LOS ANGELES.–Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is sidelined at the NATO summit at The Hague, largely because he’s not part of NATO, despite repeated attempts to join the Transatlantic partnership. Zelensky doesn’t want Ukraine ignored with all the recent events in the Middle East with the 12-day Israeli-Iran War. NATO foreign ministers greeted President Donald Trump with a new found respect, knowing the military complexity to the mission pulled off in Iran, but, more importantly, getting Israel and Iran to agree to a ceasefire but really more of a truce. Iran wants no part of more war with Israel. If Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was taught anything, Israel is the country to mess with. Iranian officials now want to return to the table to hammer out a more acceptable nuke deal that puts strict limits on what’s left of Iran’s uranium enrichment program.
Zelensky looks on at The Hague knowing that Trump is the hero, having completed a military operation so complex, so devastating, that it’s the envy of the world. Zelensky knows about his contempt for Trump, angry with him because Trump no longer supports his war with the Kremlin. While some NATO countries continue to support his war, Zelensky has done everything to resist Trump’s peace overtures with 72-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin wasn’t happy about Trump’s military operation in Iran but he respects the military might of the U.S. to conduct such an unbelievably complex mission to degrade Iran’s nuclear capability. Only Democrats and the fake news try to disparage Trump’s mission in Iran. Zelensky knows he’s in a weakened position with Trump, especially with Trump riding high on his military successes in Iran.
Zelensky knows that no country in the world engages in any military operation against Russia for its war in Ukraine. Pushing Europe for more cash-and-arms, Zelensky wants the EU to take over funding proxy war in Ukraine with the Kremlin. No one in Brussels wants to officially be at war with the Kremlin, leaving the ongoing war to Zelensky to figure out. Disparaging Trump to the EU at the Munich Security Conference, Zelensky can only war the EU about future Russian military adventures. Zelensky has warned the EU about Russia seeking to retake more territory in Europe, a bogus claim based on no intel, only a desire on Zelensky to get more arms and funding. Meeting with Trump today at The Hague, what’s Zelensky going to say? Trump worked on peace deal to end the Ukraine War with Putin but Zelensky accused Trump of selling Ukraine down the river.
Trump doesn’t have much to say to Zelensky other than let him follow up with a ceasefire and peace deal with Putin. Zelensky doesn’t trust Trump any longer because he’s made overtures to return to normal diplomatic relations with Ukraine. Instead of working with Trump to end the over three-year conflict, Zelensky ran to the European Union to trying to get a better deal. EU officials have done nothing for Zelensky to end the conflict, largely because they have not rapport with Putin. Putin sees the EU as his enemy with countries like France, U.K. and Poland making peacemaking all the more difficult. French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have become an obstacle to Ukraine peace, slapping Putin with more economic sanctions for refusing to be forced into a 30 day ceasefire. Trump doesn’t have much to say to Zelensky today.
Macron and Starmer think that they can push Putin into a 30-day ceasefire by threatening his with more economic sanctions. Putin doesn’t respond well to coercion, neither does Trump. In many ways, Zelensky treated Trump worst than Putin, telling the Munich Security Conference that Trump wasn’t concerned about European security. “Well, we’ll discuss the obvious. We’ll discuss his difficulty. He’s got a little difficulty, Zelensky,” Trump told reporters. “He’s a nice guy. I emean, I’m going to meet him today. I don’t know. I assume we’re going to be discussing Ukraine,” Trump said, not sounding to enthusiastic. Zelensky has done everything possible to sabotage Trump’s peace talks with Putin to end the Ukraine War. Zelensky refuses any peace formula that requires Ukraine to trade land-for-peace, the only thing that will work in any ceasefire and peace deal.
Zelensky meets Trump today with a different position with NATO after Secretary-General Mark Rutte heaped so much praise on Trump for his military intervention in Iran. Zelensky knows he’s been bucking Trump’s leadership but only at his own peril, since Trump is the only one that can pull off a peace deal in Ukraine. If the EU and NATO want peace in Ukraine, they need to put their faith in Trump to pull it off. No one in NATO or the EU has enough rapport with Putin to get any deal done to end the war. Zelensky has limited resources to continue the war without the same level of U.S. support. Trump no longer backs proxy war with the Kremlin as Trump tries to restore normal diplomatic relations with the Kremlin. If Zelensky has any prayer of ending the Ukraine War it will be because Trump can pull off a deal with Putin to get it done.
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.
