Put a minerals’ deal with Ukraine temporarily on hold, but Zelensky “has no cards”.
Trump-Zelensky Meeting Implodes
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky appears to have no idea how to deal with Trump. So, put a peace deal on hold, but ultimately Ukraine has no choice.
The Wall Street Journal reports Trump-Zelensky Meeting Implodes, Threatening Peace Talks
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky left the White House on Friday without signing a proposed mineral-rights deal after a combative exchange with President Trump over how to negotiate a settlement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The two leaders canceled a joint press conference that had been scheduled for later in the afternoon. “He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office,” Trump wrote in a social media message. “He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”
Ukraine had sought the meeting to line up U.S. support against Russian aggression, which it hoped to solidify with the minerals agreement. The abrupt ending left unclear how much military and political support the Trump administration was prepared to provide to Kyiv in coming months.
It also muddied the prospects that a European peacekeeping force could be readied to secure a settlement if one is negotiated, since European leaders have signaled that such a deployment would need some form of American military support.
French and British leaders had met with Trump earlier this week to appeal for a U.S. “backstop” for such a force and set the stage for what they hoped would be a constructive meeting between Zelensky and Trump.
Shortly after leaving the White House, Zelensky sought to reassure Americans—and Trump—that he appreciated their support. “Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit,” he wrote on “X” “Thank you @POTUS, Congress, and the American people. Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.”
The tensions between Zelensky and Trump burst into the open Friday in the Oval Office as the Ukrainian leader urged the U.S. not to trust Russia President Vladimir Putin and Trump responded that Kyiv needed to accept that it had a weak negotiating hand.
Even as the back-and-forth grew more heated, Trump said he wanted the American people to see it, saying it would be “great television.” Zelensky urged Trump and Vance to visit Ukraine, but Vance dismissed trips there by foreign leaders as propaganda tours.
“Even after the war we need our nation to be secure, “ Zelensky said.
Trump said that Ukraine would be an enormous disadvantage in dealing with Russia without some help from Washington. “Without us, you don’t have any cards,” he said.
Vladimir How Are We Doing
Here’s a great video of the meeting.
Partial Transcript
Zelensky: My friends in Poland are worried that you align to much with Putin. What’s your message for them?
Trump: If I didn’t align myself with both if them, you’d never have a deal. You want me to say really terrible things about Putin and then say Hi Vladimir, how are we doing on the deal. It doesn’t work that way. I am not aligned with Putin. I’m not aligned with anybody. I am aligned with the United States of America, and for the good of the world. I am aligned with the world and I want to get this thing over with. [Speaking to reporters] You see the hatred he’s [Zelensky’s] got for Putin. It’s very tough for me to make a deal with that kind of hatred. …. You want me to be tough? I could be tougher than any human being you’ve ever seen. I’d be so tough that you’d never get a deal that way. So, that’s the way it goes.
Vance: We tried the pathway of Joe Biden of thumping our chest and pretending that the President of the United States’ words mattered more than the President of the United States’ actions. What makes America a good country is America engaging in diplomacy. That’s what President Trump is doing.
Zelensky: [Talk of Putin ignoring agreements. No mention of NATO of course.]
Vance: I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office and try to litigate this in front of the American media. Right now you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict.
Wow. What and excellent exchange. I totally back Trump and Vance. Please play the video.
Clueless Zelensky
Zelensky is negotiating with the US public and the EU, not with Trump.
But the EU won’t lift a finger without Trump. And the average US citizen is more concerned over the price of eggs and rent than anything happening anywhere in Europe.
Regardless, what the US public thinks is irrelevant anyway. Trump holds four aces while Zelensky is trying to draw to an inside straight that would lose even if it hits.
I expected a signing today. I almost penned that yesterday but thought better of it before posting. Instead I said, soon. That’s still my forecast.
Peace in Ukraine? A Minerals Deal that Ukraine Can’t Refuse
Yesterday, I said Peace in Ukraine? A Minerals Deal that Ukraine Can’t Refuse
Expect Trump and Zelensky to sign a deal over minerals soon. Then what?
I am glad that I changed “tomorrow” to “soon” in the above sentence before posting.
Q: Now When?
A: Soon
Zelensky has no cards and is in no place to be making demands.
Flashback November 20, 2023: Is a NATO Backing a Negotiated Deal Between Ukraine and Russia?
What’s Guaranteed to Happen?
I have written about this many times before. There is going to be a negotiated settlement that is not going to fully please anyone.
When? It will happen after both sides have had enough of destruction and lives lost, likely accelerated by political events in the US.
Ukraine Already Lost the War But the EU Hasn’t Figured That Out
February 24, 2025 I posted Ukraine Already Lost the War But the EU Hasn’t Figured That Out
A negotiated settlement, land for peace is what I said in 2022. Terms now include mineral rights.
The Goal and a Mission
Like it or not, we now have a goal and a mission. They are one and the same, end the war. The war will end as I repeatedly stated since 2022, a negotiated settlement.
You can agree or disagree with Trump’s approach or the appeasement of Putin. But you cannot change the facts.
The longer Zelensky holds out the more territory Ukraine will lose.
On February 24, I commented A Binding UN Resolution Does Not Blame Russia for War in Ukraine
The US [China and Russia] torpedoed a UN resolution blaming Russia. A US counterproposal passed when France and the UK abstained.
Putin has to be tired of this war now too. And he needs more money from oil and minerals to rebuild.
Mish 2022 and Again in 2023: “It [a negotiated settlement] will happen after both sides have had enough of destruction and lives lost, likely accelerated by political events in the US.“
Q: When?
A: Still soon.
Let’s see how well Zelensky deals with Russia with no support from the US.
This stunt by Zelensky will backfire. Watch Trump demand Zelensky step down as president of Ukraine as part of a deal.
Zelensky has no cards.
483 comments. I think that sets a record for a single post.
Personally, I would have immediately and completely withdrawn from the whole Ukraine situation, and not even wanting any minerals etc. It’s like being involved with 3 Mafia and 1 Nazi families at the same time.
I hope this is what Trump is trying to do – to completely get the US out of it.
Let the Europeans deal with it.
Ok, Mr. Lindbergh. America First Forever!
Ending the War in Ukraine,
First, we should review the facts. That region is a hell hole the Ukrainians and Russians have hated each other and have fought one another for centuries. They do not trust one another or the US.
How do they get around these problems? First Putin wants protection from an
invading force. That is done by demilitarizing the Donbas region by leveling it.
Make it a waste land that hyenas and jackals would not want to live. Also, make
it a protectorate administrated by the UN or some other third party. In addition
station US troops in Ukraine Taken from Germany may make sense. They are to
protect both Ukraine and Russia from invasion.
Then develop a plan to rebuild Ukraine probably by region. I am sure loads of
US contractors would love to participate. Ideally it would be a model of restoration
and progress for the rest of the world. They have many advantages: highly
educated population, great natural resources, and a productive agricultural community.
