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Can Trump Seal the Ukraine Deal?
The Wall Street Journal ^ | Karl Rove

Posted on 08/21/2025 5:42:50 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican

So much about Ukraine seems in flux since President Trump landed in Alaska Friday. It’s been nonstop action with a growing cast of world leaders jumping in.

One thing has remained constant: Vladimir Putin’s demands—the surrender of territory he hasn’t conquered, the end of an independent Ukraine and, in its place, a puppet state from which he can threaten Europe.

Politically, there appear to be three possible outcomes for Mr. Trump.

One is that the American president becomes as tough on Mr. Putin as he has been on Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky. Then he could play a pivotal role in getting Russia and Ukraine to arrive at a deal that results in a durable peace.

Ukraine would remain independent and again become prosperous. Europe would become more secure. By ending a war that’s taking an enormous toll on the Russian Federation, Moscow, while seriously tarnished by its brutal invasion, could gingerly attempt to escape its economic and geopolitical isolation.

If Mr. Trump brokered a successful deal, the talk of his receiving the Nobel Peace Prize would spread beyond Turning Point USA gatherings. The president’s numbers would probably rise before the midterms. A 5-point bump from Mr. Trump’s current 45.8% approval rating in the RealClearPolitics average would help limit the GOP’s losses, perhaps save the Republican House majority.

The second possible outcome: If Russia and Ukraine can’t come to an agreement, the conflict would rage on over battlefields filled with dead soldiers from both countries as Moscow keeps pounding civilian targets from the sky.

A failure to come to an agreement would hurt Mr. Trump’s reputation as a strong leader and a great deal-maker. The outcome would strengthen Democrats and put Republicans on the defensive. The GOP’s losses in the midterms would climb.

(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: 0dailytroll; karlrove; proxywar; rove; turdblossom; ukraine; welfarewar; zeepercreeper

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To: MinorityRepublican
One thing has remained constant: Vladimir Putin’s demands—the surrender of territory he hasn’t conquered, the end of an independent Ukraine and, in its place, a puppet state from which he can threaten Europe.

Rove really is such an ass. That's as far as I read.

21 posted on 08/21/2025 6:35:57 PM PDT by MileHi ((Liberalism is an ideology of parasites, hypocrites, grievance mongers, victims, and control freaks.)
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To: Mariner

Assuming the Russians could actually take land at the rate they have since April of 2022. They’ve had over a million casualties taking 1% of Ukraine’s territory since that time. They may have a seriously difficult time holding on to what they have right now. Their logistics are being cut off. Every time they try to send trains with tanker cars full of refined petroleum products to Ukraine, Ukrainian drones attack them. They blow up real good and burn.


22 posted on 08/21/2025 6:36:40 PM PDT by Paleo Conservative
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To: MinorityRepublican
Looks like the Ukraine army will seal it. Look at those cowards, afraid of Russian shovels for crying out loud!


23 posted on 08/21/2025 6:42:43 PM PDT by Karl Spooner
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To: Mariner

“ Somebody is going to have to win the war.”

Rush famously said, or maybe he borrowed from someone, that true and lasting peace is only achieved after one side decisively wins and lays down the terms of surrender to the losing side. Anything else is a pause in hostilities.


24 posted on 08/21/2025 6:46:03 PM PDT by libh8er
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To: MinorityRepublican

I am wagering no peace but that would not be Trump’s fault. He has surely tried. Putin is a savage.


25 posted on 08/21/2025 6:46:11 PM PDT by Sequoyah101
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To: Mariner

Trump is going to have to cut them all off until Sniffy surrenders. It’s probably going to get even fuglier.


26 posted on 08/21/2025 6:50:11 PM PDT by Wilderness Conservative (Nature is the ultimate conservative)
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To: TexasGator

I am blessed, at my age I have a teenager….I spaced my kids ten years apart….all have been Valedictorian or highest honors….the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.


27 posted on 08/21/2025 6:50:47 PM PDT by delta7
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To: delta7

It’s really sad how childless people get so nasty as they age.


28 posted on 08/21/2025 6:57:40 PM PDT by BobL (If you're over 50 and still eat carbs, expect to become diabetic)
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To: delta7

He still stalking you?


29 posted on 08/21/2025 7:00:43 PM PDT by Bikkuri (I am proud to be a PureBlood.)
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To: Biblebelter

I still remember the first time Rove was on Meet the Press to take-down Trump, complete with his little marker board.

He failed, and I guess he’s still mad about it.


30 posted on 08/21/2025 7:16:11 PM PDT by BobL (If you're over 50 and still eat carbs, expect to become diabetic)
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To: MinorityRepublican

The WSJ is on a blotter acid bad trip when it writes these paranoid rants completely removed from reality. First of all there’s “deals” and then there’s peace agreements -know the difference. Deals are basically weapon sales contracts and in this case, the administration has, with European client states, tabled a disgustingly huge weapons deal to flood Ukraine with hundreds of billions of dollars of weapons to continue to kill untold thousands of men be paid for by a broke Europe. Russia isn’t buying the crazy, sorry…. Peace agreements, by contrast, require the US to pivot to an impossible scenario where mutual respect and a win/win for peer powers (mainly Russia) is achieved. That happens via multi-polar, non hegemonic first principles. THATS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN IN THIS ADMIN OR ANY FUTURE ADMIN. Are we all going to forget what Pete Hegseth said at the beginning of the year when he clear stated that the goal of “peace in Ukraine” is merely to freeze the conflict in Ukraine (to stop the ass kicking we’re getting)and pivot American forces to China for the next big thing: a confrontation over Taiwan and China in its backyard. After we rain death on Asia, the plan is to revisit the Ukraine conflict after it has rearmed and the cycle continues. Does any of this sound like a recipe for a durable peace? The safest course of action is for Russia to continue to collapse the entire western effort on the battlefield. Let them propaganda about millions of Russians dead but the reality is Russia is winning decisively.


