Well she certainly has the intellectual capabilities for that job at least: , an insane grimace passing as a smile , parroting something about “ landing soon” and demonstrating how to put on a safety vest.
Why should Zelenskii make any kind of deal, as long as the money and weapons keep flowing?
Take away Russia, and Ukraine goes from The Beacon Of Muh Democracy(tm) , the country so democratic, it need not trifle with pesky elections or bothersome terms of office, to a corrupt, backward, authoritarian and nazi-infested dump.
The plan ever always only was to get NATO stuck in and for the US to have to ride to the rescue. As long as the war keeps going, that plan is going forward.
If trump were at all serious about peace, he need only halt the support to the regime in Kiev. No Starlink, no ISR, no AWACS, no money, no arms. The Europeans cannot readily substitute the first three, and will be hard-pressed to supply the remainder.
Trump does none of these things. Ergo, he is not serious. Moreover, when he did make moves in this direction, he quickly reversed himself, showing the Ukrainians (and everyone else) that Trump is weak, stupid and easily manipulated, an unfunny clown not to be taken seriously.
EDIT: The idea that Trump cares about the human costs of the war is a laugh. I don't care what the man says. I pay attention to what he does.
Mr Z really is playing chicken…with the future of his Nation and all those on the fighting front and civilians who might get killed by drones from Russia. This turkey put into place by the neocons in the CIA and Deep State is marching per their instructions…no different than the judges who stop Trump at ever angle. Mr Z must be shown the door for he will do all he can to thwart any peace plan….Trump needs to pull all funding and let Europe handle this guy…no more money/ weapons or ammo!! No more our tax dollars.
Likewise how many Americans will die if Russia runs out of patience with US boots on the ground in the Ukraine targeting donated munitions into Russia.
You write as if Congress doesn't exist. That the media would simply neutrally report any such actions and any feedback. That there aren't millions of veterans out there in the electorate who don't have a singular but intense contrary point of view.
That the opinions of the voters in general simply don't matter to the President. That there is no serious geopolitical risk associated with decisions about an ongoing war that require caution. That there is no such thing as political capital that has to be spent wisely and that the President can pursue any policy without hesitation or unwanted balance simply because he wants to.
So what exactly can Congress do and which party controls both houses of Congress?
What can the media do that they have not already? What can these millions of veterans do and what makes them speak with a united voice? What on earth makes you think that the president cares about the public or its opinions, and what makes you think that the public is united?
Finster I think you oversimplify. If Trump cuts off Ukraine he loses leverage. It is the art of the deal, TM. He can walk away from the table at any time, but he would like to come away with something rather than nothing.
What idle threats? He pulled weapons and intel once, that brought Zelensky to the table. He can do it again. His bargaining is sound. He is modulating his threats, mixing carrot and stick. This is how you get stuff. Its textbook.
And then Trump penalised them by making the deal on the table worse every time they dragged their feet.
Put yourself in Trump’s position and think realistically about outcomes. When he pulls support he gets grief from all sides. And comes away with nothing. He needs to modulate the punishment and modulate the rewards. It’s entirely possible he will turn off the ISR tap and the arms flow tomorrow. And maybe somebody steps up and puts one in Zelensky’s head and gets on the phone to Trump.
And yet, Ukraine doesn't have any interest in a deal. And why should they? They only want the money, and they are getting that.
Were I in Trump’s clown shoes, Ukraine would be cut off from Day One. Any europeans thinking of joining in would be informed that they do so at their own risk and that the United States will not come to their rescue. Including if Russia retaliates against their home countries.
BTW, anysupposed Ukrainian concessions, in particular the so-called mineral deal, are worthless.
You can’t say you want to end the war and stop the bloodshed, and then turn back on intelligence and targeting support for the Ukrainian lost cause. The moral thing to do is to stop assisting in the war. The US loses nothing of value by walking away, and, in fact, would signal itself as a leader for doing the right thing.
This is now Trump’s war, and his dithering and bombast change nothing.
