LOS ANGELES.–No one can say 78-year-old President Donald Trump has not pushed the pedal to the metal on multiple fronts, trying to stop profligate government spending and, simultaneously, end the reckless, bloody and costly Ukraine War. Resistance from liberal Democrats and Republicans is understandable on budget issues but opposition to end the disastrous Ukraine war is just as bad.  You’d think the European Union [EU] would be thrilled to restore normal diplomatic relations with the Kremlin but, no, Ukraine’s 47-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky, who presides over a bankrupt, authoritarian Kiev government, is too concerned about his own survival to do anything constructive, like back Trump’s monumental effort to end a war that’s done nothing but destroy Ukraine, kill thousands, drive millions into exile, destroy the economy, bankrupt the Kiev government and lost 25% of Ukraine land.

            Instead of thanking Trump efforts on forging a lasting peace, Zelensky has stabbed Trump in the back at the Munich Security Conference, telling delegates that Trump has abandoned the defense of Europe.  Zelensky knows that NATO is responsible for defending Europe.  But something Zelensky doesn’t get is that military power is not the best security guarantee in Europe or Ukraine, it’s mending relations with the Kremlin. Trump is well on his way to normalize U.S.-Russian relations after former President Biden spent his entire presidency destroying decades of diplomacy, détente and arms control, but, more importantly, global cooperation between the nuclear superpowers.  Zelensky had the gall to tell EU delegates that they need an EU army, after spending years begging NATO for membership.  Zelensky has gone over the deep end.

            Trump has dispatched his national security team, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to begin peace talks with Russia before Trump and Putin meet in a summit.  National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, U.S. Special Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff and Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg also joins Rubio to hammer out a peace plan and restoration of diplomatic relations between Russia and the U.S. Rubio has already met with 75-year-old Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss details related to a Ukraine peace and restart of U.S.-Russian relations.  Trump already had a long phone call with Putin to discuss his intention of ending all economic sanctions against the Russian Federation, a part of any peace deal to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine.  Zelensky lashes out at Trump in Munich thinking the EU will stop Trump’s peace efforts with Putin.

            Zelensky fears that once the Ukrainian people know that he lost the war with the Kremlin, he’ll be ousted from power. Zelensky has told Ukrainians, for the last three years, in his daily updates that Ukraine is winning the war.  All objective military assessments show that Ukraine’s military has lost ground to Russia on its 600 mile battlefront, with Ukraine military depleted of personnel and supplies. Zelensky can’t recruit enough teenagers to keep Ukraine’s military competitive in any confrontation with Russian forces. Yet despite all the loses, Zelensky continues to lie to his people saying that he’s winning the war.  Once the people find out the truth, he’ll be chased out of Kiev, and more importantly, off the world stage where he’s made a fool out of U.S. and EU officials.  Zelensky still, even at this late date, has his backers in the U.S. Congress and Brussels.

            When it comes to Vice President J.D. Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth they tried to dispel any illusions of what peace in Ukraine would look like.  EU officials didn’t like hearing that Ukraine would not join NATO or would have to surrender more sovereign territory.  Everyone knows that Zelensky has spent three years battling the Kremlin and losing sovereign territory.  What do they think would happen in any peace talks with Zelensky the vanquished party?  When Zelensky opted for war with the Kremlin with Biden’s backing, he took a risk of destroying his country and losing territory.  Three years into the war and he’s destroyed much of Ukraine’s infrastructure and lost some of its best sovereign territory on the Black Sea coast.  Trump wants Zelensky to cut his losses to live for another day.  Peace will enable Ukraine to stay independent and rebuild.

            When EU officials meet in Paris to discuss Trump’s peace talks with the Kremlin, they’d better be clear what they want.  If they want to take over financing the war with the Kremlin, they will no longer have U.S. support.  Trump offers an exit lane for Ukraine and the EU, an opportunity to restore EU-Russian relations.  Ukraine’s best security guarantees are that they stop threatening Russian national security by saying they seek NATO membership.  Russia doesn’t want another NATO country on their border, certainly not Ukraine.  Zelensky has been told no to NATO membership on numerous occasions.  Former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine is not a democracy and certainly doesn’t have the resources to pay NATO membership dues.  Zelensky goes kicking-and-screaming to the peace table because he fears getting ousted from power.

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.