LOS ANGELES.–European Union [EU] said it was encouraged that 79-year-old President Donald Trump agreed with providing some kind or oversight on a post-Ukraine War security arrangement. Most of the steps necessary to defend Ukraine have not been worked out because several EU countries, like Greece and Italy, do not support sending troops to Ukraine. While France, Germany and the U.K. show a willingness no to support an European Union security force, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that any EU troops in Ukraine would be unacceptable, throwing cold war on Ukraine’s demand to have post-war security. Ukraine and the EU want the United States to guarantee post-war security, something Trump s said was not willing to do other than provide some oversight capacity. Ukraine’s best security is to learn to get along with the Russian Federation.
When you think about getting to a post-war security, Zelensky can’t get to the concept, as Trump puts it, of swapping territory for peace. Zelensky insists that the Ukrainian Constitution prohibits Ukraine from ceding territory to a foreign power. Well, does the constitution also prohibit a Ukrainian leader from losing 25% of Ukraine’s best sovereign territory? With the $300 billion in cash-and-arms supplied by the U.S. over the last three-and-a-half years, did Zelensky think Russia would carve up Ukraine’s sovereign territory like a buzz-saw? EU leaders look to Trump to make security assurances in any post-war scenario, essentially admitting that EU security isn’t up to the task. Trump wants no part of guaranteeing Zelensky anything because he might decide to ramp up the war with Moscow. Zelensky keeps talking about Russia as the only aggressor.
European Council President Antonio Costa said he welcomed “the readiness of the United States to share with Europe the efforts to reinforce security conditions once we obtain a durable and just peace in Ukraine,” not saying what a fair peace looks like. If you ask Zelensky, a fair peace involves Putin pulling all his troops out of Ukraine, paying reparations and arresting Putin for war crimes. Well, how’s that supposed to go over in any peace summit. Zelensky says he want to be there to deal directly with Putin, but what would that look like? Would Zelensky blow up at Putin the same way he did Trump Feb. 28 in the Oval Office? Zelensky has so much anger over Russian victory in Ukraine he can’t see straight, or, for that matter, figure out how to negotiate to end the war. Zelensky inists that Putin cannot take any sovereign land when he knows he already controls25% of the territory.
Zelensky can’t face the undeniable reality that three-and-a-half years of war hasn’t been kind to Ukraine, losing 25% of Ukraine’s best sovereign territory. After over three-and-a-half years of war, Zelensky has watched Ukraine’s civilian infrastucture all but destroyed, not to mention tens-of-thousands lose their lives, millions more in exile. Trump asked Zelensky Feb. 28 to cut his losses, end the war and start rebuilding Ukraine. Zelensky threw a fit in the Oval Office, argued with Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance and was removed from the White House. He was at a the White House to sign a rare earth mineral deal, not to embarrass himself. Since then, he’s had mixed feelings about Trump, telling the EU that he’s pro-Russian in deciding how to settle the conflict. Trump insists he’s just trying to end the war to stop the bloodshed and destruction.
Post-war security is a touchy subject for the Russian Federation, wanting to keep NATO far from the Ukrainian border. Zelensky’s insistence on joining NATO, in part, pushed Putin to invade Ukraine Feb. 24, 2022. Putin said all along that NATO membership was a red flag for the Kremlin. Trump agreed guaranteeing the Ukraine would not be part of the NATO alliance now or in the future. Zelensky was told more than once that Ukraine’s didn’t qualify for NATO membership because it was at war with the Kremlin. NATO’s former Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told Zelensky that Ukraine didn’t meet democracy requirements, an ironic statement with Zelensky claiming that Ukraine was a democracy. Since taking office in 2019, Zelensky has not held a fair-and-free election, claiming he preempted elections because Ukraine was at war with the Russian Federation.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Putin’s right hand man, said that any EU troops on Ukrainian soil in a post-war scenario would be unacceptable. “The appearance of troops, aremed forces for the same NATO countries, but under a foreign flag, under the flag of the European Union or national flags, does not change anything in this regard. This is, of course, unacceptable to us,” Lavrov said, spelling trouble for future talks. If Trump manages to get a pause in the air war tomorrow, it guarantees nothing. Trump said future meetings would be more important, getting Russia and Ukraine to talk to each other. So, whatever security arrangements Zelensky demands, there are no guarantees that it would fly. Putin has many demands about Ukraine’s military build-up, knowing that former President Joe Biden ignored the Kremlin to arm Ukraine to the teeth.
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.