You’re confusing the moral course with the practical course. Something Trump can’t be accused of doing. The taps are his only leverage with Zelensky and Ukraine. If he just walks away he will be blamed for Ukraine’s defeat. He might still walk away but I agree he has left it too late and now will probably have to own the war and certainly own its outcome.
There is no coherent way to actively influence the outcome other than modulating the supply of arms money and ISR. But doing so helps Russia. The only reason you and FF think an unconditional cutoff is the right course of action is because you want the war to end at any cost and regardless of the outcome. I have some sympathy with that but it is not how Realist power politics works. Acting out of idealism is the same way we got into this mess. If Trump walks away it’s actually irresponsible in his part. He should be using his leverage to influence the outcome and settlement. Which is what he’s doing. He may succeed or he may fail but at least he is trying to use influence. What you and FF want him to do is give away all his leverage. Then it will be Russia who dictates the final settlement and the US will have no part in it.
He may not care about the human lives but I he sure cares about money, especially in the current financial circumstances. And everyone who doesn't watch CNN 24/7 knows Ukraine can't win and any US dollar spent on Ukraine is spent in vain.
Perhaps Trump isn't as dumb as you think he is...Just saying.
So? It's not Trump's money that is being spent. If Trump cared so much about waste, why is he continuing to support the Ukrainian welfare case? Even his on-again off-again support simply shows he's a wimp.
BTW, spending on Ukraine is a drop in the bucket, relative to US defense spend.
It's not his money but he is responsible for the budget.
Let's not forget that Biden left him with the biggest deficit anyone has ever accumulated and that in a time without war or a major recession. Why do you think Musk and DOGE became active? Of course, it's about money.
Trump didn't care about the budget from 2016-2020, without war or major recession (even before COVID, US budget deficits were ballooning). Now you think he cares about relatively piddling sums?
Please.
If Trump (or Musk) cared, they could cut the money off. Today. And keep it cut off. They don't.
Stop kidding yourself. The only thing Trump cares about is his vanity.
You clearly know much about how the financial markets work. In the end, every president has a boss and it's called market. Allow the deficit and finances to get out of hand and see how much luck you have with running your country before it becomes a banana Republic. Add Biden's santions towards it and the fact that many countries stopped trusting the US with their assets and you may get a glimpse into what's actually going on. Until then, keep blaming Trump for everything.
"Let's not forget that Biden left him with the biggest deficit anyone has ever accumulated and that in a time without war or a major recession."
It looks like you believe there is a difference between Biden and Trump. There is no difference between the 'parties' on issues that the controlling entity cares about.
AWACS is NATO, not US ...Whoopsie, I was wrong. The US still has a few. The largest part, over a dozen, belong to NATO. A few other NATO members also have several.
Military aid to Ukraine will slow to a trickle soon enough. Rzeszów-Jasionka airport will undergo major renovation starting this June. The runways will be closed in the evening for repairs. No more military transports. American troops have reportedly already been relocated to bases near the German border, while Patriot batteries have returned to Germany itself. Operation is supposed to be transferred to Lublin, but the military base in question is currently still on the drawing board.
He ended America's role in the Ukraine war in twenty four hours. What ever it takes for as long as it takes was gone out the window the minute he was sworn into office. America's role in Ukraine is totally different now to the consternation of just every single one of Europe's leaders. Instead of expanding the conflict it is extricating itself. It takes time to turn a trillion dollar ship around. Especially one that the crew has been on for a decade.
As for the conflict in in Ukraine in general: .....Are the lions sleeping with the lambs in Ukraine now? No. Will they ever? No. But that isn't on Trump.
As much as it takes for as long as it takes was gone the minute he was inaugurated. The only weapons going to Ukraine now are those in the process of fulfilling existing legal contracts. Almost all of which have been filled leaving only a slight trickle of residue still to be delivered.
