CNN — The United States and Ukraine are trying to hammer out a natural resources agreement that would give Washington access to Kyiv’s untapped mineral riches in exchange for investments and what Ukraine hopes would be concrete security guarantees. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said the deal could be a “big success” but that it would depend on talks with US President Donald Trump. A broad strokes draft of the deal seen by CNN is scarce on details. And while Trump said on Wednesday that Zelensky would be coming to the White House on Friday and “we’re going to be signing an agreement,” Zelensky remained more cautious. He said the deal was just a “framework” and insisted that some key questions remained unanswered.
Here is what we know – and don’t know – about the agreement.
What’s in the deal? The draft agreement seeks the establishment of a “reconstruction investment fund” that would be jointly managed by the American and Ukrainian governments. Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Wednesday that Kyiv would be funneling half of the revenues from future natural resources projects into the fund, with money being reinvested in more developments. Shmyhal stressed the deal would exclude existing “deposits, facilities, licenses and royalties” tied to Ukraine’s natural resources. “We are only talking about future licenses, developments and infrastructure,” he said.
What does Trump want from the deal? Trump said at the weekend that he’s “trying to get the money back,” referring to the aid provided to Ukraine under the previous administration. The US initially demanded a $500 billion share of Ukraine’s rare earths and other minerals in exchange for the aid it has already provided to Kyiv. But Zelensky rejected that idea, saying that agreeing to it would amount to “selling” his country. Trump subsequently called Zelensky “a dictator.” Asked on Tuesday what Ukraine would receive in the mineral deal, Trump said: “$350 billion and lots of equipment, military equipment, and the right to fight on,” repeating a false claim he has made in the past. According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German think tank that closely tracks wartime aid to Ukraine, Washington had committed a total of about $124 billion in aid to Ukraine.Trump indicated security guarantees were not part of the deal, saying: “We’ve pretty much negotiated our deal on rare earth and various other things,” adding that “we’ll be looking to” future security for Ukraine “later on.”
A draft of the agreement seen by CNN on Wednesday does not include any concrete figures or details on the size of the stake the US would hold in the fund.However, Zelensky said his country will not be repaying money given to it by Washington in the past as part of the deal. “I will not accept (even) 10 cents of debt repayment in this deal. Otherwise, it will be a precedent,” Zelensky said Wednesday at a news conference in Kyiv. Trump on Wednesday projected confidence that the natural resources deal would come to fruition, saying, “We’re doing very well with Russia-Ukraine. President Zelensky is going to be coming on Friday. It’s now confirmed, and we’re going to be signing an agreement.”
What does Ukraine want from the deal? Ukraine’s mineral riches have long been eyed by its allies – and Kyiv has made them part of its appeal for support. Zelensky has made it clear he wants security guarantees to be part of the deal. Some deposits are already in areas that are under Russian occupation and Zelensky has argued that one reason why the West should support Ukraine in its fight against Moscow is to prevent more of these strategically important resources from falling into the Kremlin’s hands. “The deposits of critical resources in Ukraine, along with Ukraine’s globally important energy and food production potential, are among the key predatory objectives of the Russian Federation in this war. And this is our opportunity for growth,” Zelensky said in October when presenting his “Victory plan.” Nataliya Katser-Buchkovska, the co-founder of the Ukrainian Sustainable Investment Fund, said that a deal cannot work without security guarantees. “(For) the US to get access to these deposits, Ukraine must regain control over those territories, demine and rebuild the infrastructure,” she said. The draft deal seen by CNN does not specify any security guarantees, but it does say that the US “supports Ukraine’s efforts to obtain security guarantees needed to establish lasting peace.”
Comment: Keith Harbaugh suggested I address this proposed mineral agreement. I found the text the next day in the Financial Times. Mark Logan found it in the Kyiv Independent. It’s also linked to in this CNN article. It starts off with a bunch of WHEREAS and THEREFOREs and then goes on to say what looked to me like a whole lot of nothing concrete. Commentary has been all over the place. It did remind me of the tale of the blind men trying to describe an elephant. Mark Logan described it far more succinctly than CNN.
If this is all, no sections on enforcement, it’s just performative nonsense IMO. I doubt either side takes it seriously. In itself, the agreement is only a chance for Trump to dance and say “I got something!” However it does send a message that Trump is out to twist arms whenever the opportunity arises.
Trump and Zelenskiy appear to be talking past each other in what the agreement must include. But Zelenskiy is still coming to Washington to meet Trump. So I think they both know a lot more than they’re letting on. There doesn’t appear to be any security guarantees for Ukraine but Trump, when asked what’s in it for Ukraine said, “They will get 350 billion dollars, lots of military equipment, and the right to fight on.” What’s he referring to? Is it just another number pulled out of his ass or is it something else? Earlier this month Joe Wilson (R-SC) and Steve Cohen (D-TN) introduced the Freedom First Lend-Lease Act in Congress. “The Act cuts red tape to provide President Trump with flexible authorities to lend or lease military equipment to allies and partners in Eastern Europe to deter Russian invasion and provides massive leverage as he works to end this invasion responsibly.” This Lend-Lease Act specifies $350 billion for Ukraine.
We’ll know more this weekend.
TTG
From what I can find Ukraine has 37 known critical mineral deposits. Out of those 18 are either operational or already licensed. To who? Australia and Turkey own several. There are already US investments in some others. France wants in on it also:
https://www.hjnews.com/nation/france-joining-the-u-s-in-seeking-access-to-ukraines-minerals-says-its-in-talks/article_1bece57d-11e6-5c94-aefc-fc885ecc0bef.html
Only four of the 37 are lithium deposits, and of those the three in unoccupied Ukraine are already licensed. The Aussies own two of those licenses. The third is licensed to a domestic Ukrainian mining company ULM, who is looking for international investment. The fourth is described as auction ready, but it’s located in the occupied zone ~20 miles north of Berdiansk. But there are plenty of other critical minerals in unoccupied Ukraine, including titanium, zirconium, niobium, beryllium and rare earth elements.
https://ceobs.org/the-environmental-risks-from-a-critical-minerals-rush-in-ukraine/
Minerals yes, rare earths no…
https://x.com/snirody/status/1894506303382548529
Suresh –
You may be right about at least 16 of the 17 rare earths. However, Ukraine has an operational titanium mine that is producing the rare earth Scandium as a by-product. And there are two more mines under consideration that also have Scandium as a potential by-product.
Trump’s big deal is a way to retain control over Ukraine, even after a potential “agreement” with Russia. Bessent is a financial parasite, but he’s smart, he implemented much of George Soros strategies to break the British central bank and the pound… I wonder how MAGA confederates, view Soros globalist pederasts overseeing American strategy in the Ukraine dossier ? Nevertheless, he’s a serious operator.
The rare earths market is currently over-supplied, and has been so for many years. Prices are down due to strong output from China and slowing demand. The USA and Australia are trying to challenge China’s market dominance by unlocking significant deposits, but price decline makes it unprofitable to develop new projects. And it will remain so, for the foreseeable future. China has essentially declared war on the Pentagon, Bessent and others are trying to remediate but may be too late, unless…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivdsyNvFq_8
For this reason, we need to consider what could be the undeclared motive behind Trump’s mineral deal with Zelensky, given that Ukraine’s mineral wealth is overestimated, resource-rich regions are now part of the Russian Federation, and Trump hasn’t taken into account the viability or cost of developing Ukraine’s mineral reserves.
The latest draft of agreement would see Kiev pay 50 % of revenues from its state-owned natural resources into a fund that would invest in Ukraine. There would be no U.S. security guarantees in return.
Sergey Savchuk in an article published today by RIA Novosti outlines some of these ulterior motives.
https://ria.ru/20250227/soglashenie-2001808132.html
By gaining control over Ukraine’s rare earth metals the U.S. could also gain control over their economy. If the agreement is signed by Zelensky and ratified by the Rada, the USA will be able to prohibit transactions, receive mandatory veto shares, and will be able to manipulate the issuance and revocation of subsoil using licenses. But the main thing is that the USA will be able to legally seize Ukraine’s external assets (just like in Iraq and Afghanistan, so much for saving the US $- old habits die hard), at the slightest, far-fetched pretext. BRICS + will be taking notes… According to the National Bank of Ukraine, those assets are now estimated at more than $ 40 billion.
In addition, the charter for the Ukraine Recovery Fund is expected to include a clause according to which the U.S. government will be able to independently, without consulting with Kiev, invest in the most promising sectors of their economy. Among them, nuclear energy. Powering DATA centers to control Eastern Europe ?
Ratification of the agreement actually opens a legal corridor for the United States to establish control over all important and profitable sectors of the Ukrainian economy. At the same time, since there’s no deadline or termination conditions in the agreement, the United States receives full indirect possession of an entire country, the largest country in Europe. A new South Korea to be economically weaponized against both Russia and the EU at the time of their choosing… So in this art of the deal, Europeans and Russians both get played.
