When geopolitical extortion is your MO

What do you call it when you place a contract on the desk to hand over $500 billion of your mineral rights. Then state if you fail sign it, all communication systems for your front line military will be disconnected?

This is the current threat from Trump to Zelenskyy. He is telling him to sign it, or Musk will switch off Starlink access. Pause for a moment to consider, the President of the United States is making a conscious decision to facilitate the extermination of Ukrainian soldiers and citizens unless Zelenskyy signs over 50% of its mineral rights to the US

To be clear, as of June 2023 Starlink expenses for Ukraine are covered by the US Department of Defense through a contract with SpaceX. As of December 2023, Poland remains the largest single contributor of Starlink terminals to Ukraine, providing 19,500 out of 47,000 delivered.

Elon Musk is not providing the terminals for free. He is being paid handsomely I would suspect by the DOD. The disconnection would NOT be for Musk to decide, it would have to be a DOD order to their supplier SpaceX to disconnect. This is the textbook definition of geopolitical extortion.

I would also suggest that disconnection of Starlink would amount to the President of the United being complicit in an act of genocide. Another infamous trophy to add to his plans for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza.

One must assume that the cost of the terminals is money already appropriated by Congress. It would seem for the first time in American history, the a US president is imposing reparations on the VICTIM of an illegal invasion. At the same time, he is proceeding to carve up Ukraine with an indicted war criminal who is the perpetrator of the crime. All without any representation of current stakeholders in the conflict.

Firstly, aid provided by the US was not a loan nor was it $300 billion. Congress appropriated $174.2 billion through the five Ukraine supplemental appropriation acts enacted FY 2022 through FY 2024, of which $163.6 billion was allocated for OAR and the Ukraine response, and $10.6 billion was allocated for other, primarily humanitarian, purposes. Additional funds of $18 billion were allocated from annual agency appropriations and $1.1 billion was allocated from other supplemental appropriation acts.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Congress has appropriated or otherwise made available nearly $183 billion for Operation Atlantic Resolve and the broader Ukraine response.

In addition, the United States provided $20 billion in loans as part of the G7 nations extraordinary revenue acceleration loans initiative.

For Trump to claim any reparations whatsoever is simply invalid and possibly illegal. The aid was voted on, approved and appropriated by Congress. The President has no authority to convert it to a loan or suggest a retrospective quid pro quo.

Of course he can negotiate a deal for mineral rights with Zelenskyy. I would suggest Zelenskyy agree a further arms package that reflects a fair price based on a percentage value of the rights. Do it with a memorandum of understanding that the contract for rights will be signed on delivery of the agreed arms shipments. The contract should not form the basis of a ceasefire and be subject to the U.S. not lifting sanctions on Russia.

It really is time someone brought some clarity to the situation. NATO allies should be protecting Ukraine against this hostile act of aggression by the US. They really have nothing to lose now, because Trump is going to walk away from NATO anyway, possibly withdrawing US forces from the Balkans and possibly even Germany.

Allies should be threatening not to renew leases on US bases and the cancellation of military contracts. In addition move to the revocation of U.S. licenses for European military technology. It’s time to stop pussyfooting around with this threat to European security.

Zelenskyy should simply not engage with Trump until parameters are agreed.