Everybody, Zelensky, European leaders, NATO officers off the record, Pentagon officials through leaks, anybody following the conflict (except you apparently) say Trump is walking away from it. Suddenly, there are high profile meetings to come up with desperate ceasefires, conflict settlement plans, whatever, because Trump has said its over.
A month ago Russia was going to break with just a few months more pressure. Now, its Ukraine is definitely going to break and pretty soon so what should we do after that happens.
Actually, there is quite a flurry of weapons deliveries into Rzeszòw in recent weeks. Moreover, you said nothing about the flow of ISR or Starlink, which also continue unabates.
"Russia has annexed..." . That is imprecise language, Stephen. Each legal region voted in an internal/endogenous referendum to ASCEND to the RU FEDERATION.
If Ukraine had allowed a referendum in Crimea and the Donbass, we wouldn't be talking about this cruel war today. What happened with terms like self determination?
The US was methodically moving Ukraine to western influence since 1991. We wanted a good proxy war to destabilize Russia and then break the Federation apart to exploit it's components.
The United States is asking a lot of Russia, but in return is offering the Russians, in practical terms, almost nothing that they don’t already have.
Commitments on sanctions relief, the prospect of lucrative business deals, recognition that Crimea is Russian, and promises of no NATO membership for Ukraine are all either undeliverable in the first place, unlikely to eventuate, or easily reversed or revoked by a subsequent administration.
It’s difficult to imagine that President Trump truly believes that the Russians are going to accept such a disadvantageous peace agreement.
"Vladimir Zelensky has thrown a wrench into the Trump administration's effort to gear up peace talks between Ukraine and Russia."
Or perhaps Vladimir Zelensky has just walked into the trap which the US & Russia have set for him? President Putin calls for an Easter ceasefire -- Zelensky keeps on fighting. President Putin offers a cease fire at the current Line of Contact, and Zelensky immediately rejects it. President Trump points out that the Ukraine lost any claim to Crimea over a decade ago -- and Zelensky snaps back at him.
Zelensky is doing a good job of falling into the trap of painting himself as the major obstacle to ending the killing. It makes it easier for President Trump to sell walking away to the MIC-owned US Congress, and is probably giving even the EuroScum second thoughts about supporting Zelensky's losing pursuit of total victory over Russia "for as long as it takes".
The Kellogg Plan which Zelensky rejected was the Trump Administration's Ukraine-friendly/anti-Russian version. Zelensky's rejection of that leaves only the future Witcoff Plan, which is likely to be Ukraine-neutral/Russia-friendly version.
Estonia is a third rate Russian hotel, that no Russian would stay in (think Best and Western) because the attack poodles bark all night and piss on the furniture, while the manager imagines she is running the Ritz Carlton.
I am wondering about the level of influence the far-right Ukrainian politicians and military have in Zelenskyy's obstinance ? A telling approach would have Zelenskyy counter with an alternative. So far he hasn't. I believe he is playing with fire, economically, militarily, and globally. There are too many moves that could be made that would diminish Zelenskyy's control and influence. This is a long game and the focus should be on stopping the killing and the destruction, and then resolving the territorial issues.
Nothing will be accomplished by this war. The arms industry has had a good run, but that’s about it.
This is globalist nonsense at its most profane level. Meaningless: fields and farms in the middle of nowhere, lands forever in dispute, squandered monies that have nothing to do with America.
We are ruled by idiots and treasonous bastards. Who gives a shit what the settlement is, it is irrelevant. Look at America, it’s a dump, a giant ghetto with archipelagos of wealth. The betrayal committed against America is one of the greatest crimes in history.
Russian and Ukrainian blood, maybe American blood in the future?
"The arms industry has had a good run, but that's about it."
I'd say that's been about it since WW2 - when an American War Economy produced the massive domestic growth that translated into postwar US economic dominance and neocolonialism.
There was a scruffy German economist 150 years ago who predicted this stuff.
Russia really wants Odessa. Your correct in saying it's an event that means Russia won. It's been obvious Zelensky is stalling. He will regret it. Then again he has all those mansions to exile in. I keep thinking the front will collapse and how they don't is amazing.