Depopulated Ukraine becomes another harvested center for financial hyenas looting the USA. Who’s next ? Greenland, Canada’s 10 trillion $ public healthcare system and Arctic ? I think stupid Orcs in Moscow might have other ideas.
Augustin L,
Interesting and intriguing comments. Perhaps Trump has a case of FOMO as far as Ukraine goes. Europe has been making a lot of noise about getting closer to Ukraine without the US. Trump wanted Europe to stand on their own two feet and may be shocked that they are willing to give it a try.
Augustin L,
Ukraine has 40 billion is assets overseas? Why have US taxpayers been funding their government for years then?
You left out city of London and associated interests, who are broke and have essentially no collateral. George Soros is 94 and not running a damn thing .
US aid to Ukraine has been in the form of weapons and ammo, which has benefited US companies, who have been paid for it. The economic support for Ukraine has come from EU.
There is a key difference.
Usually what American companies and industry are paid, by the federal government, to produce
is for the benefit of Americans.
It is a stretch to see how the weapons being being produced for Ukraine benefit Americans.
,
Are you familiar with payroll?
Lars, let me try to be more clear.
The difference is between
weapons that will be used by the U.S. military,
and those that will be used by the Ukrainian military.
The former are for the benefit of America,
the latter for the benefit of something else.
Do you recognize that those are not equivalent?
Keith Harbaugh,
Our ability to produce artillery shells is finally approaching a level it needs to be for our own military. The same is happening to our full gamut of missile production. What we gave to Ukraine was weapons obsolete to our needs or reaching the end of their shelf life. It was cheaper to send them to Ukraine than to demilitarize them.
Fred –
It’s not 40B in cash. It’s mostly credits and/or commitments from the UK, Japan, Canada, South Korea and others. Plus international financial organizations. Much of it is based on the potential of seizing Russian assets in the West and giving them to Ukraine to rebuild.
Things went real well in the Oval Office 😅. That was fast… Zelensky is finished.
Augustin L,
Fast and hilarious – not to mention long overdue.
Agree, the arrogant runt, Zelensky, is finished. I give him a month or less.
Leith,
“Credits and commitments” yeah, it’s not realz. The Russian assets in the “West” were already frozen and are in the hundred of billions no 40. Just what trust will any of the non-EU member states of the UN going to have in the UK/FR/GR etc when they go about selling of the assets to give to meatgrinding nation to send back to them to pay off the bonds etc they sold them? Minus the graft. Haven’t you paid attention to any of that?
Lars, we pissed away a treasure and sabotaged our own forces combat readiness to feed the butchers of the East. We also sent lots of cash.
Augustin –
The bigger problem for America is that the Soros globalist pederast you mention, Scott Bessent, is also raiding the US Treasury. The MAGAts won’t say a word.
Trump won’t let Bessent go after China. They are buying up he and his family’s WLF cryptotokens:
https://popular.info/p/breaking-sec-halts-fraud-prosecution
They’re now setting the stage for the great taking, to steal almost everything. It’s not even hidden anymore. According to Trump’s Wall Street financial hyenas and parasites: social security is a ponzi and memecoins are strategic assets… Evil geniuses will swap worthless dematerialized tokens for hard assets. Deplorables don’t seem to care and might be left with only their eyes to cry with. I’m dumbfounded by how those marks are cheering blatant violations of the constitution, and a Bitcoin Strategic Reserve Fund. There goes complete infantilisation of a society without context and out of context. Only barbarism might remain…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyH5I32jfVI&t=22s
There are too many moving parts in this for a guy who lost money running casinos. I suspect the intended consequences will fail to materialize, but the unintended ones will. As it has been said many times, most plans do not survive contact with reality. This is more performative than anything else. I don’t think Trump realizes that if he is seen as betraying Ukraine, he will not survive in office, no matter how much he tries to lie about it.
Lars,
“if he is seen as betraying Ukraine, he will not survive in office”
Who is going to try and kill him the 3rd time, the same people from the last 2 attempts or new ones? Over Ukraine no less.
Lars,
“betraying Ukraine”?
What on earth are you talking about?
Why does the U.S. owe Ukraine anything?
“he will not survive in office”
Ah yes, the opinion leaders will show their loyalty.
Keith,
There is a demented mindset that starts with fundamental and utterly obstinate beliefs, like Russia is our eternal enemy and must be destroyed, therefore Zelensky is a hero and Ukraine is some kind of sacred ground, instead of what it really is, a corrupt dictatorship, ostensibly run by a sawed-off comedian who dances on the strings of oligarchs.
These beliefs are bizarre, but so firmly entrenched in the minds of some people that you will never convince of them of the error of their holy crusade.
Eric Newhill,
Russia doesn’t have to be destroyed, just kept from invading her neighbors.
TTG,
Why? Turkey invaded its neighbor and….crickets. The US invades countries thousands of miles away, like Iraq, and it’s just fine and dandy. Azerbaijan and Armenia slug it out. Saudi Arabia is in Yemen, etc, etc, etc. – Why is Russia a special case? A bunch of countries were invading the US up until a month ago.
So Russia wanted to take back some territory that is ethnically and historically Russian. Not saying it’s right/not saying it’s wrong. It’s just what happens as always has. Maybe you’re one of those end of history guys? Good luck with that. No one outside of government/MIC really gives a flipping fluck. You and some ideologues have an unexamined prejudice against Russia. You said Russia was going to be out of ammo in month two years ago. You disparaged everything about the Russian armed forces. You can’t seriously want us to also believe that Russia could invade any other countries.
Eric, it is called “cognitive dissonance”, and people who suffer from it have no problem holding dear to their hearts two simultaneous but mutually-exclusive propositions:
1) Russia is a revanchist empire builder who must – MUST! – be stopped here and now otherwise they will overrun all of Europe and then swallow the UK for desert
and
2) Russia is a pissant joke whose army is now dependent upon mules to supply its hapless frontline troops who are so hopeless they can’t even take on a handful of plucky Azov … sorry… freedom-loving Ukrainian patriots.
But propositions cannot be true, yet both propositions are absolutely true.
Cognitive. Dissonance.
Yeah, Right,
Both propositions are very much true. The present regime in the Kremlin dreams of reestablishing their former lofty place in the world order and exerting influence/control over Eastern Europe if not all of Europe, but their armed forces are not up to the task. They couldn’t hold Kherson which Putin declared as forever Russia. They can’t take Kharkiv or Odesa. Thankfully Russia lacks the power to fulfill her dreams of reestablishing the empire.
A mineral deal can only be implemented after a peace agreement. Any deal before that will be subjected to Russian bombing. Any deal after a peace agreement will have U.S. security interests.
In short, a mineral deal goes hand in hand with the end of the war.
Watching Trump & Vance go two on one against Zalensky live!
This is utterly amazing!!
I have never seen anything like this, between leaders.
Trump is getting very emotional.
https://www.youtube.com/live/Dr3BxR6jpvE
Zelensky showed just how much he respects the people of the US. To hell with him.
KH, Trump has been dead set against Zalensky ever since he couldn’t bribe him to investigate the Bidens. This has continued on to recently calling Z a “dictator”.
Never a negative derogatory word vs Putin in the meantime.
I wish Trump/Vance had the nerve to call out Putin’s aggression to his face in front of live cameras, but they are too busy gurgling round, soft, hairy Russian objects.
KH –
Zelenskyy thanked the American People on Fox. He also thanked Congress and President Trump. Didn’t mention Eyeliner Boy.
https://bsky.app/profile/antongerashchenko.bsky.social/post/3ljbmdvg2kk2j
He had said the same earlier to Trump. But maybe Trump’s bonespurs were acting up and that’s why he got so irate.
Marco Rubio gives an inside look on what led up to that scene in the Oval Office, and the Trump/Vance/Rubio POV:
https://youtu.be/P4MzGljlpr8
My views on this conflict:
I think Trump and Vance were wrong in making this an issue of respect or shows of gratitude.
Those are phony issues.
They were right in making it clear that the key issue is accepting a ceasefire, now, without future security guarantees.
Evidently Z was not willing to do that.
Looking beyond all that,
I think they should accept the terms Putin has offered.
Some call that appeasement.
Please, Putin is not Hitler, Russia is not Nazi Germany, and the Russian Army is not the Wehrmacht.
Just the final ten minutes:
https://youtu.be/1EfpN08mh9I
And a Monday, 3/3, analysis article:
“Trump outraged at Zelenskyy saying end of Russia-Ukraine war could be ‘very far away’ ”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/03/trump-zelenskyy-end-russia-ukraine-war
‘Trump’s remarks came as he planned to convene top White House officials on Monday to discuss next steps, which included reviewing the European proposal but also potentially considering a cutoff in aid to Ukraine, according to reports in the New York Times and other US media. Those set to join the briefing include the national security adviser, Michael Waltz, the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and the secretary of defence, Pete Hegseth.
