LOS ANGELES.–Democrats and the U.S. press trashed 78-year-old President Donald Trump for not fulfilling his campaign promise of ending the Ukraine War. Three weeks into presidency, Trump has acknowledged that relations with 72-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin are good and that he’s already had contact on restoring U.S.-Russian relations and ending the reckless, destructive and bloody Ukraine War. Democrats and the U.S. press back 82-year-old former President Joe Biden’s continuing war with Russia at great human costs to Ukraine, Russia and to the struggling U.S. Treasury. Where Trump looks desperately to cut wasteful government spending, Democrats and the press want to spend untold billion on the Ukraine War. Trump has met his campaign promise to end the Ukraine War by making the contacts needed to begin the difficult process of negotiation.
What don’t Democrats and the press get about Trump’s commitment to end the Ukraine War? Trump already had contacts with Russia to work on a summit that would lay the groundwork for ending the three-year old conflict that has killed hundreds-of-thousands of Ukrainians and Russians. “Every day people are dying. This was is so bad for Ukraine. I want to end this damn thing,” Trump said on Air Force One Friday. Trump said he has a “good relationship” with Putin, showing, if nothing, else that he’s engaged in the process of ending the conflict. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Rybakov said U.S.-Russian relations “are balancing on the brink of a breakup,” specifying that peace could only happen if Ukraine gives up its NATO ambitions and recognizes Russian control over Zaporizihiza, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk, a clear message to Trump.
Democrats and the press say that Trump has made U.S.-Russian relations worse, when, in fact, he’s done just the opposite. It was Biden that all but destroyed decades of diplomacy, détente and arms control, all to back Ukraine’s proxy war with the Kremlin. Biden turned a global partnership into a mortal enemy, with U.S. and Russia no longer cooperating on solving hot spots around the globe. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he “can neither confirm nor deny” that Trump and Putin are in contact, of course, hinting that contact has been made. Trump acknowledged without giving specifics that he’s been in contact with the Russian leader so when they meet there would be no surprises at the peace table. Yet the corrupt U.S. press acts like Trump has breached a key campaign promise to end the war. Trump has used his relationship with Putin to start the peace process.
No one in the press wants to admit how the Ukraine War started Feb. 24, 2022 when Putin moved some 200,000 troops into Ukraine but only after Biden refused for months to discuss with Putin new security arrangements. Putin finally said in desperation he would implement a “special military operation” to de-militarize and de-Nazify Ukraine. U.S. press disparage Putin’s remarks about de-Nazifying Ukraine, not recalling the WW II history where Ukraine collaborated with Nazi Germany rounding up Jews and shipping them off to death camps. Trump said repeatedly that if he were president Putin would have not invaded Ukraine. Putin and Trump would have worked out a mutually beneficial deal to scale back Biden’s aggressive arming of Ukraine, especially talking about giving Ukraine NATO membership. Trump knows what works to strike a peace deal with Putin.
Trump plans to meet with Zelensky most likely in Washington this week. Zelensky said it was “very dangerous” for Trump to meet with Putin without him. But Zelensky has made clear he wants no part of meeting face-to-face to Putin, thinking he has leverage in determining any ceasefire and peace deal. Trump sees it differently that Zelenky lost the war and has no say in negotiating any settlement because he’s been vanquished by the Kremlin. Zelensky’s past peace plans included prosecuting Putin at The Hague for war crimes, removing all Russian troops from Ukraine and paying the Kiev government war reparations. With conditions like that, you can only imagine how peace talks would go. Putin offered his new peace plan that looks reasonable when you consider it’s not that different from the one he offered in March 2022. Putin said no NATO membership and Russian control over Crimea and four other provinces.
Trump knows what to expect from Zelensky, demanding that Ukraine being given security guarantees. But if Zelensky can’t get along with his bigger, stronger neighbor, why should the U.S. offer anything? Zelensky opted for war with Russia over negotiation only weeks after Putin invaded Feb. 24, 2022. Putin offered the status quo in March 2022, that he would retain control of Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk. After three years of war and hundreds-of-thousands of deaths and destruction, Putin only asks for Kherson and Zaporizhizhia after the bloody and costly conflict. If Zelensky were to take part in any peace talks, he would do everything possible to sabotage them. Trump must let Zelensky know he lost the war and must deal with the consequences, including forfeiting sovereign territory. Zelensky fears he’ll be chased out of Kiev when Ukrainians know the truth.
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.