I keep remember listening to Douglas McGregor. He basically said Russia will try to cut a deal before they put the knife in for the final kill.
Not sure, if that's the case though but I share your impression. But mine is also mixed with a lot of grief. Considering Russia's firepower it simply means a lot of Ukrainians have been dying inse the trenches, despite the fact that the war is over....
The resilience of stubborn Ukrainian resistance is indeed remarkable.
It's partly NATO not so secretly running the war at almost every level, but it's also a fratricidal conflict in which most of the local cannon or drone fodder really, really hate their Russian brothers.
If the Russians have 600,000 soldiers they have not yet committed to this SMO and are waiting for the mud to dry to cross the dneiper river, Ukraine could be overrun by August. As to UKR violating the energy infrastructure ceasefire last month. Get ready for what the RUS are going to do. Today UKR sends drones deep to a UAV factory in one of the Stans and RUS starts bombing the crap out of Kharkiv. It’s not over, and it’s not a stalemate.
Given the fact that the CIA fomented the Maidan revolution at the behest of the perpetually sleazy Victoria Nuland, who staged the ouster of a legitimately elected president who refused to cater to the US/NATO fascism, why could anyone with an IQ over a carrot trust them to honestly mediate peace into which they have fed all the money, weapons, and elite troops that they could muster?
You apparently haven't heard of competitive authoritarianism.
The two major political parties constitute a bipartisan dictatorship that is anchored by a shared guaranteed ballot access arrangement where both function as a controlled opposition for each other while preventing third parties from getting on the ballot to compete with both of them.
I keep wondering what the majority of the Ukrainian line soldiers think: are they hoping for an end to the fighting, even at the cost of previously Ukrainian territory? Or is there still stomach to fight and try to beat the Russians back after all the deaths?
Or is the mood like Vietnam in 1969-70, where no one wants to be the last to die?
Is Kaja now an honorary flight attendant on Ukrainian Airlines?
Well she certainly has the intellectual capabilities for that job at least: , an insane grimace passing as a smile , parroting something about “ landing soon” and demonstrating how to put on a safety vest.
Unfortunately, she's not qualified for that either.
Why should Zelenskii make any kind of deal, as long as the money and weapons keep flowing?
Take away Russia, and Ukraine goes from The Beacon Of Muh Democracy(tm) , the country so democratic, it need not trifle with pesky elections or bothersome terms of office, to a corrupt, backward, authoritarian and nazi-infested dump.
The plan ever always only was to get NATO stuck in and for the US to have to ride to the rescue. As long as the war keeps going, that plan is going forward.
If trump were at all serious about peace, he need only halt the support to the regime in Kiev. No Starlink, no ISR, no AWACS, no money, no arms. The Europeans cannot readily substitute the first three, and will be hard-pressed to supply the remainder.
Trump does none of these things. Ergo, he is not serious. Moreover, when he did make moves in this direction, he quickly reversed himself, showing the Ukrainians (and everyone else) that Trump is weak, stupid and easily manipulated, an unfunny clown not to be taken seriously.
EDIT: The idea that Trump cares about the human costs of the war is a laugh. I don't care what the man says. I pay attention to what he does.
Mr Z really is playing chicken…with the future of his Nation and all those on the fighting front and civilians who might get killed by drones from Russia. This turkey put into place by the neocons in the CIA and Deep State is marching per their instructions…no different than the judges who stop Trump at ever angle. Mr Z must be shown the door for he will do all he can to thwart any peace plan….Trump needs to pull all funding and let Europe handle this guy…no more money/ weapons or ammo!! No more our tax dollars.
Zelenskii could not care less about those villagers led to the slaughter.
Likewise how many Americans will die if Russia runs out of patience with US boots on the ground in the Ukraine targeting donated munitions into Russia.
I believe it was in June, 2022 that Zelenski stated in an interview that there were interests in NATO that didn't care if Ukraine was destroyed.