The meeting in Washing ton was not well thought out. The animosity between the
two adversaries were not considered and the distrust between all parties was not
recognized. If they get together again, I recommend that the US delegation include
Trump and the ambassador to Ukraine or the Secretary of State.
The minerals deal can wait
If you believe a war against Russia can be won, you would also have to accept that the USA could be conquered. Pretty sure both countries will pull out their nuclear arsenal before allowing that to happen.
Mish nailed this one.
No one is threatening Russia’s sovereignty, no one! NATO is not an invading force; it is a deterrent against Moscow’s long history of being the invaders and occupiers.
Seems to me it went just as planned. There were only two possible outcomes.
1. Z signs a deal
2 Z demands more war.
Trump had the press involved so there would be no question which option Z choose.
This was just a step in the right direction to free Ukraine from the Biden regime’s deliberately corrupt puppet.
The big lie the media keeps pushing: Russia was unprovoked. Nonsense they were absolutely provoked by Europe and the US. A 2014 Maidan Coup to oust Viktor Yanukovych and install Zelenskyy orchestrated by Victoria Nuland and John McCain. Ukraine and Russia have been bound together since the 13th century. Nikita Khrushchev was a Ukrainian. Ukraine started the war on Donbass after 90% voted to break away from Kiev. This was was absolutely provoked by the West and the US in a failed attempt to weaken Russia and has blown up in their face with millions now dead and billions spent. Trump is 100% right to stop the killing and get a negotiated settlement, but he’s fighting the same bunch who thought it was a good idea to put Zelenskyy in power who won’t go down without a fight. Europe appears to want WW3.
Full on Alex Jones nonsense.
If you believe that is Alex Jones nonsense then you are one brainwashed and or clueless individual
Where is Yanukovych today? He sought refuge in Russia after his ouster. He did so because he had become or was, from the beginning, a Putin Puppet in the making. He ran on seeking NATO membership, and the majority of the people supported NATO membership. After becoming President, he began to walk back his support for NATO membership, and by 2012-13, the people clearly saw his betrayal. I have American friends who came here from Ukraine in the late 1970s via Israel. They had to escape what was then Russia to gain their freedom. But they identify themselves as Ukrainian because when you are occupied and essentially imprisoned in your country, you do not assimilate; you escape or fight back.
434 comments. Wow.
Zelensky says that he’ll start wearing a “costume” when the fighting is over. He’s already been wearing a costume the last 3 years.
Whatever anyone thinks of Trump, Zelensky demonsrated that he is totally incompetent when it comes to diplomacy. The delusion of him, the EU autocrats, and all of their supporters is on full display, and the fake anti-Putin narrative is crumbling.
Fake anti Putin narrative????? You mean where his enemies keep falling from windows several stories high, Russian fugitives in the UK get poisoned etc etc .
A very dangerous street thug who got promoted way above his ability.
BTW, No anti Russian sentiment here, wife and daughters are Russian.
No one hates Russia and much as pro-Western Russians.
I agree. I’ll go further. I think someone whispered in Zelenskys ear(think EU) to talk tough. Apparently Europeans are pro war now.
Whatever. We should cancel everything and let the EU back up their tough talk
And for 175Billion$ can we get the guy to wear a suit & tie? Enough with the fatigues and acting like your fighting on the front line .
You must be a bot or one of the most purposely ignorant people on the planet. “Fake anti-Putin narrative,” Putin has been in power in Russia for over 20 years, including the few years when his ally Medevnev held the Presidency as a workaround until Putin could change the rules to allow him to rule for life. Putin brutally took complete control of Chechnia, forcibly took control of parts of Georgia, through proxy separatists annexed Crimea, and then launched the first major ground war in Europe since WWII to try to topple the Zelensky administration and take as much of Eastern Ukraine as possible. Give me a break!
ZH: “‘Hive Mind’ Globalists All Post Same X Message After Zelensky’s Oval Office Humiliation”
Who was the copy writer that they all parroted?
Vikie Nuland at NuLand News. News before you know its news, copyright CIA industries 2014.
This is probably one of this blog’s most inciting posts with the greatest number of responses/reactions and a telling percentage of opinion likes verses dislikes.
As early as three months from now, the disruption this is going to cause in EU – USA relations will bleed through to the world economy. It might be a good time to start rotating out of stocks and into US Treasuries.
The most accurate statement in the recorded exchange is that Zelensky has been setting the world up for WW III.
It’s starting already. A Norwegiam marine fuel company announced it will no longer do business with American ships.
OMG, we’re fucked!
JD (Theil’s puppet) blew this up on purpose…. but to what end?
To hide the Epstein files?
Continue the war/graft?
To buy more time to hide the real reasons for the war?
Why did this happen they way it did? I am extremely suspicious….
To provide a distraction, and protect his boss – who Vance thinks is vulnerable, for some reason.
We’re ending our support for Ukraine. Vance and Trump want a reason to blame Zelensky. The mineral deal was designed as something Z couldn’t accept – giving away their resources and getting nothing in return. Trump knows Z already secretly signed away Ukraine’s resources to the UK for their 100 security pledge. Trump will expose the Europeons for maneuvering to get Ukraine’s wealth and their plan to profit mightily on the rebuilding of Ukraine with stolen Russian money.
Some say Zelenskyy is an MI6 asset. He’s known to have met with Sir Richard Moore on several occasions. You might be right about Ukraine already giving their resources to the UK.
If it was Biden in there, Zelensky would have carried home an aid package worth 40 billion with troop support. Well done Mr. Trump.
Zelensky, you are in a hole. stop digging.
Z came to the US to sign a deal in bad faith. He knew he was not going to sign, even when he told Rubio he would, obviously under that scenario Trump won’t be signing anything with him as President of Ukraine. He needs to be removed from office one way or another in order to get this thing settled.
What was he going to sign. It was just a one way mineral deal. What else do people think was in the deal?
before you get married, you often sleep together. It was probably an offer to share a bed of some metaphorical sort. Zelensky apparently had difficulty comitting and had his shizophrenic self phone himself in the middle of the meeting saying he had to go back to his hotel and put together some Lego model or something equally inane and pointless.
you can’t get to home base until you get to 1st base, and Zelensky can’t even get out of the dugout, and has decided to try to tunnel out but he keeps going deeper and yet getting nowhere.
Agreed Trump has to go. Trump should give some thought to the ending of Hitler and Mussolini, history would suggest dictators do not have pleasant retirements.
If you turn off the sound, and watch the televised exchange – the body language is very interesting.
Zelensky is more controlled than Trump.
You’d think Zelensky would be the agitated one, but that’s not what you see.
Zelensky is 1, an actor/comedian, he has been trained for the stage/drama/comedy.. why he dresses the way he does, he is playing a role, why he acts the way he does, he is playing a role.
Zelensky attempted to renegotiate the deal to include the guarantee of us troops, The meeting was formality to sign the agreement that had been negotiated in private. Zelensky attempted to renegotiate it before the press for the added leverage apparently.