…
Speaking to Fox on Monday morning, Waltz did not say Zelenskyy should resign, but when asked whether Zelenskyy was fit to lead Ukraine said: “What happened Friday really put that up in the air.”
Earlier, he told CNN: “We need a leader that can deal with us, eventually deal with the Russians, and end this war …
If it becomes apparent that President Zelensky’s either personal motivations or political motivations are divergent from ending the fighting in his country, then I think we have a real issue on our hands.” “
No deal…from AP:
President Donald Trump has cut short talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after he and and Vice President JD Vance berated the Ukraine’s leader in the Oval Office.
The breakdown of negotiations come at a pivotal and precarious moment for Ukraine as Zelenskyy sought security guarantees from the U.S. and Trump’s administration seeks to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war.
The last 10 minutes of the nearly 45-minute engagement turned into a tense back and forth between Trump, Vance and Zelenskyy — who had urged skepticism about Russia’s commitment to diplomacy, citing Moscow’s years of broken commitments on the global stage.
It began with Vance telling Zelenskyy, “Mr. President, with respect. I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media.”
Zelenskyy and his delegation were told to leave the White House early after the testy meeting with Trump in the Oval Office, according to a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/zelensky/
Trump Vance Zelensky
Hard truths about the Trump-Zelensky-Vance Oval Office blow-up
The public spectacle doesn’t change the fact that the war needs to end soon
… Ukraine’s position is gravely weakened; and if in the next round of negotiations the U.S. and Russian teams can come up with a reasonable compromise, Ukraine would be well advised to accept it in principle and try to negotiate as many advantages as possible over the details of the ceasefire and any changes to the Ukrainian constitution — negotiations in which Ukraine will of course have to be involved, whatever the state of relations between Trump and Zelensky.
For if Ukraine continues to oppose a deal and Trump withdraws U.S. support (including not just weapons but even more importantly Starlink and real-time battlefield intelligence), Ukrainian forces will face huge difficulties in holding their present positions and warding off a catastrophic defeat.
This will be true even if European countries continue their support. The governments of the EU and UK are now facing a critical dilemma, to which they will have to respond at their summit (including Zelensky) this coming Sunday, March 2. They will no doubt pledge to continue supporting Ukraine with aid.
I liked Anatol’s earlier article linked in this one too:
Megaphone diplomacy …
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-zelensky-2671218070/
BTW, WH is sending out selective video clips
So there will not be any deals for awhile. Trump had invited the media to witness his lording over Ukraine and it blew up in spectacular fashion. He just can’t handle it unless somebody is kissing his butt. I think Zalenskyy used Ike’s sage advice: If you can’t solve a complicated problem, expand it. So now Trump has to decide whether to leave a lot of money on the table, both in the Ukraine and the US, where all of the money supporting Ukraine is spent. I doubt that he will ever negotiate on live TV again, especially since he can’t keep from lying. Then there is the problem with him when he doesn’t get his way. I have a 6 year old grand daughter and I recognize the behavior. This worked for Trump when he was playing a fake businessman on TV, but then he had a script. Now he has to act in real time and he is just not up to it.
Lars,
What’s your total contribution to Ukraine so far, besides internet commentary? I bet it matches mine: Zero. Which is exactly what they deserve of our tax $.
I feel for Zelensky but he should not have taken the bait. Get the toothless deal done so Trump can trumpet, so to speak, his Big Win and get out.
I felt even worse for Oksana Markarova, whose diplomatic deadpan failed her entirely.
Since Trump wanted live TV, it shows that he was not as interested in the deal as he was in putting on a political theater with him dominating. But what he got was him and Vance showing that they are in Putin’s pocket and the US is no longer in the pro-democracy coalition. That will have profound consequences and could become costly, on top of all the other damage Trump is doing. It also showed the difference between someone dealing with deadly matters and two who are just for show.
Maybe Russia told him to blow up the deal….much of these minerals are in the areas Russia already has. Maybe Putin told DJT he would “share” when the war ends with Ukraine losing all of that territory. Can’t end with American help so “blow it up!”
Trump understands perfectly well that nothing will come of this “deal”.
What he is worried about is that he is trying to strike a deal with the Russians to end this war when he has an empty hand: the Russians know he wants out, and the Russians understand that if they simply wait then Trump will eventually just get up and walk away.
So why would they take him seriously, when they can simply wait him out?
Hence this “deal”, which has one purpose only: to give Trump a piece of paper that he can take into the talks and wave under Lavrov’s nose.
As in: See! See! I own Ukraine now. Get it? If you want Ukraine then you have to do a deal with me. You. Have. To. Take. Me. Seriously.
The Russians will not take him seriously, not if that document is all that Trump has.
It’s a meaningless piece of paper signed by a comedian who plays the piano with his penis. As far as the Russians are concerned that piece of paper wasn’t signed by the President of Ukraine and hence is meaningless.
But that’s all this is about: Trump is trying to negotiate with a counter-party without having anything in his hands, and now he can at least pretend that he’s got something that gives him leverage.
YR,
It depends on how long the Russians figure they continue to take heavy casualties, endure sanctions and related headaches and what they really want.
If I were Trump, I would take out Zelensky and see to it that a new “leader” is elected; someone who is willing to work with the Russians as well as the West. Let the Russians keep their new republics (as you say, they’re going to anyhow) and make promises about never screwing with Russian ownership of Crimea.
In turn, the Russians and Ukraine’s new leader see to it that the US obtain some acceptable amount of mineral and fuel rights. A bonus to Ukraine, that Z is too thick skulled to understand, is that if the US has mineral rights, it will protect those against the possibility of Russia making future moves on Ukraine (remote, but greater than 0 probability).
The little comedian that would be king must go first. Who will do the deed will be interesting. Run out by the oligarchs that used to back him? Killed by Russia? Killed by the US (in an accident, of course)?
“It depends on how long the Russians figure they continue to take heavy casualties,”
Indefinitely, because their casualties are nowhere near as “heavy” as western “intel agencies” claim them to be.
“endure sanctions and related headaches”
In the three years of sanctions intended to “turn the ruble to rubble” the Russian economy has overtaken both Japan and Germany to move into fourth place behind only China, USA and India.
They are “enduring” those sanctions quite happily.
” and what they really want.”
*sigh* The Russians have spelt out what they really want, and had been spelling it out before the SMO (those two proposed treaties with the EU and the USA), when they launched that SMO, and every single day in the three years since then.
I just don’t understand why anyone can claim that what the Russians “want” is some inscrutable mystery.
YR,
Pretty much agree, except that IMO, Russia wanted Ukraine back because it was stupid to have made it independent. I don’t have a problem with that. It makes sense. It is stupid to believe Putin’s excuse making. Also, I think you’re downplaying the war’s impact on Russia. True, it’s nothing like the lying western and Ukrainian IC says it is, but there is some real negative impact. The truth is somewhere in the middle.
The US should just allow Ukraine to be destroyed a lot more and play up how that is what Zelensky asked for. Hopefully, the Ukrainian kill him and a send some new leader back to the US; someone who is smart and wants peace. These people who say that Russia must leave Ukraine are dolts of the highest order. Russia isn’t leaving and no one can make them.
“Pretty much agree, except that IMO, Russia wanted Ukraine back because it was stupid to have made it independent.”
They don’t “want Ukraine back” because they understand perfectly well that the entire western half of Ukraine is infested with nazi ideology and Polish stupidity.
They have no time for either. And if Poland wanted to swoop in after this is all over and absorb Lvov back into the fold I doubt that the Russians would shed a single tear.
Crimea? Yes, it is overwhelmingly Russian-speaking. Donbass? Certainly, again Russian-speaking and that would be a bloodbath if the Azov nutters were to get control of it.
“It is stupid to believe Putin’s excuse making.”
What “excuse making” would that be, Eric?
The Russians spelt all what they wanted in Minsk I (which was ignored) and again in Minsk II (again, ignored) and yet again when it sent the EU and the USA its draft treaties for their consideration (once more, ignored).
There comes a time when it is simply impossible to claim that the Russians haven’t been putting their cards on the table – they have done so, repeatedly – just as it has become impossible to claim that the West has been dismissive of the entire concept of statecraft.
“Also, I think you’re downplaying the war’s impact on Russia.”
The WAR’S impact on Russia is something that should never be confused with the SANCTION’S impact on Russia.
Those are two separate issues.
The WAR has been conducted by the Russians with economy, and employing economies-of-scale as it main strategy.
In that it has been very successful, and so I am quite correct that Russia’s casualties are but a fraction of that reported in the west.
As for the impact of the SANCTIONS, those have had the opposite effect: Russia’s economy has diversified through import-substitution and the economies of the countries that have been imposing those sanctions have been imploding because they are denied access to cheap and reliable energy.
And this has all happened because of a fundamental truth: the dimwits in the West don’t really understand what their being a “post-industrial” economy really means.
