Posted on 02/19/2025 2:18:34 AM PST by marcusmaximus
U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy for Ukraine and Russia said Wednesday the United States understands the need for security guarantees for Ukraine, as he visited the country for talks with Ukrainian officials.
Gen. Keith Kellogg told reporters in Kyiv that he was in Ukraine “to listen,” hear the concerns of Ukrainian leaders and return to the United States to consult President Trump.
Kellogg said the United States wants the war in Ukraine to end, saying that would be good for the region and the world.
The talks come amid a flurry of diplomatic efforts focused on Russia’s war in Ukraine, including French President Emmanuel Macron hosting European leaders Wednesday for a second round of talks about the conflict and European support for Ukraine.
Kellogg also met earlier this week with European leaders, and on Tuesday U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Saudi Arabia.
Rubio said both Ukraine and Russia would have to make concessions to achieve peace.
“The goal is to bring an end to this conflict in a way that's fair, enduring, sustainable and acceptable to all parties involved," Rubio told reporters. No Ukrainian or European officials were at the table for the talks.
(Excerpt) Read more at voanews.com ...
I think, in the end they will be disappointed with Russia's meager gains, though regardless, they'll claim "victory" for Russkiy Mir and "defeat" for all those evil "globo-homo MIC Russophobes".
Whatever, however I doubt -- with Western troops on Russia's borders, no official recognition of Vlad's conquests, no withdrawal of sanctions and no return of some $350 billion in frozen Russian assets -- how sweet such a "victory" will taste to most Russians.
We'll see.
The two men they told you would start WW3
Are now the best hope we have to prevent it. pic.twitter.com/tEloykCawk— Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) February 19, 2025
Stop the whinning and put your big girl panties on.
Not ONE of you brave war expert zeepers went to the holy Ukieland to fight for the little queer grifter.
Instead of doing that, you made it your priority to attack patriotic, America First, MAGA FReepers.
If you want to blame someone for your hero being toast, go and look in the mirror.
And please zeepers, start a go-fund-me page so the little dictator can buy some appropriate clothes and get rid of his ridiculous, crusty costume.
Naw.
I attacked no MAGA FReepers.
I do point out the facts to our many pro-Russian propagandists.
As Pres. Truman responded when criticized for being too rough on his opponents:
🍈 : "Biden's war is over. Sure, Biden is gone now, but Vlad's invasion of Ukraine still rages, to the tune of around 1,200 Russian casualties per day since January 20.
That's down about 25% from 2024, but still a long ways from "over".
Ukrainian casualties defending against Russian attacks are estimated about 1/3 the Russian numbers.
So, nothing has yet seriously changed, and there is no sign that Pres. Trump is ready to give away the store to your Vlad the Invader to buy temporary peace in Ukraine.
“Vlad’s invasion of Ukraine still rages, to the tune of around 1,200 Russian casualties per day since January 20.
That’s down about 25% from 2024, but still a long ways from “over”. Ukrainian casualties defending against Russian attacks are estimated about 1/3 the Russian numbers.”
I take that as a coded message that you’re trolling here. Anyway, I’ll still feed you, but not much of my time.
Our pro-Russian’s here are going deliriously nuts thinking Pres. Trump will give away the store in order to buy peace from Vlad the Invader.
And the pro Zelensky folks are trying how to make excuses for him opting out of the official talks...while complaining he won’t agree to any deal he isn’t personally a part of...
Trump objective is doing what is best for the country and American people.
He's getting our money back from this failed proxy war Biden started. He's getting it from Ukraine and from Russia.
That Ukraine isn't getting any territory back, won't join NATO and won't have a NATO presence is fate that was obvious before his second term began.
It's amazing that reality has registered with you and your fellow Zeepers here yet.
If by "trolling" you are sending a coded message meaning "opposition to pro-Russian propaganda", I'd say yes, but that's a very strange definition of "trolling".
There's no doubt that Zelensky has a very hard row to hoe, with many conflicting necessities, so he cannot satisfy all of them.
Something has to give.
What he choses to accept and reject will determine Ukraine's fate, short term and long term.