Trump was truly pissed, Zelensky welched on a deal that was very close to bringing peace to the Ukraine, he lost faith in Zelenskys integrity. Zelensky does not understand he is negotiating from a place of weakness and does not have great leverage.
I’m not certain Zelensky realizes what he pissed away for his reality show episode in the White House..
Putin and Zelensky are both playing Trump.
everyone plays everyone, that is politics. One cannot gain leverage from a position of weakness is commonsense. Zelenski is neither wise nor well versed in politics, his career has been drama, he thinks he played his ultimate role, but the critics claim it was overplayed and might be his late role as this character.
The followup is likely to be a tragic story of a fallen “leader”, a short man, with a large temper, living out his last days on an island, isolated. Some are saying its derivative of Napoleon without the good parts.
His career arc is declining. His future roles will not be as large nor as lucrative, his agent is getting ready to drop him.
he will be doing summer stock in Estonia soon. He will no longer get top billing. The public is fickle and his range is limited.
An actor comedian and a clown what sh t show as predicted.
I disagree. The Z frowned and crossed the arms feeling cornered and threatened back with “wearing secrets”. He really didn’t expect what he got and did not take it coldly at all.
If you’re self-aware, crossing your arms can be a technique….you appear defensive, but you keep yourself from showing aggression.
True. If you make a living to stand up to a big thug like Putin, you are not going to be impressed by two BS artists like Trump and Vance.
You do know that the war was not unprovoked, as the MSM BS artists told us. Even the Pope said so.
The pope told you? I didn’t know that the Russian bots are now impersonating the pope as well.
You are a Russian bot.
Zelensky was and acted like an adult male Trump was and is a man-baby. Trump is an embarrassing child.
Zelensky is willing to fight until the last Ukrainian man (and any other poor bastard, man or woman, who is sent into that meat grinder)
and destroy every city, town and village to DEFEAT Rah Rah Russia.
Every last man, except himself, of course…
he has the luxury of retreating to his Villa in Florida, nice ocean you have there Mr. President….
Am I the only one who caught Z mentioning that he was wearing secrets? What secrets? Why did he say that if not in a threatening way? I’d love if those secrets were told in front of the cameras.
Mish, you are a very lonely voice in trying to characterize yesterday as a “stunt” by Zelensky. Zelensky had very no control over the Oval Office scene. He had no control over how long the cameras were allowed to broadcast live, he had no control over MTG’s hack reporter boyfriend berating him about his clothing choices, and he had no control over VP Vance’s disrespectful dress-down of him regarding whether or not he has said “thank you, or whether or not Russian state media was given access to the Oval Office for this event. Even Trump Allie and Putin apologist Nigel Farage messaged that the exchange would make Putin feel like a winner. You are clearly in the same camp as Trump/Vance when it comes to a peace negotiation in that you start with the premise that Ukraine must surrender roughly 30% of its sovereign territory to Russia, must give up its sovereign right to choose who it enters into alliances and treaties with, and must cut an economic transactional deal with the U.S. to induce the U.S. to convince Putin to walk away with seized Ukrainian territory, restored relations with the U.S., reentry into the G* and likely the lifting of economic sanctions. I am sorry, this is not a negotiated peace. This is a shakedown of Ukraine and a destruction of the U.S.’s standing as the world’s defender of freedom and democracy.
Mish is correct. Zelensky attempted to associate Trump and Putin to intimidate Trump. Haha, calling it “back fired” is hilarious. Zelensky lost his job as President during that visit. Zelensky wants revenge while calling it justice. I get it. Meanwhile, people are dying. For nothing.
Zelensky’s public support in his country will rise, not fall, and his support in Europe will also increase. Trump’s polling has been falling, and this event will likely push it lower. No democratic world leader who has stood on principles and values has been weakened. Still, democratic world leaders who have placated dictators and authoritarian leaders have ultimately been weakened, and their legacy has been hurt.
More delusion, you refuse to see the writing on the wall…
Let him use his support among the Banderites to fight Russia. No more arms from the U.S..
You must work for the US Department of State, trained by ‘Repeat after me’ Nuland….”Putin is evil.”
Finally, the world has a chance of a lasting peace . Perhaps even bringing Russia into part of Europe, as it once was.
China, of course, cannot accept that, but better that than WW3
Yes, I make up the counts of only people who publicly oppose Putin in Russia falling out of windows quite often or his critics living outside of Russia being poisoned with radioactive isotopes. I made up his brutal campaign against Russia’s Chechnia region, his incursion and take over of parts of Georgia, his separatist proxy campaign and subsequent illegal annexation of Crimea, and his full-on invasion of Easter parts of Ukraine accompanied by outright destruction of entire cities, including apartment buildings and hospitals. Putin despises free democratic systems of government. Thus, a Putin-led Russia will never be able to integrate with Europe.
Why would Russia want to integrate with the Europeons? They’ve proven themselves to be a brood of vipers.
Will Ukrainians be willing to fight under Zelensky knowing he could have walked out with a Peace deal which would have ended the War, brought economic relief and allowed Ukraine to rebuild?
Zelensky is propped up by Europe’s political elites at the price of Ukrainian lives.
Life in this world is short for Zelensky.
US can and will curtail aid to Ukraine as it has no interest in getting dragged into a War with Russia over what a petty Dictator wants for Ukraine.
What do you think the “peace” deal consisted of? As far as I can see it was:
How does that change things on the ground? What incentive in that is there for Putin to stop?
Putin has been quite clear about why Russia acted in Ukraine, that was to stop eastward expansion of NATO into Ukraine.
The provocation was potential NATO troops on ground in Ukraine.
That situation occurring puts Moscow under direct threat of intimidation by military force. Russia military doctrine was upgraded ( I believe it was in 2024) and it includes use of nuclear force to stop military threats to Homeland.
Putin has said he does not care if Ukraine joins EU as that is economic in nature. NATO in Ukraine does pose imminent military threat to Russia.
An economic alliance with US such as rare Earth procurement in no ways violates what Putin has set as Russian parameters.
So using that as a tool to make saving Ukraine from destruction is acceptable to Russia.
Economic relief should be welcomed by War weary Ukrainians. It was to be the common ground which would end conflict.
Include in that a permanent neutrality status for Ukraine and that ends Russian strategic need to wage War.
It is European elites who want a War of attrition with Russia. Under Biden they walked all over US national interests. That is no longer the case with Trump.
I would add: as there is little actual publication of what true Nature of this conflict represents best I can offer is weaving all those threads which come out publicly into a cohesive picture. Which is purpose of posts.
A neutral Ukraine is the ideal solution, but not with Zelensky
Except for the Russia/Afghan war in the ’80’s, The USA has started and is solely responsible for EVERY Multi-Country (NATO) WAR SINCE Viet Nam.
