You’ll be pleased to note this is just a short concluding piece after reflecting on the events of yesterday at the White House. It should be noted that both before the meeting and following the conclusion of talks, Russia continued to attack Ukraine. Before the meeting, an entire family, including a toddler and a 16-year-old, were killed in a drone strike on a residential neighbourhood in the northeastern city of Kharkiv. The attack also injured 20 people, including six children. Then, overnight last night, Russian forces launched 140 drones and four missiles. The attacks are relentless and show no intent to even cease during the so-called peace talks.
There is no question that it was a smart move by European leaders to show up at the White House yesterday. I’m sure Zelensky felt much more at ease knowing that his European partners had his back. I thought his performance in the Oval Office was respectful, but not subordinate, and this was the right approach.
It was very clear that Trump either had no comprehension of what represented a solution or that he had to wait on instructions from the Kremlin, depending on how tricky the meetings with European leaders got. Indeed, it appears he had to break in the middle of meetings to get a steer from Putin for 40 minutes. Trump was a man out of his depth, winging it with the White House press corps, serving him up softballs, while attempting to harass Zelensky. I thought Zelensky handled the suit jab from wannabe journalist Brian Glenn well, turning it back on him, accusing him of still wearing the same suit he wore last time they exchanged words.
The White House press corps is now primarily made up of right-wing propaganda mouthpieces planted to allow Trump to pivot to the talking points he wants to focus on, like mail-in ballots and stolen elections, etc. Jen Psaki’s favourite object of ridicule, Peter Doocy, was allowed FIVE questions, all of which were pretty predictable, but this one stood out for me:
"Are you prepared to keep sending Ukrainian troops to their deaths for another couple of years, or are you going to agree to redraw the maps?"
A more appropriate question was surely “Are you prepared to abandon the Ukrainian citizens now under occupation to their fate with an army who are accused of war crimes. An army that killed men, women, and young boys with their hands tied behind their backs and buried them in shallow graves. Are you prepared to leave the young women to be raped by Russian soldiers who tortured and executed a female journalist for reporting on their crimes?”
I am sick and tired of the disgusting overt right-wing support for Putin, who is the perpetrator of these crimes against humanity. Let’s be clear, he doesn’t just want to keep the towns he occupies in the Donetsk Oblast; he is insisting that Ukraine withdraw from the land Russia has been unable to take. For context, the UK Ministry of Defence estimates it would take Russia “4.4 years” and nearly 2 million casualties to take the four provinces Putin wants to claim. Ukraine should not accept any agreement that involves withdrawing from these heavily fortified defensive positions. It would be geopolitical suicide.
As reported in the UK Independent by world affairs editor Sam Kiley :
Ukraine was invaded. Europe’s leaders each made it clear they backed Ukraine, wanted a ceasefire before any further talks, and that they would buy the weapons America has stopped giving to Ukraine.
It is also worthy of note that, as reported in the Financial Times by Max Seddon in Berlin, Christopher Miller in Washington and Ben Hall (I have gifted the link so you can read the article)
Ukraine will promise to buy $100bn of American weapons financed by Europe in a bid to obtain US guarantees for its security after a peace settlement with Russia, according to a document seen by the Financial Times. Under the proposals, Kyiv and Washington would also strike a $50bn deal to produce drones with Ukrainian companies that have pioneered the technology since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Someone needs to tell me why Trump would turn down $100 billion in arms sales to protect a war criminal? I do note that the latest figure quoted is now ($90), but what’s $10 billion between friends? European leaders are creating a deal too good to refuse, so that Trump has nowhere to hide without exposing himself as compromised. With this offer on the table, there can be no justification for imposing a land swap on Ukraine. This is a masterstroke in my view, which must be spread far and wide, because it’s an economic no-brainer, especially as Europe is ramping up its own Industrial Military Complex. This level of spending with the US would almost wipe out all US military aid spending since the start of the war.