NATO doesn't care any more about their puppets than any other terrorist does.
Feral Finster
You write as if Congress doesn't exist. That the media would simply neutrally report any such actions and any feedback. That there aren't millions of veterans out there in the electorate who don't have a singular but intense contrary point of view.
That the opinions of the voters in general simply don't matter to the President. That there is no serious geopolitical risk associated with decisions about an ongoing war that require caution. That there is no such thing as political capital that has to be spent wisely and that the President can pursue any policy without hesitation or unwanted balance simply because he wants to.
So what exactly can Congress do and which party controls both houses of Congress?
What can the media do that they have not already? What can these millions of veterans do and what makes them speak with a united voice? What on earth makes you think that the president cares about the public or its opinions, and what makes you think that the public is united?
Lord, the excuses.
The plan was always to do unto Russia as the USSR did unto the US in Cuba.
NATO will never rest until it has conquered Russia and parted her out among its members.
That won't happen until after WW3.
The USSR didn't send missiles to Cuba until after the US sent missiles to Turkey.
I don't think NATO in it's current configuration is going to last.
They had the sense to remove them that Zelensky doesn't care to exhibit.
Finster I think you oversimplify. If Trump cuts off Ukraine he loses leverage. It is the art of the deal, TM. He can walk away from the table at any time, but he would like to come away with something rather than nothing.
What leverage has he now, if he makes threats that he never carries out or reverses after a couple of days?
"Art of the Deal" my tail.
What idle threats? He pulled weapons and intel once, that brought Zelensky to the table. He can do it again. His bargaining is sound. He is modulating his threats, mixing carrot and stick. This is how you get stuff. Its textbook.
And then Trump didn't follow through. The Ukrainians made some noises, got their toys back and now they know that Trump is weak and not serious.
And then Trump penalised them by making the deal on the table worse every time they dragged their feet.
Put yourself in Trump’s position and think realistically about outcomes. When he pulls support he gets grief from all sides. And comes away with nothing. He needs to modulate the punishment and modulate the rewards. It’s entirely possible he will turn off the ISR tap and the arms flow tomorrow. And maybe somebody steps up and puts one in Zelensky’s head and gets on the phone to Trump.
And yet, Ukraine doesn't have any interest in a deal. And why should they? They only want the money, and they are getting that.
Were I in Trump’s clown shoes, Ukraine would be cut off from Day One. Any europeans thinking of joining in would be informed that they do so at their own risk and that the United States will not come to their rescue. Including if Russia retaliates against their home countries.
BTW, anysupposed Ukrainian concessions, in particular the so-called mineral deal, are worthless.
Seriously, FF is correct.
You can’t say you want to end the war and stop the bloodshed, and then turn back on intelligence and targeting support for the Ukrainian lost cause. The moral thing to do is to stop assisting in the war. The US loses nothing of value by walking away, and, in fact, would signal itself as a leader for doing the right thing.
This is now Trump’s war, and his dithering and bombast change nothing.
You’re confusing the moral course with the practical course. Something Trump can’t be accused of doing. The taps are his only leverage with Zelensky and Ukraine. If he just walks away he will be blamed for Ukraine’s defeat. He might still walk away but I agree he has left it too late and now will probably have to own the war and certainly own its outcome.
There is no coherent way to actively influence the outcome other than modulating the supply of arms money and ISR. But doing so helps Russia. The only reason you and FF think an unconditional cutoff is the right course of action is because you want the war to end at any cost and regardless of the outcome. I have some sympathy with that but it is not how Realist power politics works. Acting out of idealism is the same way we got into this mess. If Trump walks away it’s actually irresponsible in his part. He should be using his leverage to influence the outcome and settlement. Which is what he’s doing. He may succeed or he may fail but at least he is trying to use influence. What you and FF want him to do is give away all his leverage. Then it will be Russia who dictates the final settlement and the US will have no part in it.
How much leverage will Trump lose if Russia runs out of patience with his politics and nukes the US?