What has happened in Ukraine did not have to happen and would not have happened w/o the U.S. pushing it’s Ukraine regime-change operation and NATO expansion.
The U.S. would react in exactly the same way if Russia or China expanded their military presence and influence into Canada or Mexico.
The U.S. Neocon ‘Elite” believe that by ‘Devine Right’, it should absorb the immense petro resources of Russia and Russia should accept being a Vassal of this Empire.
As all of Europe has become.
I would change USA to USA State Department/CIA, the American populace has been against most wars, but the legacy media/cia have marched them to war via false information, again and again.
Americans that are not of the ruling class, are simply cannon fodder and economic serfs to be harnessed to pay for and fight the wars of the elite.
The State Department and its bastard child the intelligence agencies are the entity provoking or instigating these wars for their own benefit, not the nations. Not the American People.
legacy of course… he’s old, and dying with unfinished business is a bad wrap…. dying with banked gains, and Russia secure, and it’s economy growing, and being in a new rapprochement with the allies against the CCP, is a decent legacy for him.
Because Trump just showed his intention without saying a word.
First end armed conflict. then all things are possible.
The Brits and Euros dragged us into two world wars. It seems Trump wants to avoid number three. Never negotiate with a guy who only owns one t-shirt and wears it every day!
I am waiting to see what his net worth is now after years of him skimming US aid into his personal coffers. This statistic won’t come to light until after he is out of office. Our corrupt media is complicit with the MIC, Our politburo won’t allow facts, Ukraine is one of the most corrupt nations in the world only outdone by Russia. I am wondering if Ukraine hadn’t enriched the Biden crime family with million’s of dollars would FJB have given him all those billions. Not a bad return on investment for Zelenski. May they both roast in hell for eternity for all the death and destruction their corrupt evil actions have wrought.
Corporate US media is already saying he was independently wealthy due to his acting career before the war. So that will be the narrative when/if his net worth is published after the war.
He played a heterosexual on TV.
Trump should tell Zelensky the US isn’t going to give Ukraine anymore help. No weapons, no money and no public support. Take what Trump is offering or Trump will go public with the news then Zelensky will lose Ukraine to Russia because no one is going to step up and give Ukraine what they need to win the war.
Let Putin win is that sensible
You’re kidding yourself if you think Ukraine can actually win. The only way that would happen is if theUS and EU would put boots on the ground and that’s not going to happen.
I didn’t say that Ukraine can actually win.You think it’s okay that Putin invaded Ukraine and that he should get away with it. The next country in the firing line will be Moldova
Should the West get away with breaking promises made to Russia?
They are all liars
Zoellick, a former deputy and undersecretary of state, deputy White House chief of staff, U.S. trade representative, and World Bank president, shared his recollections about the Cold War’s end and its ties to the ongoing war in Ukraine as part of a broader conversation with Harvard Law Today about the 75th anniversary of the Truman Doctrine, an American foreign policy aimed at containing Soviet expansion following World War II.
“I was in those meetings, and Gorbachev has [also] said there was no promise not to enlarge NATO,” Zoellick recalls. Soviet Foreign Minister, Eduard Shevardnadze, later president of Georgia, concurred, he says. Nor does the treaty on Germany’s unification include a limit on NATO enlargement. Those facts have undermined one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s justifications for invading Ukraine — that the United States had agreed that former Warsaw Pact nations would never become part of the North Atlantic security alliance.
……………………………………………………………………………
Mish, for some reason, like Trump, you believe Russia sources over American sources. Shame!
The same American sources that said Hunter’s laptop was Russian disinformation? Empire of Lies.
If you don’t already, go live in Russia since it is such a high and noble system in your assessment. I am sure they would welcome you with open arms because you might be the first person since Stephen Segal to actually choose to immigrate there.
If I was running the UK, I would pretend to be supporting Ukraine, put boots on the ground along the western borders, then arrest Zelensky, hand him to Putin, and force the partition of Ukraine, between its neighbours so that it just become a tiny landlocked country like Moldova.
Except the UK can’t force anything
Better for the USA to invade Ukraine with a covert deal with Putin, and just partition it, and jail Zelensky in a Siberian gulag. Stop messing about. Putin is a moderate and a realist, and is very capable of making a deal with Trump. The EU regime and the UK are run by delusional retards.
What planet are you on !!! Putin is a moderate and Realist don’t make me laugh and don’t compare UK with EU regime we escaped thanks to Boris.
What are you, an ex-KGB employee?
LOL
The risk of WWIII was greater under Obama and Biden. Trump invited the Apprentice for a mineral talks and gave him hell in front of the world.
He didn’t give him hell, he only told him the truth and he thought it was hell.
Russia is the aggressor!!! They invaded Ukraine.Is it right that Putin should get away with this.
The war was not unprovoked. Also, Boris Johnson worked to prevent a settlement of whatever sort, just after the war began.
What reasons warrant an invasion
Ask Putin.
The US and NATO broke promises to not expand NATO to the East.
Russia drew a red line at Ukraine which the US, NATO, and EU ignored.
Compare this to Kennedy’s red line on Russian missiles in Cuba.
Russia is not afraid of NATO invading Russia. They’re afraid of NATO limiting their ability to bully its neighbors into submission. Russia is a failing country clawing at it neighbors trying to survive.
Even if true…this is our problem, how?
Don’t ask Putin; ask James Baker, who was there. No final agreement included a “promise” to prevent Eastern Bloc countries from joining NATO. Also, NATO does not expand. No country is coerced to join NATO; sovereign nations choose to seek NATO membership because they deem that it is in the country’s best interest.
Mish, please explain Sweden and Findland decision to join NATO (I emphasize, they decided to join in their best interest from security perspective). Why they decided so after so many years neutral, why Russia does not feel threatened by them now and why should it?
I like your economy articles, and I have become your regular reader. However, in this topic Russia – Ukraine war, I feel sad and disappointed, even it is hard for me I read all the articles. I accept that your view represents a big part of US citizens, and also discussion on this topics in comments represents discussions in society on this topic – very polarised (aggressive, vulgar, personal attacks, disinformations…).
I am from and living in Slovakia, Ukraine is our neighbour, and I hope you will extend your knowledge about history in our region and please pay attention to sources. We – Slovaks, Czechs, Poles, and Baltic states, have a lot of experience, when dealing with Russia policy and culture. Our economy, society and individual values are still broken in many ways – result of 1948 – 1989 Russian influence / communism.
We are also very much under big influence of Russia propaganda and disinformation attacks now. I am afraid about our society and my family in next 10 years, I do not want to get back before 1989.
With Russia, you are treating them as another US, or Europe country, even China (I believe Chinese state values their citizens much mure than Russia theirs…) and I believe, you are totally wrong. Their philosophy is like from 18th century, totally incompatible with west values and economy. Please check the period when Putin wanted to be part of EU and why it failed.
Also I agree in almost all points with your critics of EU. However, I think the right path is not to abandon the idea and destroy it, but to understand the challenges, problems and try to adapt and improve the system. Make reforms.
