Everybody on all sides seem to have an opinion on this meeting between the two leaders in the White House today. I'm still trying to sort out my reaction to the meeting. I think that I would agree with President Trump when he Xed later "I have determined that President Zelensky is not ready for Peace if America is involved, because he feels our involvement gives him a big advantage in negotiations." Why didn't Zelensky sign the deal? I mean, that's why he was there, and apparently according to sources I've heard, say that he proposed this mineral deal back in September. Also, Zelensky must know how Russia feels about it joining NATO. I understand that one of the reasons that we have gotten to this point (i.e. the invasion of Ukraine in 2022) is that Russia has seen it's former territories join NATO. Why does he keep pushing it? Why not ask to join the EU instead? The EU is not a military alliance. Do I think Zelensky owes Trump an apology? Not sure. Anyway, is Trump Putin's puppet? I don't think so. I think he's trying to practice realpolitik.
Zelenski can make a peace deal without giving up any mineral rights or resource rights. All he has to do is promise to 1) Never join NATO, written on stone somewhere such as Belgium. 2) Reduce his army down to 85,000, with a way to verify . 3) Give Russia all the area it currently holds, which it has annexed since 2022, example the Donbass and Crimea. 5) Of the army units that must be disbanded the Nazi units must be disbanded, with a way to verify. 6) Give back Russian territory such as Kursk, basically restoring prior Russian borders. I just saved Ukraine more than 500 Billion, maybe even a Trillion plus another 500k lives. I believe Zelenski has been a co belligerent from shortly after his election, at least two years before the invasion. The Europeans have been the prime belligerents along with the US deep state, which has hypnotized half the world against Putin/Russia for a decade longer than Zelenski has been running the joint. The cost of US belligerence, which includes the Javelins that Trump sent over, but also includes the DNC smear campaign that blocked diplomacy during Trump's first term (and enflamed tensions) will be at least half a trillion, but probably a Trillion if you count a couple of decades of aid and armament and USAID (regime change). Trump probably pushed a little too hard on the minerals thing without first making Zelenski understand that having American companies in the country is almost the same as a security guarantee. The deal I outlined above does not come with a security guarantee, but no such security guarantee is needed. The US deep state has, as I've said, almost irreparably ruined trust and sabotaged diplomacy almost forever. Zelenski has been smoking that deep state crack ever since he took office thanks to some oligarch. That's on Zelenski. Don't smoke American intelligence agency crack. Don't smoke Joe's crack. Don't smoke Hunters crack. Just don't smoke crack! But if you want to keep smoking that crack, at least don't show up at the Oval Office high as a drone to talk to Trump, who doesn't even drink
One thing that stood out to me when I was analyzing this to decide whether Zelenski was being rude and disrespectful... On the Bret Baer interview, right after, Zelenski made a comment that nobody has noticed because Bret talked over him. He basically objected to JD Vance talking directly to him. He felt that the conversation should be between himself and Trump. As everyone saw, his diplomacy started to crash and burn as he responded to JD Vance. I read this as pulling rank, like he was not to be talked to by a subordinate like the US VP. Which is pretty good for an unelected dictator. The condescension was so rank that Zelenski started to sound inebriated by a sudden inability to hold his tongue till people finished what they are saying. Basically he said I'm not taking any shit from you and will keep interrupting till you shut the hell up and let me concentrate on bamboozling the President without any backup. If this is true, this analysis, well, America fought a revolution to divest itself of European titles and it's air of entitlement, rank, and class...like this. Yes, the VP is subordinate to the US President., but in a situation like that, the subordinates are treated as equals. You don't even have to be a diplomat to know that Then at one point Zelenski wanted to insist that life in Ukraine isn't that bad and carries on. Well if that's true, why can't they carry on with elections?
So, why did JD Vance have to jump in at all? Was it possibly because Trump had just been sitting there with a very confused face not really understanding what was going on around him? Remember it's "deal or no deal"..that is all Trump understands. And talking of the supposed deal. Do you Good1 think you have all the facts to make a decision whether it is a "Good Deal" or not? What if it was YOUR country? Chew on that.
The whole set up was hostile to Zelensky. From the reporter berating him about not wearing a suit in the Oval Office, to Vance pointing at him telling him he is not thankful and Trump with his made up accusations. It was like walking into a vipers nest for Zelensky. My take is Trump sees it the way he says he does, meaning Zelensky is not “holding cards.” So as a recipient of American aid he should capitulate to Russia. The thing is, why the hell does Trump want to give Russia Ukrainian land and all of the resources and economic benefits that come with it? Even at the most rudimentary level anyone can understand any movement of Russia to the west increases future European/global Instability. I don’t care what any of these right wingers say, Trumps obsession with being on Russia’s side is super suspicious. It just doesn’t make sense at all.
Absolutely, it makes no sense. He says no defence but how the hell does he think he will protect his own precious minerals from Putin? Also..the Donbass and it's huge mineral wealth. Trump is basically admitting he's lost that to Putin already? And what about the Kursk region of Russia? If we just stop the war as-is and Ukraine keep that? Oh wait..is it one rule for one side and one for the other?
You can tell that in the global landscape Trump and Vance are way out of their league. Now can we get back to why you guys voted him in. Economy, inflation and making America great again which he is clearly scoring a D- currently. people will tire of his way or the highway attitude. It’s already being seen across America. Those who voted for him getting bit in the ass by his policies, no game plan whatsoever. This guys a joke.
Vance probably jumped in because he, Zelenski, was obviously trying to isolate Trump, trying to get him bogged down on details hard to verify, trying to play on his emotions, trying to bamboozle him like he bamboozled Biden with pictures of maltreated prisoners and other propaganda...in front of all the cameras. There was probably an understanding that he, Zelenski wouldn't even be talking about the things he, Zelenski, was saying. Yes, Zelenski probably did get Trump to pause and wonder what the hell is going on. So, like a good wing man, (not like Pence) Vance jumped in to back his buddy up down there in the diplomatic trenches. Zelenski tried to bamboozle Vance too with his "what diplomacy are you talking about JD"? Basically an unanswerable question that can't be answered briefly in front of cameras. That's when Vance started slamming him hard...and that's when Trump jumped in to back up his good buddy JD. Zelenski got double teamed because world war #3 was at stake and Zelenski was acting like a drunk gambler, negotiating unfairly, and a bit like a rhetorical bully, trying to run circles around Trump in front of cameras. Vance gave Trump enough of a break from the Z bomb that he came to his senses having done a deep calculus to figure out what the hell was happening. That's when Trump unleashed the Kraken.