Posted on 03/03/2025 6:40:47 PM PST by DoodleBob
What a difference twenty-four hours makes. Yesterday, President Donald Trump was walking back his recent criticisms of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, going as far as to say he could not believe that he had called Zelenskyy a “dictator.” Today, Trump held an acrimonious meeting with Zelenskyy that culminated in Ukrainian president being asked to leave the White House and a joint press conference being canceled.
The Trump-Zelenskyy meeting before the press pool spray, which Vice President JD Vance joined, has no precedent. Heads of government generally do not bicker in front of the cameras. But in today’s meeting, Trump accused Zelenskyy of “gambling with World War III,” said that Ukraine does not “have the cards” to stay in its war with Russia, and insisted that Russian President Vladimir Putin had gone “through a hell of a lot with me” because of accusations the Kremlin sought to help Trump win the 2016 election.
Trump followed up on the meeting with a Truth Social post accusing Zelenskyy of having “disrespected the United States of America.”
A Statement from President Donald J. Trump "We had a very meaningful meeting in the White House today. Much was learned that could never be understood without conversation under such fire and pressure. It's amazing what comes out through emotion, and I have determined that President Zelenskyy is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations. I don't want advantage, I want PEACE. He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office. He can come back when he is ready for Peace."
But the post notably also left the door open for Zelenskyy to get back in Trump’s good graces by saying that Ukraine “is ready for peace.”
Zelenskyy certainly has every incentive to heal the spat. Shortly after departing, he tweeted out his peace offering:
Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.
Those words may, or may not, be enough to placate Trump. Much may turn on whether he and his advisors read Zelenskyy’s words as sincere—or mocking their demands that he publicly thank the United States for its support.
So where do things go from here? The honest answer is that no one but Trump knows—and even he may not. Today’s outburst may have been spontaneous, or it may have been calculated. Trump’s chaotic and disruptive negotiating style, combined with his taste for performative acts meant to thrill his MAGA base and intimidate opponents, means either motivation is possible.
The main thing to watch for in the near term is whether Trump curtails U.S. weapons headed to Ukraine. Although he said in December that he might reduce U.S. military aid to Ukraine once in office, that has yet to happen. Ukraine’s ability to hold off Russia depends on maintaining the flow of U.S. weapons. Everything changes if that stops. Europe cannot make up the shortfall. So while the rhetorical fireworks between Trump (and Vance) and Zelenskyy grab the headlines—Trump himself said that today’s meeting made for “great television”—deeds matter more than words.
Trump no doubt believes that he came out of today’s exchange with Zelenskyy as the winner. But he may have complicated his effort to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. It has always been doubtful that Russian President Vladimir Putin will agree to any terms other than the ones he dictates. Those include, among other things, that Ukraine concede territory beyond what Russia has already taken. Trump’s rebuke of Zelenskyy only encourages Putin belief that he will get what he wants if he stands firm. So Trump’s public spat with Zelenskyy hardly seems consistent with the art of the deal.
Trump could, of course, follow through on his implied threat today and wash his hands of Ukraine. But that entails big political risks for his presidency. Trump may think well of Putin, but most Americans do not. Leaving Ukrainians to the mercy of Russian forces could damage Trump as much as the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan hurt President Joe Biden.
What is clear from today’s meeting is that U.S. foreign policy under Trump will not follow the path that it has for the past eighty years, as if that point needed to be proved again. The forty-seventh president remains more focused on the alleged shortcomings of America’s friends than on standing up to a predatory power that threatens U.S. interests. That is a recipe for a more dangerous world.
At least Mention that it’s a 3 days old news article :)
“The main thing to watch for in the near term is whether Trump curtails U.S. weapons headed to Ukraine. Although he said in December that he might reduce U.S. military aid to Ukraine once in office, that has yet to happen. Ukraine’s ability to hold off Russia depends on maintaining the flow of U.S. weapons. Everything changes if that stops. Europe cannot make up the shortfall. So while the rhetorical fireworks between Trump (and Vance) and Zelenskyy grab the headlines—Trump himself said that today’s meeting made for “great television”—deeds matter more than words.”
The Kiev government started this war by unleashing neo-nazi militias in the east (can’t have them standing around, surly and bored around Kiev watching the new government, can you?)
They see no reason to stop it as long as they remain in power with no elections, no opposition, money flowing and feted everywhere they go.
Reality needs to be imposed on the little prick and his Euro enablers.
Perhaps the author could explain how exactly Russia “threatens U.S. interests.”
President Trump has shown a remarkable degree of empathy toward Vladimir Putin — almost certainly because he knows damn well that the U.S. has been the most dangerous “predatory power” in the world for more than three decades before he was first elected in 2016.
Ted Cruz’ wife approved this?
It is the scrawlings of the anti-American CFR... which in terms of foreign entanglements stands for “Can’t Find Reverse”... or the brakes. Abolish these prigs.
” than on standing up to a predatory power that threatens U.S. interests. “
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The globalists are the predatory power threatening US interests. Elites/NATO/UN/WEF all want American boots on the ground in Ukraine to enact a US/Russia WWIII.
I love it when Political Experts trip over coffee tables.
Why did you post this?
I was wondering about her myself.
Cruz and his ties to the CFR remain a total mystery to me.
Oh brother. Article is stale and not very good.
The only American interests are those of the military industrial complex and those in Congress getting kickbacks from US taxpayer money sent to Ukraine by the US Congress.
If there’s a cease fire and then a peace agreement, Zelenskyy should be worried that there will be elections and he will most likely be out. In which case, he could also face prosecution by his political opponents.
He does have some nice properties in France, but who knows if they would let him stay if he is exposed as a fraud.
WUT?
Thanks for your reply. Spot on - know thine enemy.
FWIW, the inquisitive FReeper is the humblegunner of “Why did you post this?”
The anger of the angry CFR bots.
This dipstick Jimmy Lindsay just watched Vance and Trump peel the Ukraine tarbaby off the hands of the United States without leaving a dirty fingernail, and he didn't notice it.
Complete schlub.
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