Mish, I wish you sharp mind, and continue with your economic reporting, and try not to fall into pessimism of it now.
Stefan
I really wish the U.S. and the EU would heed the advice from leaders from countries like yours who know far more about Russia and its tactics, ambitions, and culture than most Western Europeans and Americans. Foreign Minister Kallas is a good start.
Dude, by now you should know better. YouTube videos: John Mearsheimer and Jeffrey Sachs. You’re welcome.
NATO was never going to attack Russia.You really thinks it’s okay for Russia to invade Ukraine Then Moldova who are next in line.
Look deep enough and you will find the US department of state played a major role in engineering this war
Classic destabilization game. US triggers and promotes a localized war then comes to the rescue, getting the resources it always wanted at the end. Victimized country votes in a strong man and descends into communism at some point in an desperate effort to expel the American corporations. Ask any Cuban/Venezuelan/Iraqi who understands history (many never even understood the big picture unfortunately).
Two people in the world could stop this slaughter of young people: Putin – although he can’t be seen to lose or he risks beng toppled; Trump by offering security guarantees.
Imagine a guy collapsed in the road and somebody comes along and says “give me your wallet and I’ll probably help stop the cars coming”. This is the type of extortion Trump is issuing. He could offer proper guarantees and it would be over tomorrow.
I have read this blog for a few years now, excellent economic coverage. However, on geo-politics it has headed down the same line as Russel Brand, Joe Rogan, Patrick Bet-David in feeling that it is more valuable to fire up the MAGA crowd. Outside the US, X is in two halves today: America’s traditional allies absolutely disgusted; Russia laughing.
Mish I think you are getting to a disgusting non-moral position on this. Shame on you.
That is probably the worst analogy I have heard in a long time.
America’s ‘Traditional Allies”?
You mean the WOKE, LIVING HELLS that are Germany, The UK, Italy, France, etc?
Those countries have destroyed themselves economically & culturally.
The U.S. has nothing in common with what they have become.
And, those countries are in no position to gear up and fight a war.
With anyone, except their own Native People.
Which is exactly what they have been doing.
Fot DECADES.
The European nations retain their former names, but the character and the state of these nations is nothing like they were even 30 years ago. They have been deeply propagandized into forgetting their reason for existing, they think they are NGO’s saving the world from Climate Change and Sexism and all the isms their deluded political parties can fit on their platform.
They need not fear Russia, they have destroyed their own nations with their own hands.
Germany, the once great industrial heart of Europe, cannot build enough power plants and keep them running to efficiently provide power to their own nation. That is a very bad sign.
I don’t see a woke living hell here. I have never seen a mens toilet with tampons. I have never known anybody that hasn’t been able to speak their mind. I do see free healthcare, low infant mortality, higher happiness and democracy indexes, higher life expectancy, no gun crime. I have seen the hell of impoverished people on the streets in the US though. Why people have fallen for this Vance nonsense about free speech I don’t get. Is there something wrong with the caps lock key on your keyboard?
Of course you have seen free health care…as you stand in line like everyone else
Bizarre comment – the US spends way more per capita than any other country on healthcare but by most metrics gets much worse results than European systems. Comparing healthcare systems is a strange battle to chose.
I’ll give you that Netflix is good and Amazon services is stella. Pick on European innovation and enrepreneurship and I’ll definitely give you the win!
All of your comments are bizarre. read the room man.
I do read the room and this blog commentse secion is full on MAGA echo chamber.
But you are not alone here, not all commenters are MAGA people, many with only personal attacks in their pockets.
The fish doesn’t see the glass wall that creates his cage..
A similar chaotic discussion have happened between Churchill, FDR and Dr White eighty years ago. Results: the 1000 years British Empire dissolved within 1,000 days. For Trump Zelensky and Hakeem are two bad tenants. Those who ignore him will be evicted from the house.
I don’t think the British Empire existed for a thousand years, but it did fall rapidly after spending its blood and treasure on foolish wars. The Royalty became weak even though it was mixture of German, Dutch,French and the odd native Englishman who happened to be in the right place at the wrong time.
The crown was like musical chairs over the centuries. The Dutch practically walked in and took the crown for awhile. They brought the ascendancy of the house of Rothschilds which financed/aided the East India Trading Company – the corporation of the crown and its ‘friends’ – which brought riches and troubles in equal measure and has left England an island of foreigners, trying to unite under a culture which is nearly schizophrenic in its love/hate of its very self.
Its very paranoid of Russia, and tries to drag its errant colony the USA into this madness at every possible chance.
It was about 350 years max, if you start from 1603 and maybe stretch it to the mid 20th-century.
US (Trump now and Biden to a lesser extent before) are pushing Europe to war with Russia. What about that?
The military industrial complex is always and forever in control.
Not potus, not vpotus, not doge…
Until you see our military might align with the DC theater just relax and enjoy the show.
Who is control of the largest most lethal military on earth?
Commander in chief is just a fancy title.
Sort of like “refuse technician” for the neighborhood rubbish haulers.
I will feel dumber after replying but here goes: Trump just fired the Chairman of the joint Chiefs of Staff. And others such as JAG senior officers. Department of Defense cries about uncertain funding. Seems running the military required Congressional funding. I think that is enough for now.
can you perhaps, assemble these disparate facts into a cogent argument of some sort that might add to the conversations occurring on this page? inquiring minds want to know….
It all went to shit in 2014 after the Winter Olympics in Sochi Russia, which the opening ceremony had one of Russian Olympic medalist holding a monkey to mock Obama.
I think that drove the NeoCon Wokes in the Obama Admin and Deep State nuts enough to push them over the edge as far as starting chaos in Ukraine, and it did not help the current president of Ukraine did not want to join the EU and wanted more economic trade with Russia.
But I see Zelensky wants the USA to guarantee it would put troops in Ukraine if Russia breaks a peace deal.
I think Trump is implying that (but won’t specify to level that Zelensky wants) likely the USA would respond (without giving specifics) if that happened based on protecting American financial interests (from the USA-Ukraine mineral deal).
The United Kingdom wants to put its troops in as peace keepers in Ukraine, but where exactly ? western border of Donbas ?
And how does Putin view essentially having NATO troops in possibly eastern Ukraine ?
It’s all geo political deal making and posturing.
Zelensky did this on purpose. The Democrats desperately need a win against Trump and they got Zelensky to fire the shot probably telling him that the US has to support Ukraine even if they don’t want to. It caught the Europeans by surprise and until now they assumed the same thing. We will see if that assumption is correct or not. By allowing himself to be a pawn in the political fight between Democrats and Republicans he has guaranteed his demise.
He’s just out of options and lashing out. There’s a lot of people who are getting their US taxpayer dollar spigots shut off very soon, and he can’t bring them bad news.
Europeans are slow out of the starting gate. Whether staged or accidental the public argument is spur and lash to the European nag. USA made a clean break and won’t be spending another dollar. The whole mess is dumped on Europe.
