The more NATO/EU hypocrisy creates friction with President Trump; the less U.S. support exists for Ukraine. That’s the dynamic Zelenskyy is trying desperately to navigate with his EU allies.
During a lengthy interview with Reuters, Zelenskyy says he has been directly told the only way for Ukraine to get security guarantees from USA participation is if he concedes the contested Donbas region to Russia and ends the conflict.
Assuming what Zelenskyy says is accurate, at this point in the ongoing stalemate, this seems like the pragmatic optimal solution. Concede Donbas to Russia, and the U.S. will mediate terms that emphasize an American willingness to protect Ukraine from further encroachment.
That said, when Zelenskyy once again starts asking who is going to pay for the needs of his country, the U.S. taxpayer eyeroll commences.
KYIV, March 25 (Reuters) – The U.S. is making its offer of security guarantees for a peace deal in Ukraine conditional on Kyiv ceding all of the country’s eastern region of Donbas to Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told Reuters in an interview.
[…] Two vital questions remained unresolved regarding security guarantees, Zelenskiy said: Who would help to fund Ukraine’s weapons purchases to sustain its military deterrent, and how exactly would its allies respond in the face of any future Russian aggression?
“The Americans are prepared to finalise these guarantees at a high level once Ukraine is ready to withdraw from Donbas,” said the 48-year-old leader, who added that he understood the “subtleties” of the American position although he had not participated directly himself in the trilateral talks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin insists that control of the whole of Donbas is an essential element of his war aims, which Moscow would achieve on the battlefield if it could not do so at the negotiating table.
But the pace of Russia’s advance has been slow over the past two years. Military analysts say it could take a long time and a significant amount of manpower to conquer all of Donbas, which includes a so-called Fortress Belt of cities heavily fortified by the Ukrainian military.
[…] Speaking in a gilded meeting room at the presidential offices in central Kyiv, Zelenskiy said Russia was betting Washington would lose interest if the peace talks stalled and would walk away. He acknowledged that there was some risk of this.
A fourth round of trilateral talks due this month was postponed due to the Iran conflict.
The Ukrainian leader shrugged off past tensions between himself and Trump. “I am not a box of chocolates or a car, to be liked or disliked by one person or another,” he said. “In my opinion, the President of the United States looks at this more pragmatically, and he probably wants the war to end quickly. We also want to do so quickly.”
[…] Following heavy Russian bombardment of Ukrainian cities on Wednesday, Zelenskiy thanked the Trump administration for maintaining the supplies of Patriot missile defence systems, despite increased demand for these weapons because of the conflict in the Gulf.
[…] “Deliveries to us were not stopped. I’m very grateful to President Trump, and to his team,” Zelenskiy said. “But this supply of Patriot missiles is not as large as we need.” (read more)
It’s never enough for this guy. Ukraine is a bottomless pit of money and corruption.
As the EU proclaims that Iran is not a NATO member and the middle east conflict is not their issue, President Trump rightly points out that Ukraine is not a NATO member, and the Ukraine conflict is not our issue.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is heading to a G7 foreign minister summit in France, and paused to answer questions on both Iran and Ukraine from the traveling press pool.
If the Ukraine war ended, the Europeans would lose interest in propping up the civil side of the Ukrainian government leading to instant bankruptcy. Ukraine was always a proxy for European governments seeking to bleed/dismember Russia. No war, no bleeding, no interest. Z is smart enough to know this even if European publics and pundits aren’t.
Yes, they have been ordered by their Owners to whip up Endless War Fever. They need Pres. Putin as a whipping boy to stay out of prison themselves. Not to mention the income stream from their Ukrainian Criminal Disneyland.
Plus, that’s where Starmer rents his boyfriends.
I continue to be amazed that “Z” is still alive. I fully expected the Ukranian people to deal with him as the Italians dealt with their “Mussolini problem.” (Although perhaps with less theatrical flair . . .)
Maybe Kamala can be the next President of Ukraine
Ukraint be serious!
She will definitely get to the root causes of the vodka problem.
based on the expression of sec rubio’s face in that b/w picture….i like what he’s thinkin’.
Me, too–but why isn’t Vance right there beside him?
Soon after he concedes Donbas, the Azov Battalion will off him and (try to) make it look it was the RF.
