expressing concern that Putin and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko were among those invited. European officials worry the body could undermine the UN's primacy in conflict resolution.
Putin's offer to join using frozen assets carries a particular irony. Those assets were frozen precisely because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Using them to buy a seat at a "peace" table while continuing to bomb Ukrainian civilians represents what critics call the diplomatic equivalent of a protection racket.
Facts on the Ground
Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski recently corrected Tucker Carlson's historical claims about the war, noting: "The US didn't declare war on Germany when Hitler invaded Poland. Likewise, it's Russia that invaded Ukraine, not the other way around. My suggestion: first facts, then opinions."
As the conflict enters its fourth year, the EU's approach contrasts sharply with Moscow's. While Putin offers diplomatic gestures undercut by military action, the EU has delivered concrete support that has kept Ukraine in the fight. According to the European Commission, the new 90 billion euro package should begin flowing by April 2026.
The lesson emerging from this latest episode is one Europe has learned repeatedly: Russian peace offers tend to arrive alongside Russian missiles. Until Moscow's actions match its words, continued military support remains the only viable path to genuine security.
January 22, 2026