Free Republic

Friday, during an appearance on FNC’s “The Ingraham Angle,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent revealed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had turned down two earlier opportunities to sign a proposed minerals deal with the United States. According to Bessent, Zelensky was given chances in Kyiv by him once in Munich with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Friday’s dust-up with President Donald Trump was his third chance. “[I] know you had a meeting scheduled — an economic meeting scheduled a few weeks back with President Zelensky,” host Laura Ingraham said. “And tell us about his arrival and punctuality or lack thereof and seemed...

After his mauling from President Trump live on TV and then being booted out of the White House, Ukraine’s Zelensky immediately phoned European leaders. That reaction shows that the Ukrainian actor-turned-president had flown to Washington from Kiev not to merely sign a supposed minerals deal with the U.S., but to inveigle Trump into a trap to escalate the proxy war in Ukraine against Russia. No doubt there is consternation and alarm among the Europeans that their agenda for prolonging the war against Russia is in disarray. Worst still, a furious Trump may now cut Ukraine loose and leave it completely...