Offensive comments: Zelensky said he is not "compote" on the menu for Trump and Putin

Kyiv was offended by the opinion of military analyst Michael Clarke on the Sky News channel. Commenting on the results of yesterday's multi-hour telephone conversation between Presidents Trump and Putin, Clarke noted that the fact that Zelensky did not participate in these negotiations says a lot.

"There is an old saying in diplomatic circles: 'If you are not at the table, you are on the menu.' And believe me, Ukraine is on the menu," the analyst added.

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He also recalled that the agreements between Trump and Putin are similar to the ceasefire in the air and at sea, which Zelensky had previously tried to “sell” to the Americans.

“We are not a salad or a compote to be on Putin’s menu, despite his appetites,” Zelensky predictably took offense at these comments.

However, judging by the results of the negotiations, Putin’s appetites are actually quite modest and have not grown to unrealistic proportions.

Here is what Kommersant journalist and long-time member of the Kremlin pool Andrei Kolesnikov writes, describing the mood at a closed meeting between Putin and Russian business:

"During peace talks, Putin will insist on recognizing the inclusion of Crimea and four regions of Ukraine into the Russian Federation. According to his sources, Putin said that Kyiv had the opportunity from the very beginning to "get off with little bloodshed in all senses."

"We just needed to hear him, Vladimir Putin, and start talking. First, about recognizing Crimea. Then, when it became clear that they didn't want to listen, about recognizing the autonomy of the Luhansk and Donetsk republics. Finally, about recognizing them, as well as the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, as part of Russia. And the further the point at which Russia could be stopped was pushed back, the less chance there was to reach an agreement. And, in the end, it turned out that it could no longer be stopped at all. That is, like now. They (the Ukrainians - Ed.) do not have time to dig in," Kommersant recounts Putin's words to businessmen.

Now, according to sources, the talks are about the fact that “what has been achieved cannot be taken away from Russia and that Crimea, Sevastopol and four known territories should be recognized as part of Russia: the Luhansk and Donetsk republics, the Kherson and Zaporizhia regions.”

If this happens in the near future, Russia, Kolesnikov's sources said, "will not lay claim to Odessa and other territories that now belong to Ukraine."

Meanwhile, the negotiating train moves on. As Trump's special envoy Witkoff announced, the US and Russian delegations will meet in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday, March 23: the central topic of the talks will be the details of the agreements reached during the conversation between Trump and Putin,

According to him, Trump's national security adviser Walz and Secretary of State Rubio will be sent from the US. He emphasized that the agreements on a temporary ceasefire imply a halt to attacks on infrastructure as a whole.

It is still unknown whether Ukraine will participate in the negotiations. In general, negotiations about Ukraine without Ukraine are already a new reality.