It means they are a nation of consumers, and a consumer-boycott (which is what these sanctions are) is an exercise in pointlessness if the producer can tap into other markets.
Russia can, and it is called BRICS.
YR,
Having seen your other comments in this thread gives context to your “BRICS” response to me.
Sure, I agree, with the caveat that BRICS isn’t all that great – not so far at least – and it never will be if it can’t do fair business with the US and Europe. I also insist that you are downplaying the impact of the war on Russia, though I do agree that it is far less than our IC info ops want us to believe.
Which is why I also agree with most all else you have said on this thread. Trump wants the US to do business with BRICS and screw Ukraine and Europe if they are in the way. That is a good solid America first and win/win approach.
Yes, the Euros want to put troops in Ukraine – I have been saying that for over two years. And yes, the idiots thought they could suck the US into a war by guaranteeing the troops’ security – WW1 style – once in Ukraine.
Yes, it was Z that blundered into the idea of mineral rights to keep US money/arms flowing to his lost cause. Of course Trump seized upon that opportunity to either get the minerals or to jam Z and his crazy Euro pals into a trap. Trump wants the US out of that loser mess and he wants the killing to stop; even if that means Russia getting what it wanted. Only the Euros and our homegrown ideologues care about punishing Russia and siding with the loser.
I further agree with you that Trump is a humanitarian and that killing disturbs him. It offends his aesthetic sense. Institutionalized deep state and career government employee types, minds fossilized in the cold war, war profiteers, socialists and soy boy personalities just can’t accept anything Trump does. They have a visceral psychological disposition against him. Tough. He is the reality now. Interesting and good that you understand that paradigm shift. I am pleasantly surprised.
Right from the get go Zalensky was set up and insulted. Trump set the tone right off by commenting on Zalensky’s clothes.
Zelensky was wearing a black sweater with the trident symbol of his country, black cargo pants and boots. Since Russia illegally invaded his country in 2022, he has eschewed suits and ties for clothes which are close in appearance to his country’s military uniforms and he wouldn’t go back to wearing a suit and tie and shaving his beard until Ukrainian victory in the war.
Trump and the gang surely knew beforehand what clothing Zalensky would be wearing.
After Trump’s discomforting commen, from the assembled right wing only media came further insult.
There among the reporters in the Oval Office was Brian Glenn, an anchor on Real America’s Voice [BTW Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Green’s lover] who asked Zelensky, “Do you even own a suit?” “You’re at the highest level in this country’s office and you refuse to wear a suit. Just want to see, do you own a suit? A lot of Americans have problems with you disrespecting this office,” Glenn said. Vice-president JD Vance could be seen laughing at the question.
Here’s the video:
https://x.com/drewharwell/status/1895547272324387078?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1895547272324387078%7Ctwgr%5E0b2318eaeff2b9ec68df324f19030313c245be88%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedailybeast.com%2Ftrump-bullies-zelensky-over-outfit-before-oval-office-shouting-match%2F
Al –
A ketamine addicted African immigrant by the name of Elon Musk doesn’t wear suits in the White House either. The last time Elon wore a suit was when he was hanging around with Epstein’s brothel-keeper Ghislaine Maxwell:
https://bsky.app/profile/nothoodlum.bsky.social/post/3ljbswsegf22x
“Trump and the gang surely knew beforehand what clothing Zalensky would be wearing.”
Sorry, that doesn’t cut it.
Trump’s team told Zelensky’s team that they expected him to turn up in a suit and a tie.
Simple as that: they were tired of Zelensky’s theatrics and insisted that he drop them and arrived dressed appropriately for the occasion.
He didn’t. He turned up in his theatrical costume.
I have zero sympathy for Zelensky over this issue, nor for your excuses for his disrespectful – indeed, insulting – refusal to accept the simple notion that it is the host who determines the dress code, not the guest.
Yeah, Right,
“Trump’s team told Zelensky’s team that they expected him to turn up in a suit and a tie.”
Where did you hear that? They didn’t raise a stink when Fetterman sat in the front row at the inauguration in his hoodie and gym shorts.
Fetterman wasn’t a beggar.
Z was.
Keith Harbaugh,
Zelenskiy isn’t anymore a beggar than Churchill was in 1941 when he showed up at the White House in his wartime coveralls.
Churchill did NOT “show up at the White House in his wartime coveralls”.
He showed up at the White House in a very nice (and undoubtably very expensive) suit.
There are pictures of that press conference in the Oval Office, easily found on the Internet.
Churchill was dressed appropriately for that occasion.
But having arrived in the White House he then proceeded to STAY at the White House for a month while Roosevelt and he held countless meeting and brainstorming sessions with the Joint Chiefs and other US notables.
It was while he was “PM-in-residence” that he wore his work clothes, and the photos of him in that attire were taken in the Rose Garden and other places: I’ve even seen a photo of Roosevelt and Churchill doing a spot of fishing while having some down time.
I don’t know about you, but I leave my double-breast suit in the wardrobe when I go out fishing.
When Churchill was at OFFICIAL gathering in the White House he either wore his suit or his admiral’s uniform.
When he wasn’t, he didn’t.
Here, a quick question: what was Churchill wearing when he addressed Congress in 1941?
And for a bonus point: what was Zelensky wearing when he addressed Congress in 2022?
Because if you answered: they were both dressed the same then, so sorry, bzzzzzzzzzzzt, next contestant please.
TTG, you have all those AI tools at your disposal, same as I do.
But Axios reported it first.
https://www.axios.com/2025/02/28/trump-zelensky-oval-office-meeting-details
“Trump’s advisers told Zelensky’s team on multiple occasions that it would be more respectful for Zelensky to ditch his military-style attire when visiting the White House.”
YR,
Yep. Also, Britain was “lend lease”. Ukraine is all take – unless the US obtains some valuable minerals/fossil fuels as payment.
Churchill didn’t wear a suit during his 1941 visit the White House.
Ketamine Boy didn’t wear one when he was in Trump’s oval office.
Leith,
Zelensky had bone spurs so was relegated to playing the piano with his tallywhacker. Now he dresses in some kind of military garb?
The penis pianist is not Churchill.
Eric Newhill,
Zelenskiy aged out of the conscription pool when it was raised to the 20 to 27 age group in 2015.
BTW, his penis pianist bit was hilarious.
OK, this is always worth repeating, because it never, ever gets old: it is the HOST who determines the dress code.
“Churchill didn’t wear a suit”…. and I do not doubt for a second that wee Winnie informed the White House beforehand and asked if that was OK.
Just as I do not doubt that the host said “yeah, OK, we understand”.
“Ketamine Boy didn’t wear one” ….. and, again, I have no doubt that Trump’s team includes a number of people who handle “protocol”, and they would have been informed beforehand and given their OK.
Because (did I mention this? I think I did) it is the HOST who decides what is and is not acceptable dress for the occasion.
It does not matter in the slightest if Churchill or Musk or Zelensky strode into the Oval Office wearing their underpants on their head SO LONG AS the host had been consulted beforehand and had given their OK.
But in Zelensky’s case he was told beforehand to wear a suit, and by ignoring that directive he committed an unforgiveable breach of protocol.
It really is as simple as that.
“But, but, Churchiiiiiillllllllll!!!!!”
Prove to me that the PM of the UK was told to wear a suit and ignored that directive, and then you might have an argument.
“But, but, Muuuuuuusssssskkkkk!!!!”
Prove to me that Trump told Musk to wear a suit and Elon ignored him, and then you might have an argument.
Because without evidence for either proposition then you got nothin’.
Trump sent the message to all the borg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgXSomPE_FY
Even Lindsey Graham is out.
Fred, Graham finally came “out”????
al,
Zelensky will need a straight man for when he gets back to doing comedy, which won’t be long now. Good for him to announce he was willing to leave office if needed just two days ago.
Zelensky has been making some woeful unforced errors lately.
He was the person who floated the idea that he is willing to sign away Ukraine’s mineral wealth to the USA, not Trump.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
Zelensky intended such a deal to mean Minerals-for-Weapons, but Trump simply turned it around and said, no, sorry, it’s Minerals-As-Payment-For-Past-Expenses.
Sign here, Z-Man.
As unforced an error as that was, it’s nothing compared to Zelensky floating the idea that he’ll leave office if that means Ukraine can get into NATO.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
Trump is only going to hear the first part, and ignore the second.
You want out? Fine, off you go. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
These are childish errors of judgment. Of the often-fatal kind.
However is giving him advice should be telling him right now not to go back to Kiev.
Paris, maybe. Or Zurich, possibily. But don’t even think about stopping off in Kiev first to grab those suitcases under the bed.
Nope. Stick with the cash you’ve already stashed away in your overseas villas.
Yeah, Right,
Zelensky has signed off a lot of crap to keep a weapons flow going just like Franco did. This ‘deal’ was all bull$*** from the get-go and Trump called everyone out on it. The only choices are fight- without the US- or make peace and lose what has already been lost. The rest is who keeps what ‘frozen/siezed’ assets Russia had abroard.