Let’s chuckle at the old maids of Europe as they decide how to assemble men and resources after three years of fanning their brows and scratching their butts.
What about not giving the possibility to US companies to sell their products and services in European countries as a consequence of what you just wrote ( including not buying anymore US debt) ? Would tue US economy survive?
Europe had a high tariff and regulatory wall against US products for seventy years. US is compensating with enough tariff to end the sale of EU aluminum, steel, glass, chemicals, Mercedes, VW, BMW, Audi in USA.
But Europe is client of US products so regulatory aspects are necessary and possible. Nibody forces US companies to sell in Europe. Since “customer’s always right”, vendors such as META, Google, Amazon, X, etc. myst comply with client desiderata, which are in fact legal compliance with several regulations, independently US companies like or not. Likewise, nobody’s forcing US customers to purchase European cars (maybe they’re better than American ones?) or other items, so your reasoning does not stand.
Trump won’t succeed to repay US debt with foreign money through tariff. It will be on the shoulders of American consumers. Good Luck.
PS: I live in Europe and I have a Jeep (developed under FCA era)
The American federal government thinks NATO is vital. The American people are tired of it and want out. On this one, the people will get their way.
If NATO disappears so does the war….
your bent logic made your geographic location obvious, no need to reveal it.
let’s talk about it when you’ll have to pay extra costs for your health insurance or work more hours to keep your living standards
Yes, the economy would survive. Do some work. Study. The world needs the US economy. Capitalism, even the thwarted and socialist US version, continues to reign supreme.
FWIW Zelensky is out of options. He wouldn’t have even shown up today if he wasn’t. Zelensky knew the Putin/Trump ambush was coming. Zelensky said something very interesting as he was being talked over by Trump and Vance. The American people will soon realize what he said will come true.
Zelensky was forecasting what could happen to the USA just like what happened to Ukraine. Sounds like Putin invading Alaska or worse.
I think Trump interpreted that as Zelensky making a threat as Trump said Zelensky has no leverage and “holds no cards”.
Zelensky should have been a LOT BETTER PREPARED to say that he was just warning Trump about the Kremlin is that dangerous enough to consider directly harming the USA.
Whoever is Zelensky’s staff should have better prepared him.
But I would have insisted on signing an agreement in private and then going public to discuss that signed agreement.
Putin has to be tired of this war now too. And he needs more money from oil and minerals to rebuild.
—
5 eyes intelligence says Putin is ready to commence an attack on Moldova next and then Estonia.
Probably nothing but warmonger propaganda. Putin’s only goal is to prevent any more eastward NATO expansion. A VERY rational stance and exactly what we would do if Canada was getting in bed with the Chinese military. These little countries need to realize they are Russia’s “Mexico/Canada” and have no choice but to remain neutral OR they can find a way to team up and defeat Putin (probably a very unwise move).
Yes, 100%. Insisting on “sovereign nation” concepts can actually be pretty dangerous in superpower vs superpower situations.
Yes, and because of that, he provided very, very strong motivation for Sweden and Finland to adjust their security policy…
Estonia is a NATO country. Putin counts on NATO not responding ?
Estoniq is so poor, if Russia took it over they would have to support every citizen, and that wouldn’t be very popular with Russian citizens.
Russia will leave Estonia alone – despite their abuse of ethnic Russians – unless the Baltics try to cut off Kaliningrad or participate with NATO in trying to seal off the Baltic Sea. That won’t happen under Trump, but who knows in the future? NATO planners want to close off Russia access to the Atlantic by making the Black Sea and Baltic Sea “NATO lakes”. Russia won’t allow either to happen.
Estonia is smaller than West Virginia. Estonia is approx. 70% the size of West Virginia.
Russia is larger than the United States. guess who wins?
You espouse the “Great Power” world order.
i espouse a rare and dangerous trait, common sense. One doesn’t poke a sleeping pit bull to see what will happen.
I just a text alert: 10 million North Korean soldiers are on the way, and they have been ordered to march on London, while the Russians mount an airborne attack on Iceland as a diversion.
put down the pipe and get back in to detox..you friends and family with thank you
The only part of Moldova Russia cares about is the tiny sliver – Transnistria – east of the Dnister River. The rest of it should be part of Romania – not that Russia cares about that. For Russia to take Transnistria it would have to take Odessa first. We’ll see. Estonia needs to start acting right.
Estonia’s prime minister Kaja Kallas is apparently rising through the ranks in NATO. That should tell you something.
Trump is a daily disaster. I said this would happen. Things will get much worse for him and the US and the world in general. 3 KGB agents now say they were part of harvesting Trump since the late 1980s and that Putin has the Trump KGB file. Effectively Putin is in charge of US foreign policy. America is headed to place it won’t be able to come out of for about 8 years. It likely only ends when Putin and Trump meet their maker.
I think Zelensky wanted Trump to sign a mineral agreement which included a section that specified how the USA would provide military security if the Kremlin violated a future peace deal.
I think Trump being Trump wants to be coy so he does not show or “tip his cards” for Putin to see.
Trump keeps Putin guessing on exactly how much resolve the USA has to protect Ukraine and its economic interests there such as with the mineral mines.
What surprised me is Trump said Putin agrees with European troops as peacekeepers in Ukraine, but I am not sure Putin agrees with this.
Again, this may be part of Trump’s public posturing to manage talks with Putin.
^Victoria Nuland has entered the chat
We will be fighting the Vietnamese in our back yards if we didn’t defeat them over there is the old team line on foreign wars we shouldnt have been involved in
What can the US do to secure its rare earth minerals supply? Beseech Putin?
The rare earth minerals aren’t for the US. Neither is Greenland or Canada. You will see.
The annual global trade of rare earths is mere $3 to10 billion. The Ukraine reserves are 15% of that. Run the numbers how long it would take to pay off the $350 billion. The deal is just smoke screen.
The mineral deal is for many more minerals than just Rare Earth Minerals. you understimate, what you don’t understand.
Rare earth minerals are not rare (scarce). Rare earth minerals are difficult to mine with a few locations of concentration.
exactly “rare” in concetration, rarely concentrated. Rare Earth. The lower the concentration the more expensive and more difficult to extract in meaningful quantities.
The ocean is full of dissolved gold, it can be considered “Rare Gold” as it is rarely ever extracted as the difficulty is too great for the result when there are much better gold sources, such as the mines and streams of the western united states for one.
Zelenski cannot rely on the Europeans and he running out of body bags.
He will snort a few lines and be back begging.
Zelensky was on Fox News and was already walking things back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfqLcBwUT_E
Trump was asked what side he was on, and Trump rightly said he was in the middle. Vance supported Trump and advocated for diplomacy. Up until then, Trump and Zelensky were addressing the press and then Zelensky went off on Vance.
