Unless, Hegseth was acting under express instructions of the President.…
Which would be a rookie mistake by the president…
Unless the president is taking these issues off the table because…
He has already cut a deal with Putin by the terms of which there will be no US troops and no NATO.
Unless, he wants to forestall Ukraine and Europe from staking out positions that will interfere with his deal or, at least interfere with his intended negotiating path.
4 level chess back channel? People stop dying on both sides? Damn that’s a novel idea. For what the American taxpayer has shelled out we could’ve bought Greenland by now. American soldiers and sailors have died all over Europe for them, this time, they can cover their own ass. We got our own problems.
Trump already knows the fools in Europe and U will try to interfere with the negotiations because they have already opened their mouths. Rather than give Trump options they try tell him what to do and how to do it their way.
Trump knows they started this war and has a good idea how to end it. They told Putin he had to limit his oil and Natural gas sales and he told them where to shove it.
My guess is that Trump has some way for them to be able to sell their oil and natural gas in a way that does not feed their military machine. He has already hinted with an MFN flag. I suspect he has other options that they would be fools to pass up.
Similarly, I suspect, he has things in mind that U wants and needs as well. Security for one so they can begin to recover, and some means to recover safely (without US Troops just as Trump said). He knows they wish to be the breadbasket again. I suspect he has options for them they would be fools to pass up as well
Will Russian oil and natural gas flow through U to the Europeans at a high volume again? I doubt it at least for a few years. After all, there are consequences for stupidity especially when folks clearly have not understood the lesson as is in this case.
If the standard positions would have worked they would have worked already. Biden would have already claimed credit for ending the war. And that would be that as they say.
Instead, Biden gave Trump a Vietnam. Now the question is whether Trump can stop this "Vietnam" from going for another four years into another Administration.
Fortunately, Trump is not your typical administration. After all, not only he did write "The Art of the Deal". But IMHO holds Trump cards at the ready and according to his name.
Ukraine getting NATO membership is only a wet dream of Zeepers. Akin to Mexico joining military pact with Russia or China with their military weapons including nukes stationed in Mexico.
If you listen to General Kellog, it is obvious that Trump is negotiating a lot more than just a cease fire in Ukraine with Russia.
Trump is trying to unwind the very damaging to America's national security alliances that Russia has made with Iran, North Korea and China as a result of the Ukraine war and possibly build a mutually beneficial alliance between the US, Russia and Saudi Arabia that keeps Iran, China and North Korea down and oil up. These are the real bargaining chips in Trumps emerging geo political vision and the status of the Ukraine is just one component of a much larger deal.
Trump is set on unwinding the Ukraine disaster on America's terms and in Americas interests and those of the Ukrainian people and not on the terms of the EU and Democrat carpetbaggers who want to buy up and control the Ukraine's distressed assets they have created for their personal gain.