Trump is going to come away with owning the Project Ukraine albatross firmly ties around his neck .
He may not care about the human lives but I he sure cares about money, especially in the current financial circumstances. And everyone who doesn't watch CNN 24/7 knows Ukraine can't win and any US dollar spent on Ukraine is spent in vain.
Perhaps Trump isn't as dumb as you think he is...Just saying.
So? It's not Trump's money that is being spent. If Trump cared so much about waste, why is he continuing to support the Ukrainian welfare case? Even his on-again off-again support simply shows he's a wimp.
BTW, spending on Ukraine is a drop in the bucket, relative to US defense spend.
It's still billions that are missing elsewhere.
It's not his money but he is responsible for the budget.
Let's not forget that Biden left him with the biggest deficit anyone has ever accumulated and that in a time without war or a major recession. Why do you think Musk and DOGE became active? Of course, it's about money.
Trump didn't care about the budget from 2016-2020, without war or major recession (even before COVID, US budget deficits were ballooning). Now you think he cares about relatively piddling sums?
Please.
If Trump (or Musk) cared, they could cut the money off. Today. And keep it cut off. They don't.
Stop kidding yourself. The only thing Trump cares about is his vanity.
You clearly know much about how the financial markets work. In the end, every president has a boss and it's called market. Allow the deficit and finances to get out of hand and see how much luck you have with running your country before it becomes a banana Republic. Add Biden's santions towards it and the fact that many countries stopped trusting the US with their assets and you may get a glimpse into what's actually going on. Until then, keep blaming Trump for everything.
I know enough to know that the money spent on Ukraine is chump change, in the scheme of things.
Note that Japanese banks went on a Treasury buying strike as a result of tariffs. Ukraine hasn't caused bond prices to budge.
Similarly, Biden's sanctions did not cause holders of US assets to run for the exits. Maybe they should have, but they didn't. Trump's tariffs did.
"Let's not forget that Biden left him with the biggest deficit anyone has ever accumulated and that in a time without war or a major recession."
It looks like you believe there is a difference between Biden and Trump. There is no difference between the 'parties' on issues that the controlling entity cares about.
Maybe what you say is true but there is a difference, a real difference between Trump and the opposition on the things the *voters* care about.
"Maybe what you say is true but there is a difference, a real difference between Trump and the opposition on the things the *voters* care about."
But are the issues voters care about, just talked about, or are there differences in outcome? Give an example.
AWACS is a NATO capability, not the US'.
I think my boy Donnie is trying to wrangle a Nobel Peace Prize.
If Trump doesn't bail the US out of Project Ukraine he is going to inherit the floundering Project from the former Potato-in-Chief.
Don't be a Potato.
I have no idea what a "potato" is, but NATO has little AWACS capability other than what the US provides.
A Potato-in-Chief was Genocide Joe.
AWACS is NATO, not US ...Whoopsie, I was wrong. The US still has a few. The largest part, over a dozen, belong to NATO. A few other NATO members also have several.
No, those are us aircraft assigned to NATO. The US also has its own AWACS.
Military aid to Ukraine will slow to a trickle soon enough. Rzeszów-Jasionka airport will undergo major renovation starting this June. The runways will be closed in the evening for repairs. No more military transports. American troops have reportedly already been relocated to bases near the German border, while Patriot batteries have returned to Germany itself. Operation is supposed to be transferred to Lublin, but the military base in question is currently still on the drawing board.
Cut off Starlink, satellite recon and AWACS and Zelenskii will have no choice but to fold.
The various european catamites can furnish money, and arms but they cannot furnish these.
Trump, BTW, famously said that he would end the war in 24 hours, or was it 48? Whatever - are you suggesting that Trump was talking nonsense again?
Feral Finster
He ended America's role in the Ukraine war in twenty four hours. What ever it takes for as long as it takes was gone out the window the minute he was sworn into office. America's role in Ukraine is totally different now to the consternation of just every single one of Europe's leaders. Instead of expanding the conflict it is extricating itself. It takes time to turn a trillion dollar ship around. Especially one that the crew has been on for a decade.
