LOS ANGELES.–French President Emmanuel Macron, 46, hosted today the official reopening of Notre Dame after a devastating fire in 2019, bringing 1,500 guests together to celebrated the famed Cathedral’s reopening. Macron received a no confidence vote in France’s parliament Dec. 5, offering to change in prime minister. So, for Macron hosting a joyous event to reopen Notre Dame was a welcome event, making the most of it by hosting 78-year-old President-elect Donald Trump and Ukraine’s 46-year-old Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a mini-summit at Elysee Palace. Since Trump won office Nov. 5, Zelensky has been singing a different tune about the bloody and destructive Ukraine War. Trump promised voters as a first order of business he would end 82-year-old President Joe Biden’s reckless, costly proxy war in 24 hours as soon as he takes office.
Zelensky had been pretending for months, if not years, that he would never surrender any sovereign territory seized by Russia in the last three years. Zelensky said he would fight to the last drop of blood to reclaim all of Ukraine’s sovereign territory. Biden played right into Zelensky’s unrealistic narrative, agreeing to fund proxy war with the Kremlin to help Ukraine drive Russia out of Ukraine. Three years of war told a different story, with Zelensky losing some 20-25% of Ukraine choicest sovereign land along the Black Sea Coast. Now that Trump enters the picture, Zelensky has acquiesced, realizing that he must go along with Trump to continue receiving foreign aid. Zelensky has rejected numerous peace proposals in the past three years because it required Ukraine to cede territory to the Russian Federation. Now Zelensky knows that it’s the only way out.
Trump emphasized at the Elysee Palace that he would obtain “peace through strength,” meaning that improved relations with Putin and the Kremlin would prevent future wars. Trump wants to end the conflict to stop the bloodshed and destruction on both sides of the war, benefiting no one and endangering all with potential WW III or nuclear war. “We all want this war to end as soon as possible and in a just way. We spoke about our people, the situation on the ground and a just peace,” Zelensky said of his meeting with Trump. What Zelensky didn’t say is that Ukraine will be forced in any peace deal to surrender all the territory seized by Russia during three years of war. Zelensky once insisted that all Russian troops must be removed from Ukraine before any peace talks. Zelensky knows that there are consequences to waging war against the Kremlin, including losing sovereign territory.
With Hayat Tahrir al-Sham [HTS] toppling Bashar al-Assad’s 50-year rule of Syria, Zelensky knows that he can’t continue to whine about what’s fair in Ukraine. Zelensky wants his sovereign land back but knows that he opted for war with the Kremlin Feb. 24, 2024, destroyed Ukraine’s infrastructure, drove millions out, bankrupted the Kiev government and lost some 20-25% of Ukraine’s prime sovereign territory. So when Trump says it’s time to compromise with 72-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin, he won’t take no for an answer. Stepping into power Jan. 20, 2025, Trump has 82-year-old President Joe Biden’s mess to clean up in domestic and foreign policy. Whatever NATO thought of Biden’s Ukraine War, they’re going to have to pivot quickly to Trump’s peace efforts. Gone are the days for Kiev to get more cash-and-arms to have a better bargaining position.
Zelensky invaded the Russian Kursk border region Aug. 8, moving some 10,000 Ukrainian troops into Russian territory. Zelensky thought he could dupe Putin into diverting resources from the 600 mile long battle front in eastern Ukraine. Putin didn’t bite allowing Ukraine to park its forces inside the Russian border for a time. Putin saw no significance to squandering resources from the eastern front, where Putin maintain control of nearly all of Ukraine’s Black Sea coast. Trump understands the rules of war, with Putin committing Russia’s blood-and-treasure to seize more Ukrainian territory. Zelensky rejected any talk before of trading land-for-peace, something that looks inevitable when Trump takes office. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte expressed concerns about ceding Ukrainian territory to Putin. But Rutte doesn’t call the shots in any peace deal.
Trump was in a celebratory mood with French President Emmanuel Macron today at the reopening to recently rebuilt Notre Dame Cathedral. Macron made the arrangements at the Elysee Palace so Trump and Zelensky could discuss plans to end the Ukraine War. Zelensky won’t get the fairness he’s looking for with Russia poised to keep most eastern Ukraine seized during the three year war. Zelensky knows he made a fatal mistake going to war with the Kremlin, getting Biden to fund the war, without considering the consequences to both countries. Ukraine lost 20-25% of its choice sovereign land while Biden destroyed decades of diplomacy, détente and arms control, something Trump must get back by restoring normal U.S.-Russian diplomatic relations. Whatever Zelensky thought in the past, it’s all irrelevant now that Trump calls the shots in Ukraine.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