Starmer and Macron both supplicated Trump to bind the US to a land war in Eastern Europe in order to have an end to this. The got nothing because he isn’t about to do that. Zelensky was either dumb or incompetently advised to try and emotionally manipulate Trump to get the same commitment. The US guarantees Ukraine’s new borders with American lives and treasure. Trump threw it back in his face.
“But but but his feelings”
FFS how many more people have to die over this asinine war and the sacred borders of some place 5,000 miles from North America?
Fred, the only revelation I’ve had over the last couple of months is that Trump does seem to be genuine when he says he wants to end this war because he is sick of all the deaths.
I know I am almost alone in those sentiments, but I have come to the conclusion that Trump is telling the truth: he doesn’t like seeing all these people being killed, and so he wants the killing to stop.
I understand who people have a hard time believing that since the last time the USA had a POTUS who was also a humanist was… well, I got no idea.
Probably never.
Woodrow Wilson? Dunno. Maybe.
But what I do know is that Trump is about as atypical a President as the US electoral system is capable of coughing up.
He’s definitely not a cookie-cutter POTUS.
But is he a humanist?
I actually think that the answer is this: Yes. Yes, he is.
Yeah, Right,
Humanist! Trump has no real empathy for Ukrainians, Russians, Palestinians or anyone else. He cares for others only to the extent that he can get something out of them. He’s as close to a true sociopath as I’ve ever seen in the White House.
Yeah, Right,
“But is he a humanist?
I actually think that the answer is this: Yes. Yes, he is.”
I have a good laugh at that. I know you are a contrarian on this blog and I agree with your viewpoints a majority of times. But trying to put the “humanist” lipstick on a sociopath is too much. You need to learn more about Trump the person. Trump does not have empathy for anybody or anything.
Oh, I understand that my view on this is not popular.
But I look back on Trump’s first term and I see a President who was demonstrably uneasy about killing people.
The odd missile strike here, the occasional air strike there, but noticeably less than any of his recent predecessors.
And telling indeed that when he DID order an airstrike on a Syrian air base the MSM lauded him for acting “Presidential”.
I look at what he has done, and I see a man who very obviously does not like killing people.
Why is it such a stretch to conclude that he also doesn’t like it when he sees other world leaders killing people?
There is a ceasefire in Lebanon.
There is a ceasefire in Gaza.
He is trying to get a ceasefire in Ukraine.
He didn’t need to do any of that – he could have just blamed Biden and walked away – and he didn’t. He has either stopped the killing or he is trying to stop the killing.
He’s a humanist. He’s doing this because he doesn’t like seeing people killed.
Deal with it.
Yeah, Right,
Like the CCP, Trump knows war is bad for business, at least his kind of business. That’s as far as his humanity goes.
Yeah, Right,
“There is a ceasefire in Lebanon.
There is a ceasefire in Gaza.
He is trying to get a ceasefire in Ukraine.”
Your assessment is wrong. Try to think like an extreme narcissist: what’s in it for Trump, his ego and his wealth?
For example, Trump could not care less if the Israelis continues killing Palestinians in Gaza. He just wanted to show who’s the boss, and he is dreaming of his future resorts in Gaza.
TonyL: “Try to think like an extreme narcissist: what’s in it for Trump, his ego and his wealth?”
Tony, I don’t have any problem accepting the proposition that Trump is a narcissist, or the idea that he craves attention and abhors anyone contradicting him.
But none of that precludes him from being a humanist, or from caring about the death and devastation that war brings to people.
THAT sort of indifference is the mark of a sociopath, not a narcissist.
There were a vast number of sociopaths in the Biden administration, from Genocide Joe himself through Blinky Blinken and Jacob Sullivan. Not to mention Cookies Nuland.
Sociopaths all, warmongers par excellence, and not a one of them a narcissist.
Those are two different things.
TonyL: “For example, Trump could not care less if the Israelis continues killing Palestinians in Gaza.”
And yet narcissist Trump forced Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire deal that the Israelis clearly didn’t want to accept, unlike the sociopaths of the Biden team.
Mark down one for Team Narcissist.
TonyL: “He just wanted to show who’s the boss, and he is dreaming of his future resorts in Gaza.”
Trump is no more dreaming of his Gaza Plaza than he was drooling over Ukrainian Rare Earth Minerals that don’t exist.
In both cases he was running an angle, because that’s what real estate wheeler-dealers do.
I’m sorry, but you are the deluded one. There is the public persona that the MSM has sold us all regarding Orange Man Bad, and then there is the nuances that come from being a very powerful man who also happens to be a very complex human being.
Trump is the latter. He is not the former.
Meanwhile, Trump is expanding the Russian embassy here in America (while firing the FBI spycatchers). And he has Hegspeth shut down Cyber Command ops against Russian cybercrime, ransomware and SVR/GRU/FSB hacks.
https://www.spytalk.co/p/fear-trumps-invite-to-expand-russian?publication_id=81003&post_id=158137483&isFreemail=true&r=2q3cg0&triedRedirect=true
https://therecord.media/hegseth-orders-cyber-command-stand-down-russia-planning
Trumpy is bending over backwards to help his buddy Putin.
Sir “Meanwhile, Trump is expanding the Russian embassy here in America (while firing the FBI spycatchers). ” you mean Comey /MCcabe/Steele and assorted other super duper FBI agents?
Rao, it’s becoming more clear that those “super spie chaser” FBI agents were on the right track regarding Trump!
Muralidhar –
Steele was British, not ours. McCabe and Comey were never spycatchers. Plus Comey was a dupe for Trump, he’s hated more by Democrats than by MAGA.
A question for you regarding India. They reportedly have a lot of those REEs that Trump is looking for. One source claims that India has 6.9 million metric tons of rare earths reserves. That’s a hell of a lot more than Ukraine, even more than Australia and Russia. And I understand India’s Ministry of Mines plans to use half of its “planned domestic exploration projects to critical minerals such as graphite, molybdenum, nickel, cobalt, lithium and potash”. So why isn’t Trump kissing Modi’s feet instead of Putin’s?
leith,
Comey was always working for Trump is a new one.
REEs? Didn’t you observe that Trump is gutting all the climate change e.v. directive crap? The REE demand is going to not exist to help Ukraine fix its books or cut a deal with anyone.
Trump has not just put one knee down to Trump, but now both.
We have never had such a risk like Trump to our nation’s security.
We know of Trump’s loose lips and his disregard for securing classified docs.
But now the bowing to Putin passes from Ukraine to inside our own borders.
al,
Putin’s Puppet! How did that work for Hilary? What did FBI legend Mueller and Andy 9-0 Weissmann find that last time around?
Zelensky the poor victim. At the least the bullshit deal is as dead as the boomer media’s reputation.
From the videos I watch of the Oval Office blowup, Sec State Rubio sat there expressionless, while VP Vance was laughing with a fun time.
A closer look at the minerals deal that now seems as if it might be abandoned after that explosive scene in the Oval Office:-
“The Real Trump-Zelensky Minerals Deal”
https://jackrasmus.com/tag/minerals-deal/
Confirms that Biden was taken for a ride by the Europeans. “The Europeans clearly out negotiated Biden by providing Ukraine with $150 billion in loans not grants, to be repaid somehow at a later date.” Also arrives at a figure of 350 billion for the American contribution, not taking into account further American costs from 2014 on. Or before that. I recollect Mrs Nuland at the start naming a figure of 5 billion spent on the Ukrainian venture and that partly from before 2014.
I also remember seeing references to disbursements from USAID in the years after the Maidan but don’t know how much or whether that’s been added to the sum total.
There’s also a good deal of American investment in Ukraine. “Any who doubt how deeply entrenched US business interests are today in Ukraine should just refer to the local business chambers of commerce throughout the major cities of Ukraine. They will find hundreds of subsidiaries of US corporations, let alone Ukraine businesses now indirectly owned by western banks and investors. The penetration of US capital into Ukraine has been going on for more than a decade, since 2014 when US neocon, Victoria Nuland, was made ‘economic czar’ for Ukraine by its parliament that year. A flood of US capital and companies followed. Trump’s $500 billion fund is destined to address their interests as well as assist & subsidize new US capital in the rebuilding of Ukraine.”
So perhaps Trump was also hoping to safeguard those American business interests. For all that, did we ever believe that Trump would take over Biden’s war? I heard a BBC interview with John Bolton a couple of days back in which Bolton wanted just that. Bolton was blackguarding his former boss just about every way possible and I thought at the time, if that’s how he hopes to get Trump’s mind changed he’s going the wrong way about it.
Same with the Europeans. After what they’ve been saying about Trump recently in Europe it was foolish to troop over to Washington and try to sweet talk Trump into changing course.
Now that the attempts by Macron, Starmer and Zelensky to get the Americans back into the war seem to have failed one hopes that the slaughter on the front line is closer to ending. I’m dead sure that’s what the majority of Ukrainians want, and what many apart from the zealots have always wanted.