31 posted on 08/21/2025 7:19:55 PM PDT by Antioch (A merely fallen enemy may rise again, but the reconciled one is truly vanquished -Friedrich Schi)
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To: All

The single most devastating result for Europe from Alaska was Trump abandoning their unconditional ceasefire narrative before anything else happens.

That is lost and gone forever. They have not pivoted to a new configuration yet. “I have stopped 5 wars and in not one of them was a ceasefire part of the process.”

That was crushing. That has been the Euro approach for 8 months. Now it is off the table.

I have heard no new perspective from them, with that gone.


32 posted on 08/21/2025 7:35:10 PM PDT by Owen
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To: Owen

“That was crushing. That has been the Euro approach for 8 months. Now it is off the table.”

That is because it was a childish ruse. The goal was 5 minutes after a cease-fire was signed, the Euro “coalition of the willing” NATO nations were going to flood in tens of thousands of soldiers as “peacekeepers”. They would embed with every Uke position, and openly man patriot sites. We would immediately start USAF no-fly patrols over rump Ukraine.

This would make it impossible for Russia to retaliate when the Ukes start their inevitable terror bombing, assassination and sabotage campaign inside Russia with the usual denials.

When the vaunted “ceasefire” hits that is also the end of any leverage Russia has to get the sanctions lifted and their stolen sovereign gold and currency accounts released. And about that promise of no NATO for Ukraine? On any given morning, NATO can announce that “as of two hours ago, at 0800 today, Ukraine has article V NATO protection”.

The Russians correctly saw the cease-fire ploy as the scam it was, just like Minsk II. No doubt they told Trump there would be no cease-fire to negotiate.

They are winning, Ukraine is collapsing. The cease-fire would only help the DC/London axis and the Euros. It would give them most of what they want, and would stymie the Russian goals.


33 posted on 08/21/2025 7:58:31 PM PDT by DesertRhino (When men on the chessboard, get up and tell you where to go…)
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To: Owen

Trump abandoned the unconditional ceasefire because Putin rejected it and he did so because A) Russia is winning so there’s zero incentive, and B) America and NATO violated three previous ceasefires to re-arm Ukraine (Minsk 1, Minsk 2, and Istanbul). It’s all risk and no reward for Russia. What’s driving these incredulous western reactions to Putin’s Nyets, is the phantasmagorical assessments of Russian losses which are exclusively reported by Ukraine’s propaganda ministries and (evidently) taken as gospel truth at the highest levels in DC and NATO. The west will get serious about peace if and when they grasp the reality on the battlefield.


34 posted on 08/21/2025 8:06:31 PM PDT by Antioch (A merely fallen enemy may rise again, but the reconciled one is truly vanquished -Friedrich Schi)
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To: delta7

Lavrov’s argument is that Ukraine forfeited its sovereignty when it attempted to join NATO. Now it can’t go back to real neutrality, unless several mediocre EU and UK leaders who are egging Z on get replaced.


35 posted on 08/21/2025 9:46:43 PM PDT by rfp1234 (E Porcibus Unum)
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To: libh8er

Quite apt for the Israelis. Now is their time to finish it.


36 posted on 08/21/2025 9:59:09 PM PDT by rfp1234 (E Porcibus Unum)
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To: Antioch

According to Mercouris, estimates of real Ukrainian military losses may be close, proportionally, to those of Confederate soldiers in the Civil War. If that’s anywhere close to accurate it would be something upwards of 1.2 million. Shocking.


37 posted on 08/21/2025 10:05:18 PM PDT by rfp1234 (E Porcibus Unum)
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To: rfp1234

If that’s anywhere close to accurate it would be something upwards of 1.2 million. Shocking.
————
Post war analysis will be shocking. All the western lies and senile Joe’s narrative will be exposed. The recent Ukie SUB leaked report states close to 1.6 million Ukies dead, KIA….in line with Mercouris, Macgregor, Dima and other’s estimates.

Those that have been closely following ( not western MSM spoon fed) know exactly their huge losses, they can’t be covered up anymore.


38 posted on 08/22/2025 6:54:20 AM PDT by delta7
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To: MinorityRepublican

WSJ is neocon propaganda.nothing more.
Rove is a meathead. total moron.
enemy of the people


39 posted on 08/22/2025 8:31:39 AM PDT by CarolinaReaganFan
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To: MinorityRepublican

This thing is the Hatfield’sand the McCoys. Generations of hatred. Its hard to stop a fight like that. No wonder Trump is so frustrated.


40 posted on 08/22/2025 11:13:57 AM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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