10 Takeaways From the Zelenskyy Blowup

The Daily Signal ^ | Mar 1 2025 | victor davis hanson

[texas booster]

1) Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not grasp—or deliberately ignores—the bitter truth: Those with whom he feels most affinity (Western globalists, the American Left, the Europeans) have little power in 2025 to help him. And those with whom he obviously does not like or seeks to embarrass (cf. his Scranton, Pa., campaign-like visit in September 2024) alone have the power to save him. For his own sake, I hope he is not being “briefed” by the Obama-Clinton-Biden gang to confront President Donald Trump, given their interests are not really Ukraine’s as they feign.

2) Zelenskyy acts as if his agendas and ours are identical. So, he keeps insisting that he is fighting for us despite our two-ocean distance that he mocks. We do have many shared interests with Ukraine, but not all by any means: Trump wants to “reset” with Russia and triangulate it against China. He seeks to avoid a 1962 DEFCON 2-like crisis over a proxy showdown in proximity to a nuclear rival. And he sincerely wants to end the deadlocked Stalingrad slaughterhouse for everyone’s sake.

[texas booster]

) The Europeans (and Canada) are now talking loudly of a new muscular antithesis, independent of the United States. Promises, promises—given that would require Europeans to prune back their social welfare state, frack, use nuclear, stop the green obsessions, and spend 3% to 5% of their GDP on defense. The U.S. does not just pay 16% of NATO’s budget but also puts up with asymmetrical tariffs that result in a European Union trade surplus of $160 billion, plays the world cop patrolling sea-lanes and deterring terrorists and rogues states that otherwise might interrupt Europe’s commercial networks abroad, as well as de facto including Europe under a nuclear umbrella of 6,500 nukes.

[texas booster]

Ping! Out to the Victor Davis Hanson list

Quo vadis, Volodymyr?

A repost of the excellent trranscript from the Daily Signal.

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[Empire_of_Liberty]

Z’s little show at the White House looked like a man that did not own what he was trying to sell. He’ll never sign, or his signature won’t mean anything.

The ridiculous “security” is like the J6 “insurrection”. The lib-tards have latched on to a word that they think makes them win. The Biden Cabal was already stuffing money into mattresses in the name of “security”.

[blueplum]

Z has a profound ignorance of the word ‘arbitrator’. For the past 3 years, he’s been flying around the world gathering handshakes, smiles and photo-ops to ‘prove’ that everyone is on ‘his’ side. Whereas, an arbitrator by definition must act as an impartial negotiator.

He’s also rude. It would behove him to start addressing our President and Vice President as Mr. President and Mr. Vice President. Both are leaders of the free world, unlike himself, and we have states with a larger population than his little country.

[Presbyterian Reporter]

As usual, VDH covers the important issues.

As I read his 10 points, I can say that those 10 points have been already discussed on FR.

Perhaps our postings are not as well written as VDH, but in general FR is in agreement with VDH.

[Dr. Sivana]

What are Zelensky’s alternatives without much U.S. help:

4. Hold honest elections and not participate as the best chance to re-engage the U.S. and give Russia enough to save face with Ukraine losing as little as possible in future negotiations.

Of course, he would have to put his country's interests before his own for that to be a consideration, which is why the article didn't include that on the list of Zelensky options.

[logi_cal869]

but in general FR is in agreement with VDH.

Except for

"For his own sake, I hope he is not being “briefed” by the Obama-Clinton-Biden gang...

Obama’s Team Including Victoria Nuland, Susan Rice, Alexander Vindman Told Zelensky to Reject Trump Deal in Violation of Logan Act

[Track9]

I love Trump saying, ‘Don’t tell us how we’re going to feel. We’re going to feel fine.. we’re going to feel fine. ‘
Like saying, we’re not some dysfunctional commiserating submissive know nothing involuntary ‘partner’. Leave that to Chris Murphy and the rest of the democrat dissonance politic.

[13Sisters76]

“By Ukraine-splaining to his hosts, and by his gestures, tone, and interruptions, he made it clear that he assumed that Trump was just more of the same compliant, clueless moneybags Biden waxen effigy.”- from the article.

I love Hanson.

[texas booster]

That’s quite the diss.

Hanson has a way with words that I love.

[BigEdLB]

If one views carefully all the Oval Office tape, most of it was going quite well—until Zelenskyy started correcting Vice President JD Vance firstly, and Trump secondly. By Ukraine-splaining to his hosts, and by his gestures, tone, and interruptions, he made it clear that he assumed that Trump was just more of the same compliant, clueless moneybags Biden waxen effigy. And that was naïve for such a supposedly worldly leader...

Supposedly... Precision in the English Language. Thank you VDH!

[Biblebelter]

Seems like VDH may have gotten fully on board the Trump train.

In the past, I have had some doubts.

[rolling_stone]

Z failed to read the room and recognize that it has changed since biden/hunter are gone and Trump wont be blackmailed...