Published 58 minutes ago
مدة القراءة: 6 دقائق
In our press tour today, we read an article that questions the sincerity of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s desire to achieve peace with Ukraine, another that highlights fears that the American war on Iran has no end in sight, and we conclude with a report that reveals the role of exercise in treating prostate cancer.
We start with the British newspaper The Independent, and an editorial entitled “Putin is not interested in achieving peace, and Trump falls into his trap.”
The newspaper discusses the tour undertaken by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, envoys of US President Donald Trump, to Russia and then Ukraine during the past two days, in an attempt to resolve the conflict between the two countries that has extended for more than four years.
There is no reason to believe that their latest round of shuttle diplomacy will succeed where their previous efforts failed. Indeed, the prospects for ending the war, let alone for a just and lasting end, appear as bleak as at any time since Vladimir Putin launched his ill-fated special military operation, more than four and a half years ago. As was the case in that epochal conflict, it is Ukraine's civilian population that will face some of the harshest consequences. "Harshness as winter approaches."
Before the duo, Witkoff and Kushner, set off for Moscow and Kiev, Trump expressed his usual confidence in them, and practically could not do otherwise, and declared, “We have an idea for peace.” But this idea is still vague, according to the newspaper.
The newspaper adds: “With the continuing stalemate in the Gulf and the approaching midterm elections (for Congress), which are expected to be difficult, Trump may be looking for tangible evidence of his success as a peacemaker, and any place, no matter how unpromising it may seem, may do the trick. He also seems, in an unusual but sincere way, disturbed by the continuing casualties, as he says that the average number of people losing their lives per month in this stupid war.”
But on the other hand, the newspaper believes that what was mentioned inconspicuously in the summary of Trump’s envoys’ talks with President Putin, in Moscow, indicates something more disturbing about the motives behind the latest peace initiative. “Economic issues and potentially large joint projects of mutual benefit to Russia and America were discussed in great detail,” Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy advisor, told reporters.
The newspaper adds: “This is reminiscent of the previous mineral agreement between the United States and Ukraine, in which Trump colluded with the Kremlin to exploit Ukraine’s fragility in order to secure sovereign natural resources. And once again, Putin may have seen an interest in encouraging the Americans to put pressure on Kiev, to accept unfair and humiliating terms just to end the possibility of continued fighting during a winter that will prove extremely harsh. But that does not mean that he wants to abandon his strategic goal, which is to rebuild the Russian/Soviet empire across Europe. East. Quite the opposite.
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The newspaper wrote: “If recent experiences are to be relied upon, Russia is expected to intensify the war of attrition it is waging against the Ukrainian people... But (Ukraine’s) air defenses are now, in part thanks to US involvement in the war with Iran and the subsequent shortage of Patriot missiles, far too weak to withstand bombardment.”
She adds: “What this tells the world is that what the Kremlin describes as the useful talks it held with Trump’s envoys regarding lucrative future trade deals will not make any difference to Putin, who is still adhering to the basic plan, which is to achieve military victory, because he believes that he still has a chance to achieve a victory greater than any realistic diplomatic settlement.”
The newspaper says: “The bottom line is that this war will continue beyond 2027 and perhaps for a longer period, as a permanent conflict in which neither side can strike a decisive blow. The possibility of a change in the occupants of the White House and its policies gives the Ukrainians an additional incentive to resist.”
The newspaper concludes: “It seems that 25,000 Russian and Ukrainian deaths per month is the price both sides are willing to pay to avoid defeat, even if victory remains elusive. This is the necessary conclusion that Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner can draw from their discussions with both sides of the conflict.”
مخاوف من "حرب أبدية"
We turn to The Guardian newspaper, and a report entitled “Fears of eternal war”, written by Anna Bates.
The report is based on an interview conducted by the Guardian correspondent with Leon Panetta, the former US Secretary of Defense, who also served as Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) under Barack Obama.
Leon Panetta said that Donald Trump's war with Iran is likely to continue for another six months, warning that it may turn into "another eternal war in the Middle East" with no clear end in sight.
He added: "It is no secret that the United States and Iran are stuck in a terrible state of stalemate, as there are indeed very few options available to end this war. I believe that the most likely possibility is that this war will continue for another six months without being resolved."
Panetta's statements to The Guardian came days after the sudden resignation of US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, following reports of tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over a series of dismissals.
He added: "I simply believe that whether it is Iran or our other adversaries, they are now looking at the United States and seeing a weakness in our ability to actually apply our military capabilities to defend our country."
According to Panetta, Trump has three options six months after the conflict began. The first option is to withdraw and “admit it is a failed war,” something Panetta finds difficult to imagine Trump doing.
The second option is to prolong the “current stalemate, with occasional attacks and reciprocal reactions,” while the two sides try to “avoid the outbreak of a more dangerous war,” with each of them refusing to negotiate or surrender.
Panetta believes this approach will lead to “what all sides feared”: another protracted war in the Middle East.
The third option, he said, is for the United States to control the Strait of Hormuz and remove “the most dangerous pressure card” that Iran possesses, which is “the ability to close and disrupt this vital corridor for global trade.”
Panetta said: “Either the president will take a step forward and do what is necessary to open the Strait of Hormuz, or he will continue the game of pretending that he is making gains in this stalemate, when the truth is that he is not doing so,” expressing his belief that many Americans “have lost confidence in Trump’s ability to manage this war.”
Exercise 'part of prostate cancer treatment'
We conclude our tour from The Telegraph newspaper, with a report entitled “Exercise prescription for prostate cancer patients, according to a study” written by Laura Donnelly, the newspaper’s health editor.
The report examines a trial conducted by the British National Health Service, which concluded that exercise should be prescribed to prostate cancer patients, to protect men from the debilitating side effects of treatment.
“The study, published in The Lancet Oncology, showed that supervised exercise sessions in gyms reduced quality of life decline by up to a third,” he says.
The researchers said that the results should lead to the adoption of exercise as part of basic care for prostate cancer patients, rather than simply recommending it as a healthy behavior, according to the report.
The report added: “Professor Derek Rosario, the study supervisor and a surgeon specializing in urology, described the results as a huge step forward, which should have an immediate impact on patients.”
He added: "Exercise can help the body withstand the side effects of hormonal treatment, by maintaining muscle and bone strength and cardiovascular fitness, which makes daily activities less stressful."
About 600,000 men in Britain live with prostate cancer, and about half of them are prescribed hormone treatment at some stage. Up to 77 percent of men who receive this treatment suffer from fatigue, according to the report.