If so, and if only Trump would stop the ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank – which he could very easily do though it would harm him in the midterms – I’d forget my remarks about the Washington freak show and be very glad to do so. Babak, who used to comment here and now comments on Andrei Martyanov’s site, reckons that in effect the Americans regard Palestinians and even Muslims generally as not worthy of civilised treatment. I wish Trump could somehow prove Babak wrong.
EO,
You left out the relevant parts:
“The Europeans clearly out negotiated Biden by providing Ukraine with $150 billion in loans not grants, to be repaid somehow at a later date. They are also sitting on $260 billion in Russian frozen assets in EU banks. And they just announced another $20 billion ‘bridge loan’ to Ukraine to enable it to continue the war into the summer. They’ve been suggesting, and it is obvious they plan, to use the $260 billion frozen assets to cover the cost of rebuilding Ukraine.
And this is the key point: the rebuilding will involve projects carried out by European companies and funded by European banks and investors, to be paid from the $260 billion. Thus the EU private sector will will ultimately benefit the most from the rebuilding.”
That is what that war was always about. Recapitalizing the EU with other peoples’ resources. That’s what the Colonial Powers in Europe: UK, France, Germany, and the rest have done for centuries.
Trump blew up all that bull-$$$T with his hot air Zeppelin of a ‘deal’. Starmer came and supplicated for American aid and $, followed by Macron, and now the greatest defender of DemOcracy since Churchill. Vladimir. Not that one, the other one – guy with zero suits and a mediocre acting coach. The European elites have managed to butcher numerous people, Ukrainian and Russian, upwards of a million, for what? That same resource extractionist bullshit you’ve been pulling for centuries. Trump called your bluff.
Europe is both broke and morally corrupt. Yes they ran rings around Biden. Or more precisely Barack’s people running the Biden admin. All ‘the big guy’ got was a mediocre payoff channeled through his corrupt, drug using son.
Have a nice weekend everyone.
This needs to be stressed: the idea that Ukraine should put its mineral resources in hock to the USA orginated FROM Zelensky, not from Trump.
It was a core component of Zelensky’s “Victory Plan” that Joe Biden forced him to come up with. Indeed, it was the only carrot that Zelensky could think of when formulating that “plan”.
All Trump has done is call out Zelensky on it i.e. well, if that’s what you are offering then here’s the document for you to sign on the dotted-line.
Trump is not serious about it. He wants to expose Zelensky as an irrational charlatan – mission accomplished, that one – and he wanted that document so that he can pretend it gives him leverage in the negotiations with the Russians.
From Trump’s PoV he wins either way: either Zelensky reneges on the offer – in which case Trump can throw his hands in the air and walk away from Ukraine – or Zelensky signs and Trump can pretend he has just secured some collateral in a way that never even occurred to Joe Biden.
Zelensky has just shat all over the deal, so Trump can now wash his hands of Ukraine and walk away and nobody will be able to blame him for doing so.
Yeah, Right,
I’m amazed how closely we are aligned on this. The mineral deal was Zelenskiy’s idea. If Zelenskiy was sufficiently humble and subservient in that meeting, the deal would have been signed and Trump would crow about being the great deal maker, although I think the deal was fatally ambiguous to begin with. Now Trump can say Zelenskiy is not serious about peace, although that take completely ignores Russia’s stance as laid out in Rihyad… that Moscow has no interest in a ceasefire without Kyiv’s capitulation.
The mineral deal didn’t give the security guarantees from the US that Kyiv wanted. Zelenskiy’s pushing of that point in public did scuttle the deal. Trump imagined himself as the neutral peacemaker who would somehow make peace happen between Moscow and Kyiv. Kyiv is not going to acquiesce to becoming a vassal state to Moscow again. Moscow won’t allow Ukraine to remain an independent nation now firmly hostile to Russia. The only way Trump can become a peacemaker is to withdraw all aid from Ukraine in an effort to force a Russian military victory. I don’t think that will stop the war. Ukraine will fight on despite the loss of US support. Europe will further step up their support of Ukraine in the face of the US withdrawal. And, most importantly, Russia is militarily weakened by three years of war. I doubt they can force a capitulation on the Ukrainians.
Zelensky had no choice but to keep pushing for security guarantees because otherwise – let’s be honest here – what is the point of the “mineral deal”?
You need to look at the events of the entire week to understand what is going on: Zelensky and his European backers knew that Trump was not going to include security guarantees TO UKRAINE in this deal.
So they all hatched a plan: Little Macron would go to Washington and sweet-talk those country-bumpkins into agreeing to provide security guarantees to FRENCH troops deployed to (say) Odessa. Then a day later Sir Keir Stormer would arrive a say “well, you gave Macron security guarantees, so I want to thrash out what those are”.
And once those two tag-team champions had suckered in Trump then Zelensky was going to waltz in an sign the minerals deal.
No security guarantees in there FOR UKRAINE, but it wouldn’t matter because Little Napoleon and Sir Keir have got the same thing FOR THEMSELVES, and they’ll send in their Foreign Legion and their SAS forces.
And….. it all came unstuck. Trump and his team had no difficulty seeing through this pantomime and just effortlessly blew smoke up the ass of those clowns.
It’s almost funny how Marcon and Starmer are so full of themselves that they can’t see that compared to the Americans they are the bumpkins.
Zelensky probably has more self-awareness than either of them: he knew the entire plan was dead in the water and, therefore, he was giving away the entire Ukrainian economy for …. nothing.
Nothing at all.
No wonder he had a meltdown.
Zelensky would have been much better off it he had diverted the jet to Zurich en-route to Washington. At least then there is a chance – remote though it looks – for him to live to a ripe old age.
Not now. Now he’s just Ngo Dinh Diem without the suit.
Yeah, Right,
Zelenskiy was foolish to think he could change the deal hours/minutes before the televised WH meeting. If the underlings couldn’t iron that out earlier, Zelenskiy should have stayed in Kyiv. It was established in the earlier meeting that there would be no promise of security and Zelenskiy said he wouldn’t sign the deal. That was known before they sat down in the Oval Office. It was amazing the meeting stayed calm for as long as it did.
Not “foolish” but “desperate”, if not also more than a little “as high as a kite”.
I’ll say this again: Zelensky’s trip to the White House was meant to be the culmination of a week-long European rope-a-dope operation with Trump and Vance as the dopes.
That was the plan, and it came hopelessly unstuck because those “dopes” had no trouble seeing that Macron and Starmer were attempting to sell them snake-oil.
And I agree: it would have been much, much, much better for Zelensky to have stayed in Kiev rather than turn up in the Oval Office.
But that wasn’t an option for him, precisely because HIS visit to Washington was always planned to be hot on the heels of the one-two tag-team efforts of Macron and Starmer.
Everything hinged on those two pulling off their Very Cunning Plan, and the tight scheduling meant that when they failed to deliver Zelensky had no time to cancel.
He had no choice but to turn up, but he arrived in such a state of panic and anger that he went completely unhinged, with the results that we can all see.
yeah right,
There were 16,000 us troops in Vietnam in ’63. Trump isn’t going to get roped into a foreign war like Kennedy.
Well, yes, YOU can see that, Fred.
But the problem that Macron and Starmer faced is that they are so f**king arrogant and so chock-full of hubris that it was inconceivable to them that anyone else could see through their cunning plan.
But in reality their plan was so juvenile that everyone could see through it.
You. Me. Trump. Vance.
Everyone.
It must come as a profound shock to the likes of Macron and Starmer that they aren’t really all that bright.
Cunning, maybe. Venal, certainly. Unscrupulous, without question.
But actually “smart”?
No, that not so much.
Yeah, Right,
The fools leading the EU part of NATO (Plus Trudeau) have the same hubris as the aristocracy of Europe that led their continent to 4 years of butchery in WW1. Apparently these fools think some Euro-military deal that puts their own troops on the battle front – with an inevitable (definitely not false flag) attack – will allow them to wave a piece of paper titled “Article 5” that will, like in a Harry Potter movie, magically make the US show up and fight the war with Russia they have been provoking for years.
Fred, NATO member states can not invoke Chapter 5 if/when their expeditionary forces come under attack.
The NATO Charter explicitly rules that out in Chapter 6.
The armed attack must occur on the territory of a member state, which Ukraine very definitely is not.
TTG: “And, most importantly, Russia is militarily weakened by three years of war.”
Which might be an important point if it were true but, alas, it isn’t.
TTG: “I doubt they can force a capitulation on the Ukrainians.”
THAT is now a certainty, and in months rather than years.
Yeah, Right,
You’re greatly overestimating the remaining strength of the Russian Armed Forces. They’re using mules to try to resupply their front lines.
If you say so.
I looked at Sir Keir Starmer’s face when Trump invited him to tell the assembled press that the UK was capable of taking on Russia on its own.