We are now at the tip of the spear. NATO and European allies are trying to leave Trump with no real leverage or off-ramp other than sanctions. He would not be able to explain why he would turn down $90 billion in arms contracts. There is simply no US downside. This move alone gives Trump the cover to burn Russia with crippling secondary sanctions, which, linked to the latest European sanctions, would crush the Russian economy. It leaves Putin exposed. Also, if he imposed a peace plan on Russia that sees them returning to the 2014 line of contact, I would nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize myself.
As I have stated already, it’s time to liquidate all Russian assets held in foreign banks and arm Ukraine to the teeth. They should also be given NATO membership and EU membership, too. For me, Russia has no leverage here, other than any personal hold they have over Trump, but that is a separate issue that Trump has to deal with.
To be very clear, Russia has NEVER upheld ANY peace treaty EVER, as was demonstrated when Russia invaded Crimea in 2014. Any agreement signed with Putin is not worth the paper it’s written on. Trump’s sole objective here appears to be the imposition of a land swap on Ukraine, parade as the peacemaker, and claim the Nobel Peace Prize after that. Russia can do what it wants, and Trump has no intention of lifting a finger to help anyone. It does not represent a peace agreement; it is an imposed surrender agreement. This is totally unacceptable.
The staged press conference simply served as a platform for Trump to get a wider audience for his new campaign to abolish mail-in voting, which now appears to be his latest assault on democracy. The good news is that European leaders made it clear they would not stand by and allow Zelensky to be bulldozed by Trump into a placeholder peace agreement, which Trump could then claim the peace prize for. Once again, the leaders handled Trump well. It was a successful pincer movement that left Trump on the back foot, looking for an escape plan.
Of course, distractions abounded as he once again threw in the bare-faced lie that the US has now provided $350 billion in aid to Ukraine. While we may laugh because we know it’s false, his words still resonate with those who don’t know better, and that is what he constantly relies on. He admitted that he is no longer providing military aid; he is selling weapons to NATO for use in Ukraine. So I say again, why is he even in the room? He’s adding nothing to the search for a just and lasting peace.
The truth is that the world leaders who attended the meeting do still worry whether peace can be achieved without the US, hence the $90 billion on the table. This can’t be just about military aid; it must also be about secondary sanctions and squeezing the Russian economy. There is no question that Trump, not Zelensky, could put an end to this by simply demanding that Russia withdraw to the 2014 line of contact; otherwise, the US will crush the Russian economy and will provide Ukraine with all the weapons it needs to retake current Russian gains. He would have no difficulty getting bipartisan support for a massive arms package, especially given that it would be at no cost to US taxpayers.
Trump is today suggesting a direct meeting between Putin and Zelensky, which is, in all honesty, unlikely to be accepted by Putin, who does not recognise Zelensky as the legitimate president of Ukraine, given that elections have not been held. Putting this aside for a moment, any bilateral meeting would unquestionably put Zelensky’s life at risk, given the already numerous attempts on his life. It should be noted that Zelensky’s popularity rating at home remains high. The Ukrainian people largely trust and respect him, seeing him as a patriot. In February, Ukraine's parliament, in a symbolic show of support, approved a resolution confirming Zelensky's legitimacy as the country's leader.
Civics groups have affirmed "Only after the end of the war and the achievement of a stable peace…will it be possible to organise elections freely, fairly, democratically, and accessibly." There is nothing Putin wants more than to be able to fix an election in Ukraine. Aside from the fact that millions of citizens are displaced around the world, can you imagine the opportunity polling stations would present for attacks by Putin?
It should not be left to Putin to dictate terms, and yet here we are. The question arises again and again: Why is Trump frightened of Putin, and the only viable conclusion is that he is compromised.
Anyone with the brain knows he's compromised they're just doing all they can to cover it up. Over and over and over and over and over.
I am hopeful that the EU leaders are soon ready to speak to Trump plainly about his clearly deferential treatment of Putin! I agree with you to release the funds that have been frozen and arm Ukraine so that they can defend their country and stop this destruction. If Putin does not cooperate then crushing sanctions to destroy their economy should be done! If the Eu gets tough, maybe Trump will become less complicit with Russia.