As for the conflict in in Ukraine in general: .....Are the lions sleeping with the lambs in Ukraine now? No. Will they ever? No. But that isn't on Trump.
Trump did no such thing and the weapons and Intel continue to flow.
As much as it takes for as long as it takes was gone the minute he was inaugurated. The only weapons going to Ukraine now are those in the process of fulfilling existing legal contracts. Almost all of which have been filled leaving only a slight trickle of residue still to be delivered.
Everybody, Zelensky, European leaders, NATO officers off the record, Pentagon officials through leaks, anybody following the conflict (except you apparently) say Trump is walking away from it. Suddenly, there are high profile meetings to come up with desperate ceasefires, conflict settlement plans, whatever, because Trump has said its over.
A month ago Russia was going to break with just a few months more pressure. Now, its Ukraine is definitely going to break and pretty soon so what should we do after that happens.
Actually, there is quite a flurry of weapons deliveries into Rzeszòw in recent weeks. Moreover, you said nothing about the flow of ISR or Starlink, which also continue unabates.
"Russia has annexed..." . That is imprecise language, Stephen. Each legal region voted in an internal/endogenous referendum to ASCEND to the RU FEDERATION.
The fact is that the Russian State Duma passed the law for the annexations. The language was not imprecise.
Wrong. Ascension & Adoption into a Federation after legal referendums of entities similar to your American States.
If Ukraine had allowed a referendum in Crimea and the Donbass, we wouldn't be talking about this cruel war today. What happened with terms like self determination?
Self-determination is only for our friends
The US was methodically moving Ukraine to western influence since 1991. We wanted a good proxy war to destabilize Russia and then break the Federation apart to exploit it's components.
The United States is asking a lot of Russia, but in return is offering the Russians, in practical terms, almost nothing that they don’t already have.
Commitments on sanctions relief, the prospect of lucrative business deals, recognition that Crimea is Russian, and promises of no NATO membership for Ukraine are all either undeliverable in the first place, unlikely to eventuate, or easily reversed or revoked by a subsequent administration.
It’s difficult to imagine that President Trump truly believes that the Russians are going to accept such a disadvantageous peace agreement.
"Vladimir Zelensky has thrown a wrench into the Trump administration's effort to gear up peace talks between Ukraine and Russia."
Or perhaps Vladimir Zelensky has just walked into the trap which the US & Russia have set for him? President Putin calls for an Easter ceasefire -- Zelensky keeps on fighting. President Putin offers a cease fire at the current Line of Contact, and Zelensky immediately rejects it. President Trump points out that the Ukraine lost any claim to Crimea over a decade ago -- and Zelensky snaps back at him.
Zelensky is doing a good job of falling into the trap of painting himself as the major obstacle to ending the killing. It makes it easier for President Trump to sell walking away to the MIC-owned US Congress, and is probably giving even the EuroScum second thoughts about supporting Zelensky's losing pursuit of total victory over Russia "for as long as it takes".
The Kellogg Plan which Zelensky rejected was the Trump Administration's Ukraine-friendly/anti-Russian version. Zelensky's rejection of that leaves only the future Witcoff Plan, which is likely to be Ukraine-neutral/Russia-friendly version.
The offer is so self-evidently unacceptable to the Russians, who are winning, that the US must surely just be using Zelensky as a fall guy?
I have a feeling that Zelensky will be promptly eliminated by the far right should he negotiate for real. The Banderite's run Ukraine.
Thanks for your great work Stephen! We've shared the link on our daily report.
A Skeptic War Reports
https://askeptic.substack.com/
I thought the Brits &/or Yanks run the Ukraine.
Oligarchs run Ukraine. The Brits and Yanks just run the war.
Tell Kaja Kallas that the sensible will never recognize Estonia as a legitimate sovereign nation-state!
