The whole world knows the shouting match between Trump and Kim Jong-un is a bad idea. And myriad voices have been raised in an effort to calm things down. Unfortunately, the two loudmouths haven’t been listening.
But when Vladimir Putin chimes in with a word of warning, perhaps Trump, at least, will pay attention. In an article on the Kremlin’s website, Putin writes:
Provocations, pressure and bellicose and offensive rhetoric is the road to nowhere.
For reasons that I can only guess at, Trump seems to respect – even revere – Putin, So I’m hoping he will take the Russian despot’s words to heart.
Putin cautions in his article that America’s stand-off with North Korea is on the verge of triggering “a large-scale conflict.” He urges Trump to talk things over with Kim.
He writes:
It is essential to resolve the region’s problems through direct dialogue involving all sides without advancing any preconditions
I am no Putin fan. From what I’ve read, he is a bully, a show-off and a thief with innocent blood on his hands. But when he talks, Trump listens. And the world should welcome any calming influence at this point.
China’s Xi Jinping is also calling for calm. And China has a lot of influence with Kim. Without China’s economic support, North Korea cannot survive.
With Putin holding Trump back and Xi Ping restraining Kim, the world might be spared a nuclear holocaust after all.
