LOS ANGELES (OC).–Meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House today, 47-year-old Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gets his chance to redeem himself after a disastrous meeting Feb. 28 where he threw a fit because Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance told him to settle the Ukraine War. Zelensky thinks that Trump favors Russian President Vladimir Putin, expecting him to trade land=for-peace. Trump now meets with Zelensky with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, all of whom back Zelensky but now get down to brass tacks. It’s not enough for Zelensky to refuse to cede land-for-peace to the Russian Federation. EU officials must work with Zelensky to understand the importance of ending the war, even if it means ceding some territory to the Russian Federation against Ukraine’s constitution.
Trump said Zelensky “can end this war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,” Trump said on Truth Social before meetings with Zelensky and the EU today. Zelensky misled the EU into thinking the Ukrainian Constitution prohibits any foreign power from owning Ukrainian land. But with the three-and-a-half-year war, Zelensky has lost about 25% of Ukraine’s best sovereign territory to Russia. Everyday the war goes on, the more territory he loses. So, when Trump tells him to make and deal and cut his losses he means it. EU officials know that any peace talks involve negotiation-and-compromise, even where the conditions seem unacceptable. EU officials have catered to Zelensky for too long and must now present the facts to him. Trump has already said Zelensky is not joiining NATO or getting back Crimea.
Trump was losing patience with Putin because he thought the Russian leader was dragging his feet on a ceasefire deal. But after meeting with Putin in Anchorage, Trump realized that only a peace deal counts in the current circumstances. Any temporary ceasefire would only postpone the inevitable of making hard choices requiring negotiation-and-compromise. Trump has no dog in the fight other than wanting the war to end to spare more carnage and destruction to both sides. Zelensky deals with national pride, emotions toward Putin for invading Ukraine Feb. 24, 2022. Trump looks to solve the problem of ending the war, not deal with the retaliation issues that seem forefront with Zelensky. Zelsensky has spent three-and-a-half-years trying to take revenge on the Russian Federation, only to dig Ukraine into a deeper hole. Zelensky and the EU should listen to Trump.
Today’s meeting focused on ending the Ukraine war but every EU country present said they wanted security guarantees also that Russia would not invade an more EU countries. Where did that idea come from? Well, for the past three-and-a-half years Zelensky opted for war with the Kremlin, expecting the U.S. and EU to foot the bill. Now that Trump said he won’t fund proxy war with Russia, Zelensky has gone to the EU to keep the war going, saying Trump favors the Russian position. Meeting today at the White House, it’s clear that EU officials want Trump to agree to NATO-lke Article 5 security guarantees for a post-war Ukraine. All are concerned, including Zelensky, that Putin could invade again if he finds the conditions unacceptable. EU leaders what Trump to commit the U.S. to a security backstop, when Trump is reluctant to commit U.S. military might.
When Zelensky and the EU talk about security, they’re referring to the U.S. providing a safety net to Ukraine and Europe if Putin changes his mind an invades against. What that involves is anyone’s guess but it sounds a lot like Zelensky and the EU would like the U.S. to get directly involved in a shooting war with Russia. Well, after spending months mending fences with Putin, much to the dislike of Zelensky, what possible logic is it for the U.S. to guarantee NATO-like security to Ukraine? If the EU thinks it wants to take on the Russian Federation, that’s something they should consider. But Trump has made clear that whatever post-war security comes out of today’s meeting, Trump will not agree to take on the Russian Federation on behalf of Ukraine. EU officials seem genuinely confused as to whose security they’re concerned about, Ukraine or the EU?
Trump walks a tightrope with Zelenskhy and the EU on the issue of post-war security. What’s clear from the meeting is that the EU still thinks they can coerce Putin into a ceasefire without starting any legitimate peace talks. If Trump’s summit revealed anything, it’s that Putin wants a methodical peace process handled by each country’s delegations, working on a workable peace plan. Putin sees nothing constructive coming from a ceasefire, other than giving Ukraine a chance to reload. Trump agreed with Putin that it’s preferable to work on a doable peace plan because that’s all the counts. Trump has a problem with the EU’s idea that the U.S. would provide NATO-like Article 5 protection to a post-war Ukraine when it can’t control how Zelensky would comply with any future peace plan. EU officials have their own security agenda with the Kremlin.
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.