Even though he was in the middle, Trump was called a Putin lover again. Thing is I read about the view from Poland which also is very much in the middle. You would think you would hear more from them given that they are on the border of Ukraine, but after reading this article about what many Poles think, you can see why they are not included in the mainstream media narrative, https://theconversation.com/why-many-poles-are-not-as-supportive-of-ukraines-war-effort-as-their-leaders-in-warsaw-240562
Trump seemed to end the meeting that he was expecting they’d meet again with Zelensky.
Trump even said the meeting was a way to air out disagreements, but that should have been done in private not public.
At least come up with a “general agreement” and sign it, and then make that public as a first step.
Zelensky has no cards … ok, but Zelensky is a hero. He didn’t hide behind his bone spurs when his country needed him.
He actually got out of the draft twice.
He immediately ran to Poland when the war started and started filming silly videos in front of a green screen. He didn’t return to Ukraine until recieving assurances that Putin would not kill him.
Hope the Russians pay you well for this utter nonsense.
@albert, I think you misspelled “Zero”
The meeting seemed to take a steep downhill turn when Zelenski stated that the US had oceans protecting it and THEN said something to the effect that ‘your turn will come’. That was a foolish statement and triggered Trump immediately.
BS. Ukraine can keep fighting with help from Europe. Ukraine has proven that they can create weapons on their own. With help from Europe, Ukraine can hold their own.
But if necessary, Ukraine can also mount a guerrilla operation as the Taliban and others have done and harry Russia, attacking where possible.
If Z turns to terrorism, there’s nothing at this point keeping the US from just liquidating him. We know where everyone is and where all their operational locations are at.
The best case right now would be to get the radicals into a meeting somewhere and triple tap with a few Tomahawks.
be a shame if a drone malfunctioned right over Zelensky’s residence. We can black out Ukraine access to gps, and satellites, “overzealous patriots misfire into President’s Mansion” is a prewritten UK Mail Headline waiting to be printed.
a midget must be careful when dancing with giants, he has much to lose and little to gain. The dancers is not the producer of the show and has little understanding other than to wait for his cues and perform. it is the director and producer that control the show we watch.
The strings are pulled and Zelensky dances.
Your chosen post nap certainly matches the quality of this comment!
If US just terminates the Starlink facility, Ukraine is toast. As to help from Europe, it appears they have run out of arms and ammunition, so…
How about if we join North Korea and China and send Russia needed military equipment so they can continue to fight Ukraine? Wouldn’t that work better for you?
What is the whole obsession with giving away free military equipment?
TDS is the motivation, it’s the only motivation left. Hundreds of thousands of young boys can be blown to bits, so long as they can put a tiny little L in the Trump column.
How about we end the war before there are no Ukrainians left?
You armchair warriors have no problem sending 1.5 million Ukrianians to their deaths, and the whole country destroyed, as long as, what, YOU don’t have to go fight? So brave and noble of you, proxy warior.
not my war, how do I benefit from Ukraine not being a Russian colony? I will give my blood for my nation, not a suburb of Moscow pissing in the wind.
Bring in Victoria Nuland for a gorilla operation.
Exactly. This is a war of the future fought with drones and technology. Nothing prevents the UK from helping the Ukraine. Israel also has no love for Russia. The truth is this can go on for longer but it will depend on Putin. Europe will fund a modern tech army quickly imo if they know they have to defend themselves. Even if Ukraine gives in, what makes anyone think someone will actually want to live there?
Nuclear armed nations can never lose a war. Wanna bet on that?
I heard Zelensky tell Trump that the Russians broke the truce and did not return prisoners as agreed and could not be trusted to abide by a cease fire. I assume he was talking about Minsk II. According to Angela Merkel the reason Russia did that was because Ukraine used the cease fire to rearm. Who knows what the truth is but I know that the longer the war goes the worse it’s going to get for Ukraine. Everyone seems to know that except Z.
I see Trump’s strategy as solving a system of equations.
Get a mineral rights agreement with Ukraine by withholding US military support against Russia.
De-escalate Russia’s fear the West is an existential threat.
Get Europe to pay for all their military defense against Russia.
Free up European theater military personnel and equipment for re-deployment in the Pacific theater that China is heating up. Raw material from Ukraine to be used for new military equipment against China.
IF Israel, just as Ukraine, requires US security guarantees and US weapons and US funds to pay it’s bureaucracy and guarantee it’s bonds to survive -and Ukraine must sign a resource extraction and infrastructure collateralization deal with the US to protect US Taxpayers’ interests to secure those security guarantees and weapons and funds; WHY is there no commensurate commitment demanded of Israel?
Because Israel owns the banking system.
You really don’t know why?
[ROTFLOL]
What’s the point of ever making a deal with U.S. are Russia when neither can stick to any agreement?
The old America had the belief that a deal is a deal. Spit and a handshake.
Now that MAGA Fascists are running things, there is never a deal that can’t be broken.
Three decades ago, the newly independent country of Ukraine was briefly the third-largest nuclear power in the world.
Thousands of nuclear arms had been left on Ukrainian soil by Moscow after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. But in the years that followed, Ukraine made the decision to completely denuclearize.
In exchange, the U.S., the U.K. and Russia would guarantee Ukraine’s security in a 1994 agreement known as the Budapest Memorandum.
This is not accurate. the nuclear weapons were owned by The Soviet Union and were at bases in Ukraine. In the same way US nuclear weapons ar at a base in North Dakota, or wherever. Ukraine never had the launch codes and security lock codes, and failed to break them – a great thing for world peace, don’t you think? The UN voted unaminously (every country) that the Soviet nuclear weapons would be returned to the designated successor nation, Russia, and they were. Ukraine agreed to this. They didn’t do it out of being noble at heart, they couldn’t use the weapons, and everyone wanted them given back to Russia who could safely handle them.
This mis-statement about the Budapest Memorandums is always around, spread by neo-cons and it’s still not true.
All true. Plus, a memorandum doesn’t mean shit. It’s like a note on a napkin. A treaty takes 2/3 senate approval.
Ukraine was behind the manufacturing of the nukes. They could have made more (if they had the money).
You have to be a special kind of stupid to do what Zelensky did today. No wonder he got along with the democrats.
The large cash payments helped as well….no easier way to funnel money into your off seas accounts then to send it to a foreign nation with “an understanding” about how to distribute funds.
“I told them, they weren’t getting the billion dollars” and within six hours they fired the prosecutor and put in a “solid guy” – Joe Biden live on tape. he was protected so well, he bragged about it on video tape
Trump deal making is just pathetic. I agree he correctly recognized that war is over and Ukraine lost.
But what he is doing is that instead of brokering any peace deal and getting Putin and Zelensky to start working on terms
he is concentrating on milking Ukraine for money. This mineral right deal is just money grab and not really resolving real war conflict.
USA gave that money in the past because we wanted to give it, not because Ukraine forced us, so demanding a payback now is just crazy.
If Trump just call it off and just stopped further involvement that would make sense and would show that he sticks with America 1st policy.
