LOS ANGELES.–President Donald Trump, 78, said Ukraine “may be Russian someday,” letting Ukraine’s 47-year-old President Volodmyr Zelensky know that he must make a deal to end the conflict or face the very real prospects of losing his country. Zelensky has acted tough only because he had 78-year-old President Joe Biden giving him a blank check to fund his government and war with the Kremlin. “They may make a deal, they may not make a deal. They maybe Russian or they not be Russian someday,” Trump said, reminding Zelensky that the choice is his with Vice President J.D. Vance, Ukraine special envoy Keith Kellogg and Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivering a message to him from Trump at the Munich Security Conference this weekend. Zelensky will hear his options but they won’t be the same as under Biden when he was given a blank check to fight the Kremlin.
Trump as raised the issue of a payback from Ukraine about receiving the right to mine $500 billion worth of rare earth minerals, something Zelensky interpreted incorrectly. Zelensky thought Trump was willing to keep funding his war with the Kremlin as long as he got payment with Ukraine’s rare earth minerals. “We are going to have all this money there, and I say I want it back. And I told them that I want the equivalent like $500 billion worth of rare earth,” Trump said. “And they have essentially agreed to do that, so at least we don’t feel stupid,” referring to the nearly $300 billion given to Zelensky to bankroll his government and pay for the war. Zelensky hasn’t caught up with the reality that Trump intends to stop the war from causing more destruction and carnage to Ukraine and Russia. Trump wants the bloodshed to stop for the benefit of both countries.
European countries haven’t yet got on board with the Trump administration’s commitment to end the war. For the last three years, the EU supported Biden’s military plan to weaken the Russian economy and military to the point the Kremlin can no longer wage war. So, when it comes to Kremlin, they see the war in Ukraine as an existential war between Russia and the Western alliance. Zelensky says he wants to deliver a message to America for “real peace and effective security guarantees.” Zelensky refuses to accept that life under Trump is not the same as Biden, who gave him a blank check to do as he likes. “Security of people, security of our state, security of economic relations and, of course our resource sustainability : Not only for Ukraine but for the entire free world,” Zelensky said, spewing the same claptrap he did to U.S. Congress and European Parliament.
Zelensky thinks he can gaslight Trump, J.D. Vance, Marco Rubio and Keith Kellogg to see it his way. “All this being decided now,” Zelensky said, thinking that before he meets in Munich he can orchestrate the agenda. Trump points out that Ukraine could wind up Russian in the future if Zelensky makes more bad decisions. Trump said Zelensky made a horrible decision to go to war with the Kremlin when the conflict could have been settled in March 2020. Putin offered Zelensky a way out of war by agreeing to recognize Russian sovereignty over Crimea and independence of Donetsk and Luhansk. Zelelenky rejected Putin’s offer and went to war with the Kremlin. Three years later, he’s destroyed Ukraine’s infrastructure, killed thousands of civilians and military, driving millions into exile and lost 25% of Ukraine best sovereign territory on the Black Sea Coast.
Trump wants to let Zelensky know that more bad decisions will not be subsidized by the United States, should he decide to continue his war with Russia. Trump plans to move on from Ukraine one way or another. When Zelensky makes his appeal to America, is he hoping that Ameria will hold new elections? That Trump will be impeached and ousted from the White House? What could Zelensky be thinking when he talks of Ukraine’s security? Trump has no plans of accepting Ukraine into NATO or providing any American peacekeepers in Ukraine. Zelensky already asked the European Union in Davos, Switzerland a few weeks ago to commit 200,000 troops to defend Ukraine’s security. Does Zelensky think it the EU’s responsibility to provide for Ukraine’s security? Evidently he does. Zelesnky’s only security comes from his bilateral relations with Russia.
Trump wanted to make a point in saying that he’s not sure that Ukraine will not turn Russian in the near future. He wants Zelensky to know that his best path to security for Ukraine is to end the war whatever the concessions to Russia. Zelensky still thinks he has clout in demanding security from the U.S. and EU, thinking there’s some kind of obligation to provide it. After meeting with Vance, Rubio and Kellogg at Munich, Zelensky will understand how things have changed under Trump. Zelensky thinks he has clout in Congress to defy Trump, something only based on pure hubris, ignorance of the way things work under a different commander-in-chief. If Zelensky wants security for himself and Ukraine, he needs to let Trump strike an acceptable deal with Putin, regardless of the concessions. More war in Ukraine offers no security for Ukraine or the European Continent, with the prospect for WW III or nuclear war only growing by the day.
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.