Russia invaded the Donbas region of Ukraine. Yes, Russia was the invader. That makes the Russians the bad guys.
That said, is Zelensky a hero or a weasel? (My apologies to actual weasels.)
I’d say a fair amount of both.
My problem is his use of OPM (other people’s money) to fight the war.
There is no good answer or good result that will satisfy both sides.
Is this a Mexican standoff? Not quite, but close to it, IMO.
“A Mexican standoff is a stalemate or deadlock situation where two or more parties (often three) are in a confrontation that no one can win and none can safely exit, leading to a tense, frozen equilibrium.”
Russia invaded Russia because Nazis were killing Russians there.
Russia was also staring at an obvious invading army on its doorstep. They knew how to read the tea leaves. They decided to seize the military advantage by striking first. And they have never lost it since. It was never a question that war was going to start, only who would start first.
The Russians don’t fight wars the way that Europeans do – they never have. They feinted towards Kiev as their opening gambit, but then withdrew with no one in pursuit. They decided on a meat grinder, and have demonstrated to the world that (a) they have the military and industrial capacity to sustain it; and (b) Europe/NATO for all its grand posturing does not.
When Europeans fight wars, they want to gobble up and then hold territory. Well, Russia doesn’t need any more territory. They’re just not going to do what you expect them to do. Never have: ask Hitler.
It’s not a “Mexican standoff.” It’s an inexorable grind to exhaust the enemy’s capacity to fight. And of its backers to continue to supply them. “Heap big bad Patriot missile battery” gets hit with a single flying bomb and $3 billion(!) worth of hardware goes up in smoke all at once.
Exactly. Not to mention that the CIA had put forty two bio labs in Ukraine, several of which I understand were within single digit distance from The Russians border. Drones, disease and distance. What would you expect Putin to do?
Good guy, bad guy, hero or weasel? False dichotomy.
OPM!
So why are they fighting? For who? And what?
As always follow the money.
I don’t think people care about our war aspirations as much as war for the profit of other people. I know I don’t.
If soldiers fight and win should they not have spoils of war? Not the demons who start it? Hmmm war would be a lot different.
By intent or by incompetence A huge number of Iranian men were killed or seriously injured. No one knows how many, could be a million, could be more, no one is telling the truth. This will devastate Ukraine for decades, almost an entire generation of their young men killed. What a terrible waste of life.
Why do we need to provide “security guarantees” at all? This is Europe’s war, not ours.
Couldn’t agree more. And, how long do we need to guarantee security for Ukraine…forever…
The look on Rubio’s face says more than words.
Thank you, Sundance. Hard to believe Ukraine fighting is still going on.. shameful
Poor little coke head. Trying to stay relevant. He’s like the short guy at the back of the crowd, jumping up and down “ooo ooo right here! Look at me!” He is starting to realize that once the other distractions take over, he’s done..for 2 solid years he was everywhere, now he is back page news..
Quite possibly the biggest money-laundering operation in history.
Eric Daugherty
@EricLDaugh
🚨 BREAKING: Sec. Marco Rubio just called out Zelensky as a LIAR
Q: Did the US tell Zelensky that security guarantees depend on withdrawing from Donbas?
RUBIO: “That’s a LIE, and I saw him say that, and it’s unfortunate he would say that because he KNOWS that’s not true! That’s NOT what he was told.”
Cont….
Just wait until Russian forces take hold of Odessa oblast. Its close, sooo close now. Trump won’t be able to negotiate jack at this point in time. Russia has the advantage, and they will not concede.
It’s a lie as Marco Rubio explained.
I love our president and am for once have great respect for our leaders. However, I disagree with this pragmatic step of Ukraine surrendering the Donbas region. I remember that when the Soviet Union collapsed, Ukraine had the lions share of nuclear weapons. They were told by the U.S. that if they surrendered the weapons to Russia and returned them, the United States would protect them from encroachment in the future. Putin attacked Ukraine for no reason in ca. 2014 and seized the Donbas region. Why should Ukraine and the United States reward this move. We made a commitment to Ukraine in the early 2000s, and we need to stand by it.
The dominant language in Donbas is Russian. See my response above to The Gipper Lives above.