LOS ANGELES.–President Donald Trump’s March 18 two-hour phone call with 72-year-old President Vladimir Putin covered a lot of ground, mainly on building rapport and trust after three years of warmongering since the Feb. 24, 2022 Ukraine War. Biden decided he would essentially end decades of U.S.-Russian relations, funding proxy war in Ukraine, all because of Biden’s “special relationship” with Ukraine. No one in the press questioned Biden’s relations with Ukraine, despite the fact that Russia has been an integral part of policy U.S. foreign policy since the end of WW II. Since before WW II Ukraine was never a U.S. ally but part of the Soviet Union and, before that, part of the Russian Empire. Only since Biden was Vice President, did he take an active role in cleaning up Ukraine’s corruption, only to get his son Hunter a multimillion dollar job at a corrupt energy company.
How Biden and the corrupt U.S. press claims that Ukraine is an ally of the United States is anyone’s guess. It’s never been an ally until, under the Obama administration, the CIA sponsored a pro-Western coup that toppled the duly elected Kremlin-backed government of Viktor Yanukovych Feb. 22, 2014. After Putin annexed Crimea March 1, 2014, the Obama administration started to arm Ukraine for an eventual war to get their land back. But the history of Crimea shows it was a gift to Ukraine in 1954 by Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev while functioning as a Soviet satellite. When it comes to the three-year war in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky decided to go to war with the Kremlin to get his land back. With Biden’s unlimited cash-and-arms, Ukraine’s military tried to reclaim its lost territory but lost more sovereign land over three years of fighting.
Trump’s phone call with Putin was more about reestablishing normal diplomatic relations with Russia than ending the Ukraine War. Trump made it clear to Putin he wanted the war to end but also the two world leaders talked about a host of cooperative ventures. Trump wants Putin back in the G7 and G20, something he was evicted after invading Ukraine. Biden said repeatedly that the Feb. 24, 2022 invasion was “unprovoked and unjustified,” but Biden refused to stop arming Ukraine over Kremlin objections. Kremlin officials knew that the U.S. plan was to battle the Russian Federation for the purpose of weakening the Russian military. Biden and his former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the aim of the Ukraine War was to prevent Russia from waging war in the future. If that doesn’t sound like a declaration of war then what does? Biden let his position known.
Putin took Biden’s words as a declaration of war by the U.S. and collective West, with Ukraine receiving long-range missiles and defense systems to threaten the Russian Federation. As the war progressed, Putin saw it more as a war with the West than one with Kiev. Putin made clear in his phone call with Putin that he wanted the U.S. to stop arming Ukraine. Putin told Trump that if he wants a ceasefire and peace talks he wants the U.S. to stop arming Ukraine, a reasonable request that runs counter to the Biden administration and current EU thinking. For some unknown reason, the U.S. press backs Biden’s war with the Kremlin, often repeating the most pernicious propaganda that Putin wants to take over more European countries. Biden repeated his talking points that the war was “unprovoked and unjustified,” so he could excuse funding proxy war in Ukraine.
Trump’s call with Putin shows that the two world leaders ignore the EU and Western press that makes unfounded accusations about Russia seeking to take over other European countries. Instead of expressing optimism over Trump’s efforts to reset U.S.-Russia relations, the press harps on old Biden talking points to justify proxy war. Europe is stuck in limbo, too bureaucratic in Brussels to do anything to support the direction Trump is taking to reestablish cooperative U.S.-Russian relations. If Trump end sanctions against Russia, it would certainly benefit the EU, maybe more than the U.S., opening up affordable Russian energy markets, including restarting the $12 billion Nord Stream II pipeline that intended to supply natural gas to Germany at a significantly reduced cost. Putin could be a valuable asset to the EU if European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen would change her attitude.
Ending the Ukraine War is one significant part of Trump’s phone call with Putin that aims to reestablish normal U.S.-Russian cooperative relations. Trump has told Putin he’s reversed Biden’s warmongering strategy and seeks to restart normal-U.S. diplomatic relations. Trump envisions more business deals in Russia in the future where U.S. companies can help bring the Russian people more prosperity. “The conversation didn’t bring good news to either Kiev or Europe, who saw themselves clearly ignored,” said Fyodor Lukyanov, a Moscow-based political analyst who mirrors Kremlin thinking. “Two great powers are discussing the settlement while paying little attention to the others,” said Lukyanov. Trump made clear in his call to Putin it’s more about trust and rapport building than forcing Putin into peace talks. Peace will follow when Trump mends fences.
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.
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