There was panic behind those eyes, no mistaking it.
The Russian military is stronger now than it was when it launched this SMO. Much, much stronger.
If you really believe otherwise then you should sit down with Ben Hodges and share a congratulatory drink with each other.
But don’t invite Sir Keir to that party, because he knows the real score.
Mules would be an upgrade. https://t.me/AzovUkraineSupport88/1899
Kilo 4/11 –
Mules plus donkeys and camels are now Putin’s primary means of resupplying the poor bastards he sent to Ukraine.
https://www.newsweek.com/russia-deploys-donkeys-camels-ukraine-amid-resupply-struggles-2037097
And Putin’s troops mechanized attacks are using scooters.
https://interestingengineering.com/military/russian-troops-use-electric-scooters
Must be a trick, Putin playing 10-dimensional checkers again?
Kilo 4/11 –
Medevac by baby stroller seems to be a thing now for Russian WIA.
https://www.reddit.com/r/UkraineRussiaReport/comments/1fqe1xq/ru_pov_injured_russian_soldier_being_transported/?rdt=48301
A “vassal state”?
I think all Russia was asking was that Ukraine should be a neutral state, in particular not join NATO.
That is a long way from being a “vassal state”
Keith Harbaugh,
That was the Kremlin’s idea of a neutral Ukraine. Putin made plenty of speeches declaring Ukraine is not a legitimate stare and the Ukrainians are not a legitimate people.
TTG – I’m sure you’re going to be deluged with references and links but this take seems to get to the heart of it. Dr North is a veteran of difficult negotiations and is a defence expert. So also knows the military reality behind all the talk.
https://www.turbulenttimes.co.uk/news/front-page/ukraine-broken-bridges/
Zelensky put Trump on the spot, didn’t he? He wanted to get the US back to supporting him against the Russians. Trump wanted to be the peacemaker between Zelensky and Putin. The gap between the two sets of objectives was apparent from the start.
Also apparent was the gap between the reality of what is actually happening in Ukraine, and has been happening, and the picture of the conflict presented to us until very recently by the American and European politicians and press. Still being presented to us by the European politicians and press, and by the war party in the States. Do we see the Ukrainians as hapless puppets, callously used for the purpose of “overextending and unbalancing” Russia? Or do we see them as victims of Putin’s desire to recover the lost Soviet empire?
Most of the European electorates believe the latter. Looks like they’ll continue to believe that as the European politicians take us into Cold War II. And as those European politicians continue to push our proxies into the killing fields. I believe, incidentally, that Trump genuinely wants to see the killing stop and is puzzled by the Europeans insisting on its continuance. Not as if there was ever a win for the West in this particular theatre.
EO,
One thing I got out of Trump’s comments during the WH meeting was his desire to be the big peacemaker neutral to both Ukraine and Russia. I doubt he cares any more about the dying Ukrainians and Russians than he does about the dying Palestinians in Gaza or even the Israelis murdered by Hamas. He cares about his reputation and maybe his greatest chance at getting the Nobel peace prize.
TTG – “We Europeans control the Nobel peace prize.” Sikorski.
https://x.com/JackPosobiec/status/1891501758486085841?
But the Nobel Peace Prize has been a political football for years so unimportant, I’d guess, for the Americans.
On Gaza, just before submitting this comment I learned that supplies into Gaza are being blocked. We’ve just watched the Gazans being bombed to hell under the pretext of military action and we’re now watching large scale ethnic cleansing elsewhere.
Almost the entire American political establishment is locked in when it comes to supporting and enabling the atrocities. So too the European political establishment.
Both in Germany and England prominent independent journalists who raise their voices against the atrocities are harassed to a degree that’s starting to be reminiscent of ’30’s Germany. One had her house raided and vandalised in the raid to the extent that her mother’s ashes were strewn around the property. “An Englishman’s house is his castle” was the England we thought we lived in. No more. The journalist herself was denied medical treatment in detention.
This is today’s West. If Trump is not, as you remark, concerned about the human cost he should still be concerned at the loss of diplomatic credibility and prestige as the countries outside the West see us failing to practice what we preach. We are so accustomed to accusing other countries of being international pariahs. Few in the West grasp that after Gaza we have become just that ourselves.
EO,
It’s true the Nobel Peace Prize has definitely lost its luster over the years. I still don’t know why Obama was given one so early in his presidency. It’s still something that Trump wants badly.
The public acquiescence to the killing and starving of Palestinians in Gaza is just the latest manifestation of public sociopathy. It’s far different than hatred and fear that’s been a constant feature of the human condition. That’s something that we are seldom proud of, especially in retrospect. This widespread indifference and even glee in the suffering in others has become a proud symbol of anti-wokeness and Trumpism. But you’re right. This attitude has infected large swaths of the West.
It’s the shift in the Overton window that has cause what we see in Palestine. Decades of slowly changing the western public’s view in the direction of Zionist Lebensraum policies. That has nothing to do with sociopathy. It’s just evil taking hold in a generation. Satan is always working his angle.
There is nothing new about such shifts in acceptable political culture. Slavery was once perfectly acceptable in Western countries (and is still OK in Africa (https://www.walkfree.org/global-slavery-index/findings/regional-findings/africa/)) and once in the USA “the only good Indian is a dead Indian”.
The rest of the world have their own pet project of evil.
EO,
Didn’t Sikorski join Bullington, the oh so proletarian club at Oxford (where he met Boris) that is nothing like the nefarious Skull & Bones of Yale? He then proceeded to do what, get citizenship, only years later to return to Poland and climb the political ladder? Not a British intel plant at all though, that’s a conspiracy theory.
Nobel Prize? I don’t think Trump is interested in participation trophies at this point in his life.
Fred,
He lives for adoration, even at this late stage of his life.
Well, Zelensky is probably too high right now to know how monumentally he has stuffed up.
But Starmer? Little Macron? They both burnt up enormous political capital in Washington over the past week, and for what?
To grease the wheels for Zelensky’s visit, only to see those wheels fall off.
They are so screwed.
Yeah, Right,
Are they screwed or have they been handed the opportunity to finally come into their own out the shadow of the US? America first may also mean America alone.
TTG,
America alone? Oh no! Who is going to stop the flood of illegals and fentynol across our border? Which ally is doing that now? Will China be sending tens of thousands of their people to our cities and, well, actually, they are doing that in most of the colleges here right now. And buying up lots of real estate, and anchor babying too. But Luxembourg will surely help out, and noble Moldova, too.
What’s the sea-lift of any of our adversaries btw? What actual force could they put down on either coast? After sinking the navy, destroying the AF, and disabling the strategic nuclear armed assets too.
What a silly question. Of course they are both screwed, because they are now huffing and puffing without having the means to do anything to back up their schemes.
I mean, did you actually see the exchange in the White House between Sir Keir and the Donald?
The bit where Trump turned to the British twat and asked him a simple and straightforward question: can the UK stand against Russia on its own?
The nervous giggle and the frozen rictus of a smile on Starmer’s face said it all.
Look, the UK and France can not provide any meaningful support to Zelensky other than a place of refuge when he flees Ukraine.
That’s it. That is the only value those two clowns can give him.
What else can Starmer do? Brush off his last three Challenger tanks and send those? And little Macron? Does he pull some 1950-era Mystere jets out of their cling-wrap and send those?
Not even the EU combined can materially affect things even if it were united, which it most definitely is not.
“America first may also mean America alone.”
No, not alone. The world is going to face a situation within a year – maybe two – where it is divided into two spheres:
1) A USA that is on friendly terms with BRICS and determined to trade with them
2) All the rest of the detritus.
Europe seems hell-bent in walking through Door Number Two.
Well, OK, let ’em. It’s their funeral.
YR,
Exactly. The US doesn’t need Europe. We can do quite well in our won hemisphere + doing business with BRICS. Europe/UK is a lost cause. They destroyed themselves on the alter of woke, muslim invasion and degenerate elites wanting to restore the life of nobility that they all lost a hundred years or so ago. They don’t even have anything like free speech any more. Going down the tubes fast. The US and BRICS will eventually divide Europe among themselves at fire sale prices. Ukraine is an inconsequential pawn in that larger game. As you note, neither the Euros, nor Ukraine, have any bargaining power. They did it to themselves. Zelensky had one last chance and he just blew it big time. Hitched his wagon to the wrong horse, which is why you don’t have a low grade comedian running your country.
The same people in the US who can’t cope with the new paradigm of world powers are the same ones who cling to the sinking democrat party; either because they are mentally fossilized dinosaurs who can’t recognize that the party isn’t about what it used to be, or because they like what it has become. Both camps are rejected by the majority of Americans. They hate Trump because he exposes the decay that is their world view.
