LOS ANGELES. (OC).–Ukraine’s 47-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky was all smiles with the European Union guaranteeing a 90 billion euro loan to Kiev to pay for his bankrupt government and war with the Kremlin. Instead of pressing Zelensky to follow Trump’s peace plan and end the nearly four-year-conflict, the EU prolongs Ukraine’s agony by handing Zelensky more cash. Over two years, he took about $350 billion from the U.S. in a failed effort to vanquish the Russian Federation, in nearly four years of war with all the U.S.’s best weapons Zelensky lost 25% of Ukraine’s best sovereign territory. Zelensky tried but failed to convince the EU to confiscate 215 billion euros in frozen Russian assets, something vehemently opposed by Belgium Prime Minister Bart De Wever and Hungarian President Viktor Orban. Zelensky could care less about EU credibility, he just wants his cash.
Zelensky praised the new loan guarantee from the EU, despite the fact that he has no way to pay it back, now or ever. “This approval of these funds is positive news for the Ukrainian people and at the same time a signal to Russia that a continuation of the war is not worthwhile,” Zelensky said, painting the loan as good for peace. How can spending more on arms-and-war be good for peace? Zelensky keeps telling the EU that he’s defending European democracy, when he can even defend Ukraine’s sovereignty. Spending more cash on the war is the worst possible use of EU capital, knowing that Zelensky can never defeat the Russian Federation. Currency exchanges won’t like the EU taking on more debt for Ukraine, eventually hurting the euro’s value. Zelensky keeps pressing Brussels to turn over frozen Russian assets to Ukraine for war reparations.
Speaking with Belgium Prime Minister Bart De Wever, Zelensky told him that it was more important to give frozen Russian assets to Ukraine, than suffer the consequences of international lawsuits for illegally seizing Russian assets. Zelensky knows that his new loan will only last about a year while he presses Brussels to get a hold to Russian assets. Every day that goes by with the war, Zelensky loses more Ukrainian assets, keeping the war going has been a colossal mistake. President Donald Trump told Zelensky many times that it was a mistake to go to war with the Kremlin. Getting another $90 billion euros from Brussels doesn’t change the outcome of the war, only prolongs the misery. Trump offered Zelensky a way out the war but he wants the cash, not peace. Some EU officials still believe that Putin has his eyes on other EU for future territory.
Zelensky has done a masterful job conning the EU out of another $90 billion in euros. Trump said the Zelensky must be the greatest salesman that every lived getting so much cash from the U.S. and EU. But when it comes to helping his country, he’s done nothing but make bad decisions. Ending the war should be Zelensky biggest priority but clearly getting more cash for himself and the government is top on his list. Trump figured out what Zelensky was about and told him no more cash from the U.S. Treasury. “This is significant support that truly strengthens our resilience,” Zelensky posted on X. But what good does the cash-and-arms do if it only adds to the death and destruction? Trump told Zelensky to cut his losses, end the war and get to the big task of rebuilding his country. Every time Zelensky gets close to a peace deal he backs out making one excuse after another.
Meeting in emergency session to deal with Ukraine’s financial crisis, the EU made a big mistake handing Zelensky more cash. They should have told him to end the war by signing on to Trump’s peace plan, the only way out of the crisis. What happens next year when Zelensky is broke again, going to the EU for more cash. Does he really think he’ll eventually get Brussels to risk all out war with Russia by confiscating Russian assets currently under deposit? If the EU gives away Russian cash, they could do it to any country, making the banking system less secure for future investors. Zelensky says that’s not his concern, only getting enough cash to keep the lights on in Kiev. Well, if he keeps the war going, how does that help Ukraine’s financial situation when he keeps destroying Ukraine’s infrastructure? EU officials must rethink the current madness that leads nowhere.
No matter how thrilled Zelensky gets with his latest fix of cash, the EU can’t keep doling out unending supplies of money on the promise that he’ll get a better deal from Putin. Putin put his cards on the table, telling the Trump negotiating team that Ukraine must cede Donetsk and Luhansk, both Russian speaking territories, to Moscow. Zelensky keeps saying he won’t surrender any territory to Putin, when Putin already controls 90% of Eastern Donbas and has since 2014. So, when Zelensky talks about continuing to battle the Kremlin over sovereign Ukrainian territory, he keeps losing ground by the day. Whatever Zelensky does with the 90 billion euro loan, it won’t change the outcome of the war. Turing over more cash to Zelensky only increase the death-and-destruction to Ukraine. Zelensky needs to be told to sign on to Trump peace plan.
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.