After that US can become primary negotiator once Ukraine is ready for it.
But he clearly showed he is siding with Russia in ransacking Ukraine so nobody will trust him.
I guess it is combination of Trump ego and his wits are declining with age. Lets hope we will survive those next 4 years.
10% For The Big Guy has left the building.
Trump is not the kind of guy to leave a table empty handed. He wants SOMETHING for the American taxpayers who were tricked into supporting this classic destabilization exercise (and paying a quarter Trillion for it). He also wants to punish Ukraine for being so corrupt so as to allow the deep state operatives to install a puppet like Z in the first place. A better run country would have seen the trickery from a mile away (and also would have predicted the tragic endgame).
But why would Ukraine agree to such deal if war is over and they need to start negotiating with Russia. Much better to give those mineral right to Russia as bargaining chip , that can help to negotiate something in return. Signing deal with America is not giving Ukraine anything here so what’s the point.
If you feel a sucker for giving those billions, you are probably right, but it is not 1st time, same story everywhere, like Afghanistan, Iraq and every other place US was involved.
This whole approach is very amateurish, king deal maker just made himself a fool.
Ukraine does not want the war to end as long as the payments continue. The people of Ukraine are just a buffer buying time as the greedy accrue as much wealth as possible before leaving the nation or succumbing to the inevitable.
Trump is trying to force Z to end the war.
Z wants to fight on, until he is the President of nothing, and last citizen left, because he is paid to do so, and if he admits defeat, his own nationalists will off him, they are the “no surrender, fight to the last man” types.
The globalists want to prolong the war because of the sunk cost fallacy, they have so much invested in this war, sonce 2014, that they are all in, there is no turning back, admitting defeat means the end for them.
NATO wants the war to go on, they can’t dare admit defeat, the ego damage is too tremendous to bear, so they stagger on toward WWIII becasue they can’t see any off-ramp that allows them to maintain the myth of superiority.
The West assumed, in their arrogance, that there would be no consequences fo rthem in starting a war with Russia, there was no possibility of defeat.
I agree it is hard for Zelensky to just call it off now as his own people will turn against him. Lots of pride and patriotism and that is really working against them now.
Now statement that NATO wants war to continue is not fully true as everybody was saying USA is 90% NATO. So if USA wants out basically NATO is going out, other NATO members just don’t realize it yet.
But again what Trump is doing is not stopping it but just getting into a hart of that drama so he can shine. He should broker talks between Putin and Zelensky but instead he wanted spotlight on himself and it backfired spectacularly.
He tried to play master dealmaker himself and met with Putin but was clearly told to get lost. So now to save face he is trying to put blame on that failure on Zelensky via this ridiculous mineral right deal and putting condition so high (500 billion dollar commitment vs 100 billions aided) to make sure it is not going through.. So now with yesterday drama he has his escape, sad thing i is that maybe Trump saved his face but USA lost it.
Again, it is not resolving that conflict in any way if Zelensky signs this mineral deal or not. And as it is a big leash there is no sense to do it.
Lets see how serious is Trump here. He said to stop any further support to Ukraine, want to see who will fold first, Zelensky or Trump.
The U.S. was 90% of NATO until January 20th. I have to remind myself daily that NATO is a defensive organization, but apparently the best defense is a good offense.
Tell me you never negotiated anything in your life, without telling me…..
f you think it is over you are really naive. Trump is all about himself. He doesn’t want this drama to end.
Compare it to Biden who just decided that USA leave Afghanistan and we were done next day and whole deal forgotten in a week and America could move on.
Maga supporters definitely want the same. Just stop funding Ukraine, go home and be done with it and spend money in America. They just didn’t choose proper guy for it.
If you think Trump will abandon Ukraine right today similar way Biden did you are really delusional. He wants and crave for drama, he needs to be in a center. Biggest insult for Trump would be if Ukraine started Russia peace talk without him, that would really trigger him.
Let’s return to this conversation in next 6 months and we will see if Trump indeed ended it yesterday or just stage this theater to bolster his ego.Specially as recession is on horizon and Trump will need some external distraction from problems in US.
so you think leaving billions of dollars of state of the art weapons on the ground as well as a state of the art airport and base, were good american diplomacy in Afghanistan and Biden is a genius?
I think your analysis is likely flawed if I understand your basis of reasoning.
USA lost I think trillions, not billions in middle east starting with Kuwait and then for following 30 year. Getting basically nothing in return. Did we get any money from Kuwait for saving their asses, what about Iraq or Afghanistan or any other of those forgotten places.
American population didn’t care as prosperity was high. So no sense to cry about what was lost as this money will never be back.
There are plenty of things Biden didn’t do right but Afghanistan is one think I command him for doing correctly. Don’t think what you invested or lost there, get out and forget about whole thing to stop further losses
It is good that Americans are waking up to to those endless war nonsense and demand change.
I think we should get out of Ukraine same way we did with Afghanistan, but seeing how Trump is behaving I don’t really have high expectations here. Most likely this drama will continue and America will continue to be involved.
“The political leaders who are vocally supporting the endless meatgrinder war in Ukraine today are the spiritual kin of the European leaders in 1914 to 1918 who thought if they just killed a few 100,000 of their own countrymen in a fruitless attack, they could win the war.”
“it will all be over in a month” some french politician on the eve of WWI – aka “the war to end all wars” how did that work out?
The only stunt, promoting a deal that had not been made…
was one of publicity…
an obsession belonging to Trump, not Zelensky.
Stupid, idiot, brain death Zelensky.
This is proxy war. You are used. You are puppet. You are sacrificed.
The whole world know except you and your people.
Don’t think you’re hero protecting free world, Europe or even America.
Just bend your knee and put your neck on the chopping block.
Your name is Peace and here you are humping the idea of endless war.
No, As Trump said this idiot shouldn’t start war since the beginning.
Too stupid to know right or wrong.
Ukrainian and the country paid the price for his stupidity.
How much does your FSB handler pay for putting this bollocks on line.
Again with the silly ad hominem. You Brits can’t conceive of the fact that Americans aren’t all wedded to the anti Russia (Putin is Hitler) narrative. The UK is the most anti-Russia country. You’ve been thoroughly inculcated in propaganda. Half of America disagrees. We see Russia as defending its people in eastern (former) Ukraine and defending itself against Western cultural insanity.
he just reads the lines written for him. He only beleives the script as long as the checks don’t bounce. Zelensky is the bold rebel leader in a turtleneck sweater or a black t-shirt, we’ve seen this movie a million times, the end is always tragic.
He is now as we speak, checking his reviews in Variety and the Hollywood Reporter and enjoying caviar on toast with black coffee as he plays with his poodle wearing matching Ukraine flag sweaters with his doggy.
Germany and Russia earlier split up Poland assuring peace during the 1940’s. Now the US and Russia want to split up Ukraine for peace in our time … Maybe a nonaggression pact between the two great friends is in order.
Very, very different.