LOS ANGELES (OC).–Meeting at Chevening, U.S. Foreign Minister David Lamy’s official country residence in Kent, 40-year-old Vice President J.D. Vance requested a meeting with European Union foreign ministers in advance of President Donald Trump’s Aug. 15 summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump and Putin plan to summit in Alaska to sign some kind of pause in the air war as a measure of good faith to beginning the difficult work to end the Ukraine War. Putin has bent over backwards to accommodate Trump, after months of delays to enter into some kind of ceasefire arrangement. Trump wants the bloodshed to stop while both sides can hammer out a lasting peace. Today’s meeting was attended by Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s National Security Council and Andy Yermak, head of Zelensky’s office together with members of the EU, NATO, France, Germany, Italy and NATO.
Hearing from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, he’s already raising concerns that he’s not included in the Trump-Putin summit. There’s so much bad blood between Zelensky and Putin, it’s impossible to get in the same room. Zelensky has been gaslighting the European Union, telling them he wants a fair peace deal but that involves unrealistic demands that all the land lost in four years of war would be returned to Ukraine. Putin put out his demands for a ceasefire and peace talks in Istanbul, promptly denounced by Zelensky. So when Zelensky says he wants to be involved in peace talks, he’s playing victim to the EU. He gets involved once Trump gets Putin to agree to a pause in the air war. But Zelensky shows no signs of showing any gratitude for Trump’s efforts to stop the war. If were up to Zelensky, he would fight until the last drop of blood.
Trump’s practical approach to deal making infuriated Zelensky Feb. 28 in the Oval Office, when he argued with Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance over whether he had leverage in any peace talks. Zelensky can’t accept that he lost the Ukraine War, letting Putin take some 25% of Ukraine’s best sovereign territory. So, when it comes to Zelensky trading land-for-peace, he resents Russia taking over Ukrainian territory. Zelensky often complains about Putin seizing Crimea March 1, 2014 while Petro Poroshenko was president. Ukraine didn’t think its Feb. 22, 2014 pro-Western coup would have consequences. Well, Putin hosted the Sochi Winter Olympics when Ukraine’s CIA-backed pro-Western forces toppled the Kremlin-backed Kiev government of Viktor Yanukovych. Zelensky wants all Russian troops out of all of Ukraine, something that won’t happen.
Zelensky wants to turn Trump’s peace talks into the EU against Trump, when the EU has no way of negotiating with Putin. All they can do is continue giving Ukraine cash-and-weapons to keep the war going. How is Zelensky and the EU planning to drive Russia out of Ukraine? They’ve tried over the last three years only to find Ukraine losing more sovereign territory. “U.K.’s support for Ukraine remains ironclad as we continue working toward a just and lasting peace, said Lammy. Whether Lammy’s support Ukraine or not, how much more destruction can Ukraine take? What’s the U.K.’s commitment to financing the war with the Kremlin? Does Lammy, who’s not part of the EU, really think the Starmer government is prepared to underwrite a lasting war with Russia? Lammy should be telling Zelensky to trust Trump as he attempts to cut a deal with Putin.
Trump irked Zelensky sauing there “will be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both,” Trump said, hoping to calm down Zelensky who wants his cake and eat it too when it comes to peace talks. Zelensky wants to hear the EU or U.K. would fund his proxy war with the Kremlin. Only problem, Brussels and London doesn have the same resources as the United States. Zelensky already received near $300 billion from the U.S., all to lose some 25% of Ukraine’s best sovereign territory. So, how does it help Zelensky deal with the destruction of his country to keep feeding Ukraine’s war machine when all it does is continue to destroy Ukraine? “You’re looking at territory that’s been fought over for three-and-a-half years, a lot of Russians have died. A lot of Ukrainians have died,” Trump said, serving notice where he stands on his meeting with Putin.
Trump understands better than most what it takes to end the bloody and costly Ukraine War. Zelensky’s instincts are to keep fighting but that’s only because he fears a coup d’etat once the Ukrainian people know how much land was lost. “We are ready, together with President Trump, together with all partners, to work for a real, and most importantly, lasting peace—a peace that will not collapse because of Moscow’s wishes. “The path to peace for Ukraine should be determined together and only together with Ukraine, this is keep principle,” Zelensky said. Zelensky pretends that anyone in the EU can negotiate with Putin. Zelensky knows that only Trump has the clout with Putin to get a pause in the air war that’s been decimating Ukraine for over three years. Zelensky will get his time to make demands. But only negotiation and compromise can end the war.
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.
