The path to peace in Ukraine is fast becoming a road to victory for Putin who is being pampered by a weak and amoral US President. The USA pledged its support for Ukraine from the day Putin invaded just over 3 years ago, as the world through the United Nations and a host of pronouncements by independent nations condemned Putin’s efforts to dominate and now annihilate its smaller neighbour. The fact that the President then was Joe Biden is irrelevant. The USA itself spoke in disgust at Putin and saw him beginning a new European war. Putin called it a “special operation” based among other lies on his lies that Nazis were in charge of Ukraine. Now, based on a rewriting of history by Trump with his own lies even denying that Putin was a wrongful invader, Trump, on behalf of the USA, is empathising with Putin, treating him as a friend with whom he has a “good relationship”. Now Trump has humiliated President Zelensky of Ukraine, ejecting him from the White House because he will not do as Trump tells him or cow tow to Trump’s self-promoted deal for peace.
THE TRUMP DEAL IS LAUGHABLE
Trump’s deal for peace he says is a good one for everybody. Trump prides himself as the arch negotiator, but before any seeming negotiation has taken place, he seems to have ceded the big prizes Putin wants – Trump’s veto of Ukraine joining NATO and Trump letting Putin keep all the Ukrainian land he has stolen by force and to subjugate the Ukrainian people there. But then it is easy to give away Ukraine’s land as it does not affect the USA and also to toss into the clutches of Putin decent Ukrainians, for whom the President of the USA, and so the USA itself, cares nothing. Publicly Trump shouted at Mr Zelensky that he has no cards, but the hand the USA previously dealt him has been wantonly taken away by Trump, breaking USA promises. Trump, and his Vice President J. D. Vance repeatedly chided Mr Zelensky for not thanking them enough for all the American support. That Trump has contaminated the USA itself may be evidenced by the fact that there are not thousands of voices of dissent from serious people in the USA. Or has Trump succeeded in silencing dissenters for their fear of reprisal by him and his acolytes, such as Elon Musk, just as Putin silences dissent in Russia itself. Perhaps Trump and Putin have a little too much in common.
Trump has told President Zelensky to come back when he is ready for peace, but until then he can fight on his own without the USA. No doubt Mr Zelensky wants peace but an enduring peace and certainly not a complete surrender to Putin. President Trump declares that Putin will stand by any deal he and Putin make, but it is obvious, and Trump must know, that Putin has no moral values and will if and when it suits him break any treaty. Trump proposed a minerals investment in Ukraine by the USA which would tie them economically, calling that security enough! Unbelievable and demonstrating Trump takes the world for fools. Even with such an agreement, if his friend Putin renewed his invasion in say 2 years’ time, Trump could merely remove Americans from Ukraine, ask his friend not to damage US assets, and resume taking the USA share when Putin has finished his next murder spree.
Ukraine’s future now lies in the hands of the leaders of Europe, who themselves must assume President Trump and so the USA is unreliable: this is a terrible indictment of the wonderful nation which is the USA, and Trump has succeeded in belittling the USA in the eyes of the civilised world.
TRUMP PATRONISES AND HUMILIATES
Trump seems to have little respect for anyone bar King Charles of the UK, but even that is only so long as the King panders to his narcissism. The invitation to Trump for a second State visit to see the King, while sycophantic, is lauded as a diplomatic coup. Trump patronised and, with his admiring Vice-President J.D. Vance, humiliated President Zelensky. Just the day before, the visit by Keir Starmer, UK Prime Minister, to Trump, pleading for US security guarantees in Ukraine, was hailed as a success. According to Trump the special relationship is alive and, while he will always back the UK if it is in trouble, he thinks Keir Starmer is a great man and a trade deal with the UK without beloved tariffs will happen soon. But he patronised the PM treating him like a child paying homage to the headmaster. Trump “complimented” Keir Starmer as a great negotiator, and that he was earning whatever the UK paid him, and how he loved his accent. But nothing was negotiated! And, for example, unless in trade negotiations the UK gives Trump what he wants, he could turn the USA to become a trade enemy. Nobody should be fooled by the false bonhomie exhibited by Trump. But it is to Keir Starmer’s credit that he came away from a difficult diplomacy challenge with only positives, although nothing certain.
Now the leaders of Europe have responded to the disastrous Trump insults of President Zelensky with messages of unwavering support for the Ukrainian leader and his country, and the meeting with him on 2 March reinforced such commitments. But will they hold fast if Trump does not back down or indeed responds even more negatively, dismissing the USA’s NATO commitments? Trump has no hesitation withdrawing from an agreement if it suits his purpose, or he would say USA’s interests. There is so much at stake. But Putin cannot be allowed to profit from his crimes, and somehow the USA must be dissuaded from being his accomplice. Despite making no commitments yet to security guarantees, it is possible that Trump intends to provide some but will hold them back as the last brick in a peace deal.
CAN ANY PLAN WORK?
Trump for the moment has washed his hands of a peace plan. European leaders have assumed the burden of developing one. Given Trumps’ desire to be a peacemaker it is hard to imagine any plan being designed by Europeans being accepted by him. Could he even be setting up Europe’s leaders to fail, and could he and Putin even connive to ensure that failure? Is Trump in fact Putin’s puppet? Or is Trump cleverly reeling Putin into his net? Trump invited Russian media to witness the humiliation of President Zelensky, and Putin’s press now hail the joint determination of Russia and the USA to bring down Zelensky. Who is getting the better deal so far?
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