I suspect that Zelensky's number-one concern today is to replace fading US support with increasing European support, and that explains his public statements.
In the end, Pres. Trump's deal with Putin will maximize America's interests, not necessarily Ukraine's.
The economic document Sec. Bessent handed Zelensky will determine how interested Trump is in supporting Ukraine's goals and objectives.
Just my opinions, your results may vary.
I think you got it at least partly right -- Pres. Trump's deal with Putin will maximize America's best interests, not necessarily Ukraine's.
But I don't think, contrary to your fondest hopes, that Trump will just abandon Ukraine to Vlad the Invader's tender mercies.
For one reason, Trump wants America's money back.
Kazan: "That Ukraine isn't getting any territory back, won't join NATO and won't have a NATO presence is fate that was obvious before his second term began."
People forget that Ukraine has been a NATO partner since 1994, has sent forces to serve under NATO command and participated in many NATO joint military exercises.
So, I think full NATO membership for Ukraine will be tied to Russia's future good behavior.
When Russians next cross the border into Ukraine, they will trigger automatic NATO membership for Ukraine.
In the meantime, Ukraine will become an EU member and substantial numbers of European forces will serve as tripwires in the buffer-zone between Russian and Ukrainian lines.
As for negotiations on Russian occupied territories, those, I suspect will be long and drawn out, and the outcome is not pre-determined.
For one example -- it might turn out that Vlad the Invader wants at least some of his frozen $350 billion assets back and may be willing to exchange some occupied Ukrainian territories for it.
Who knows?
Kazan: "It's amazing that reality has registered with you and your fellow Zeepers here yet."
You and your fellow Russian propagandists have been dancing with joy lately, though perhaps with less reason than you now assume.
Pres. Trump's first & foremost objective today is a cease-fire in Ukraine and he is now saying and doing what's necessary to achieve that.
Long term? Who knows.
Want bet on that?
Ukraine has zero chance of getting any territory back nor the people in the annexed region want to go back to being part of Ukraine.
There is no chance Ukraine will gone NATO or that there will be a NATO presence in Ukraine after the war is over.
Based on your definition of a Russian propagandist, Trump has come out as one.
You're the propagandist, one, no doubt, is being paid for your efforts.
But, Trump and his administration see right through your propaganda.
Never mind, we promised the Russians no eastward expansion of NATO and expanded right to their border. Or that turned Ukraine into a NATO puppet state, installing a government illegally that hostile to Moscow and training, funding and arming a 600,000 man army there.
If Russia or China had done anything like that in Mexico, we would have invaded, justifiably.
All you have is lies, like the one that Viktor Yanukovych was removed legally, when he absolutely was not. The Ukrainian parliament lacked 3/4th majority to do so.
It's people like you that are the greatest threat to the national security of this country and world peace.
We have been closer to WW III and nuclear war because of war pigs like you. l
You forget that Ukraine is already a NATO partner (since 1994) and only one signed document away from becoming a full member.
That document is prepared and ready to sign -- whenever Russian forces next cross into Ukraine.
As for Russian occupied Ukraine territories, Russians have already agreed to negotiate about those.
Nobody today can predict the outcome.
What is 100% predictable is that Russians themselves and all their pro-Russian propagandists on Free Republic will claim victory, regardless of the actual outcomes.
General Kellogg is still in Kyiv and will walk away with a minerals deal before Monday.
You're right, but only in this sense: Pres. Trump is 100% committed to ending the war in Ukraine and willing to do and say what's necessary to accomplish that goal.
Getting Russians to the negotiating table is a first step, and to accomplish that, he is singing their music off their score.
As of today, so far as I know, Pres. Trump is not committed to any particular outcome beyond ending the bloodshed.
Kazan: "You're the propagandist, one, no doubt, is being paid for your efforts.
But, Trump and his administration see right through your propaganda."
Naw...
All you're doing now is looking into your own mirror and speaking of the person you see there.
As for me, I contribute to Free Republic for the privilege of posting here.
It's one of the most enjoyable things I do, voluntarily, and only regret that I can't afford to pay more.
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