Estonia is a third rate Russian hotel, that no Russian would stay in (think Best and Western) because the attack poodles bark all night and piss on the furniture, while the manager imagines she is running the Ritz Carlton.
I am wondering about the level of influence the far-right Ukrainian politicians and military have in Zelenskyy's obstinance ? A telling approach would have Zelenskyy counter with an alternative. So far he hasn't. I believe he is playing with fire, economically, militarily, and globally. There are too many moves that could be made that would diminish Zelenskyy's control and influence. This is a long game and the focus should be on stopping the killing and the destruction, and then resolving the territorial issues.
I agree with you.
Don't forget the Brit & Yank deep-state.
"Don't forget the Brit & Yank deep-state."
I agree, but the British and Western European deep states are merely ancillary units of the main deep state, which is in the United States.
War is old men talking and young men dying.
Trump isn’t fond of the death part.
Nothing will be accomplished by this war. The arms industry has had a good run, but that’s about it.
This is globalist nonsense at its most profane level. Meaningless: fields and farms in the middle of nowhere, lands forever in dispute, squandered monies that have nothing to do with America.
We are ruled by idiots and treasonous bastards. Who gives a shit what the settlement is, it is irrelevant. Look at America, it’s a dump, a giant ghetto with archipelagos of wealth. The betrayal committed against America is one of the greatest crimes in history.
Russian and Ukrainian blood, maybe American blood in the future?
"The arms industry has had a good run, but that's about it."
I'd say that's been about it since WW2 - when an American War Economy produced the massive domestic growth that translated into postwar US economic dominance and neocolonialism.
There was a scruffy German economist 150 years ago who predicted this stuff.
Bravo Martin, who is the economist?
Russia really wants Odessa. Your correct in saying it's an event that means Russia won. It's been obvious Zelensky is stalling. He will regret it. Then again he has all those mansions to exile in. I keep thinking the front will collapse and how they don't is amazing.
I keep remember listening to Douglas McGregor. He basically said Russia will try to cut a deal before they put the knife in for the final kill.
Not sure, if that's the case though but I share your impression. But mine is also mixed with a lot of grief. Considering Russia's firepower it simply means a lot of Ukrainians have been dying inse the trenches, despite the fact that the war is over....
The resilience of stubborn Ukrainian resistance is indeed remarkable.
It's partly NATO not so secretly running the war at almost every level, but it's also a fratricidal conflict in which most of the local cannon or drone fodder really, really hate their Russian brothers.
Us v Them can get really intense inside a family.
If the Russians have 600,000 soldiers they have not yet committed to this SMO and are waiting for the mud to dry to cross the dneiper river, Ukraine could be overrun by August. As to UKR violating the energy infrastructure ceasefire last month. Get ready for what the RUS are going to do. Today UKR sends drones deep to a UAV factory in one of the Stans and RUS starts bombing the crap out of Kharkiv. It’s not over, and it’s not a stalemate.
Russia will pursue military action until it security goals are achieved. Everything else is just theater.
Given the fact that the CIA fomented the Maidan revolution at the behest of the perpetually sleazy Victoria Nuland, who staged the ouster of a legitimately elected president who refused to cater to the US/NATO fascism, why could anyone with an IQ over a carrot trust them to honestly mediate peace into which they have fed all the money, weapons, and elite troops that they could muster?
You apparently haven't heard of competitive authoritarianism.
The two major political parties constitute a bipartisan dictatorship that is anchored by a shared guaranteed ballot access arrangement where both function as a controlled opposition for each other while preventing third parties from getting on the ballot to compete with both of them.
They are the current promoters of their book.
The current CIA did.
I keep wondering what the majority of the Ukrainian line soldiers think: are they hoping for an end to the fighting, even at the cost of previously Ukrainian territory? Or is there still stomach to fight and try to beat the Russians back after all the deaths?
Or is the mood like Vietnam in 1969-70, where no one wants to be the last to die?
Trump has done his part to queer a deal with Russia.