LOS ANGELES.–Expressing frustration over the failure of a ceasefire on both sides in Ukraine, 78-year-old President Donald Trump said he was “very angry and pissed off” primarily at 72-year-old President Russian Putin for not following up with the ceasefire deal reached in Riyadh. Putin has since modified his position seeking a firm commitment from Trump that he ends economic sanctions against Russia, preventing him from selling oil in certain markets and using the SWIFT banking system to get payments for oil and grain sales. Putin wants the sanctions lifted before he agrees to any ceasefire on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and also attacks on the Black Sea. “If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault—which it might not be—but if I think it was Russia’s fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all coming out of Russia,” Trump said.
Expressing frustration doesn’t mean that Trump has given up on normalizing U.S.-Russian relations or ending the Ukraine War. Trump knows that the fake news wants to continue the war and sabotage U.S.-Russian relations. Why Democrats and the fake news want to continue the Ukraine War is anyone’s guess. Trump’s hit some bumps in the road pulling off a ceasefire, with Putin adding addition conditions, including ending U.S. sanctions. Trump needs more time to get want he wants from Ukraine’s 47-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky who has shown little interest in ending the war. Zelensky pits the European Union against Trump, cleverly playing on paranoia in Poland and the Baltic States where there’s lingering fear with Putin taking over more European countries. Putin has expressed no interest in fighting with NATO, yet it’s all made up by the press.
Trump actually has more problems with Zelensky after a disastrous Feb. 28 meeting in the Oval Office where Zelensky blew up at Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance for saying he “had no cards” with Putin. Trump admonished Zelensky for potentially starting WW III or nuclear war, something Zelensky resents to this day. Zelensky was angry that Trump called him dictator for not calling for elections, citing martial law as the reason. But there’s no question that Trump has poor relations with Zelensky who thinks he’s trying to sell Ukraine down the river for Russia. Zelensky accuses Trump of being in Russian disinformation bubble, giving Trump no credit for sizing up the situation and deciding what’s best in terms of making peace. No one in the EU proposed peace until Trump demanded it, raining on Zelensky’s parade of receiving blank check from the U.S. for fighting the war.
Trump would have a big problem putting secondary sanctions on Russia oil sales considering China and India buy the lion’s share of Russian oil since former President Joe Biden installed a Russian oil embargo. When it comes to putting together a ceasefire deal, it’s not that easy with Zelensky opposing any deal that cedes Russia Ukrainian territory. Once Zelensky opted for war with the Kremlin, he’s lost thousands of troops and 25% of Ukraine’s best sovereign territory. War has consequences, complicating the picture when it comes to ceasefire and peace settlements. Zelensky has told the EU that it must be at the table to negotiate and peace deal with Putin. Zelensky’s conditions for settling the conflict are so unrealistic there’s little prospects of a ceasefire or peace deal on the Ukraine War. Zelensky wants the EU to takeover and start paying for the war.
EU officials said that if Putin wants sanctions lifted, he must order all Russian troops out of Ukraine. How realistic it for Putin to pull all the troops out of Ukraine, including leaving Crimea and other parts of Ukraine? Zelensky wants Russian troops out of Ukraine but has not succeeded in pushing Russian troops out on the battlefield, in fact, lost more sovereign territory over the last three years of fighting. Why would things be different four years from now if Zelensky gets his funding from the EU to continue his war with the Kremlin? EU officials haven’t thought out how far they’re willing to go in financing the war. If Trump pulls his funding it’s doubtful the EU wants its name directly on a war with the Kremlin. It’s OK to talk tough and call Putin “a clear and president danger,” still another to taken on the role of financing proxy war with the Kremlin.
Trump has his frustrations with both Zelensky and Putin, knowing that neither are interested in a quick end to the over three year old war. Both parties have their demands, some unrealistic like Zelensky who expects the nightmare to just disappear. Zelensky never understood the consequences to war with the Kremlin. He though the U.S. would always be there to bail him out. Now he’s finding out the hard way what happens when a new administration comes in that opposes the past foreign policy. Trump has every right as commander-in-chief to reverse Biden’s foreign policy. Biden promised to fund the Ukraine War as long as it took to expel the Russian Federation from Ukraine. Trump doesn’t see that happening now or ever so he wants to end the conflict. Trump can’t expect Putin to jump on the peace bandwagon without getting what he wants.
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.