A lot of people, including me, wonder why Zelenskyy was set up and that it was a set up soon became obvious. That includes having a rep from TASS in the room without being accredited and having to leave when discovered. I am starting to wonder if it has to do with Trump realizing that he would not be able to broker a peace, since it would be more complicated and require more work than he is capable of. So he is trying to blame Zelenskyy. I doubt it will work, unless you are one of the Cult 47 deluded. As I have said before, a lot of Americans get paychecks from material support to Ukraine. Of course, Trump now have a new gig: Playing a Russian agent on TV.
Trump seems to think that the world can be split up between the US, Russia and China. That may have worked in the 1800’s, but in our interconnected and interdependent world, it will not work. The more likely consequence will be an increasingly isolated and ignored US. What it will also do is focus European minds and make it imperative that they become even more united and integrated. It may also end up with European troops in Ukraine, including nuclear weapons, since the US is now seen as unreliable. There is an old saying about if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The great colonial era ended in 1939 and now the long peaceful and prosperous era since 1945 has come to an end. If you think that Trump is capable of putting it all back together, you are seriously delusional. The only real question is how long it will be before Americans realize that they no longer can afford Trump? It may come sooner than you think.
“Trump seems to think that the world can be split up between the US, Russia and China”
No, I do not agree.
I think Trump sees a world split into two camps: the first consisting of the USA and BRICS trading with each other to the betterment of all participants, and the rest of the world sitting around eating the scraps.
Lars,
2016 just called and they want their Trump-Russia conspiracy theories back.
James,
Yep. These democrats/lefties really are all dinosaurs stuck in the tar pit, with a giant meteor screaming towards them. They have no answers, except more of the same , which wasn’t working and was rejected; much of as the lies and faulty thinking that it was.
Lars,
“The great colonial era ended in 1939 and now the long peaceful and prosperous era since 1945…”
Another remarkably ignorant statement. Korea, Vietnam (French and ours). Mau Mau, Partition of India – along with a couple wars, Cuban revolution, formation of Israel, ’67 war, ’73 war, etc.; not to mention all that stuff in Africa. And those little things like Gulf War 1, Iraq War, Afghanistan – topped off by Biden the Great’s Kabul adventure, and Kosovo, Georgia (Republic of) and a few others.
The rest of your analysis is influenced greatly by this level of understanding.
For a very long time, especially in Europe, there was many long and deadly wars and none worse than WWII. The incidents you mention even combined does not come close to what happened in the past. Even in WWI, an entire generation was lost. As far as prosperity, the time frame that I mentioned has had an incredible increase in living standards on both sides of the Atlantic that was never present before. The worst war for casualties was the 30 year war proportionally.
I guess the one thing we do know about the mineral deal is it’s dead. Probably BS anyway. I would’ve preferred to see Zelenskyy just sign the thing and go home. Getting in an argument in a public setting was a tactical mistake on his part. Of all people, Trump is perhaps the most obviously wrong person to do that with.
The question now is whether Trump will cut off all military aid to Ukraine in a snit over being publicly contradicted by Zelenskyy. Perhaps withholding all aid until Zelenskyy resigns from office. If Trump does that I think it likely Zelenskyy will step down.
Things seem to have been going smoothly until Zelensky disagreed with Vance about the uses of diplomacy against Putin, calling him “JD” into the bargain, Vance, who doesn’t like Zelensky, escalated and Trump backed him up.
Zelensky was almost out the door with everyone all smiles at the press conference. As others have already said, he wants Trump “on his side” and that is not how Trump sees the situation or will ever see it. All he had to do was grit his teeth (and maybe put on a cheap suit and tie). The man has been through a lot and I can only imagine the stress of constantly approaching others with a hat in one hand and the other ready to tug a forelock but he has just got to adjust to the new dispensation or his country is in big(ger) trouble.
I thought initially the deal might get done once tempers died down, but it seems Zelensky has for the moment lost even Lindsey Graham and that ain’t good.
Stephanie, you have to view Zelensky’s public meltdown in the context of that entire week.
Because it wasn’t JUST Zelensky who visited Trump in the Oval Office that week.
His was merely the third act of a cheap pot-boiling that involved Act One (“The Little Napoleon) wherein Macron minces his way into the White House, followed by Act Two (“The World’s Most Boring Man”) where Starmer strode the world stage like the icon that he is.
Understand what those two were attempting to achieve and you’ll understand why Zelensky was, ahem, more than a little emotional when he arrived in Washington.
Zelensky and his administration have been betrayed. There’s no doubt about that. Even to the unobservant the betrayal became apparent at Vilnius and has become more apparent since.
The fact that he’s a rogue running a police state is neither here nor there. A promise is a promise and he is quite entitled to resent the fact that we’ve broken it.
The fact that America now has a different President is also irrelevant. “As long as it takes” was a US promise without which the Ukrainians would not have got themselves into this position. That US promise has now been broken and was getting broken long before Trump himself was elected. The Ukrainians now have a valid Dolchstoßlegende and are entitled to feel they have been well and truly betrayed.
They do so feel. From bits and pieces in the Ukrainian media it’s been apparent many have been feeling that for well over a year. For them, it’s been like treading on a step and finding it’s no longer there. That bad.
Worse, it’s a horrible thing we’ve done to Zelensky, forcing him to plead for help now when he had been secure in our profuse offers of help earlier. They say he’s behaving like a spoilt child. I don’t think so. He’s behaving like a man who’s been badly let down. So he has and his country with him.
The question is, when did the betrayal occur? In the Oval Office just now? When we in the West pressed upon the Ukrainians help we were in truth incapable of giving them? Or when it became apparent to all that US military and economic strength was inadequate for the task?
But was it ever adequate? European security has never ultimately rested on American conventional military power. Even in the best of the Cold War days that was never thought to be sufficient to defeat the Russians. It rested on the American nuclear deterrent. If NATO membership meant anything, and never mind the loose wording of Article 5, it meant that the US would threaten to use that deterrent if the Russians looked like winning. That was the understood promise behind “Ich bin (ein) Berliner.” It has remained the understood promise since.
That was the European security guarantee. Biden made clear from the start it was never going to be a guarantee that would be extended to Ukraine. We’ve just seen a last ditch attempt from Zelensky and the Europeans to get the US to extend that guarantee to Ukraine. Trump can no more do that than Biden could.
Given the disparity between the forces the Americans and the Russians have at their disposal in this theatre this war was never winnable by conventional means. It rapidly became clear in 2022 that the main hope of defeating Russian, the economic war that so much was expected of, had failed. Given that the Americans are not and were never prepared to give the Ukrainians the protection of their nuclear deterrent I suppose the great betrayal occurred when we encouraged the Ukrainians to keep fighting knowing they could never win.
It’s a betrayal that has cost the Ukrainians well over a million casualties and the loss of their sovereignty. We’ve just seen Trump in the Oval Office declining to lead them further down that ruinous path. That’s all.
Rep Turner, Chair House Intell Comm, was caught flatfooted on Face the Nation re DOD’s axing the Cyber Security program. He admitted not being informed as he stumbled in reply
Watch at 6.10 mark on video:
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/rep-mike-turner-says-oval-office-meeting-should-have-been-a-win-for-ukraines-zelenskyy/
Off topic: Did any of you all get to witness the seven-planet parade Friday. It was too soggy & foggy here in the Pacific NW so I missed it.
leith,
Yes, I did get to see it. Didn’t see all seven. My house sits down in a hollow with a lot of mature trees, but the western view is pretty clear. Saw five at least. I usually see the dippers and especially Orion’s Belt whenever the sky is clear. They’re so obvious, they’re had to miss.
I used to winter down in the high desert where the night sky was amazing. I’m heading down there again later this month to see the great-grandbabies. Too late alas, to see the parade.
From the Guardian:
Trump administration retreats in fight against Russian cyber threats
Recent incidents indicate US is no longer characterizing Russia as a cybersecurity threat, marking a radical departure: ‘Putin is on the inside now’
“…The shift in policy could make the US vulnerable to hacking attacks by Russia, experts warned, and appeared to reflect the warming of relations between Donald Trump and Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin.
The Trump administration has publicly and privately signaled that it does not believe Russia represents a cyber threat against US national security or critical infrastructure, marking a radical departure from longstanding intelligence assessments.
A recent memo at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (Cisa) set out new priorities for the agency, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security and monitors cyber threats against US critical infrastructure. The new directive set out priorities that included China and protecting local systems. It did not mention Russia.
A person familiar with the matter who spoke to the Guardian on the condition of anonymity said analysts at the agency were verbally informed that they were not to follow or report on Russian threats, even though this had previously been a main focus for the agency.
The person said work that was being done on something “Russia-related” was in effect “nixed”….”
Don’t worry Al. It’s probably only Musk looking to get more bang for the buck from the US info-op empire.
On that, Helmer’s dug up some report that shows the US has already been worrying about how to measure value for money from info-scams:-
“General Richard Clarke, May 2022: “SOCOM may have to go up against an adversary more adept at info-ops. ‘There’s a reluctance sometimes to operate in that space…. As we go forward, we need to look at: what are the authorities we’re going to use? And what capabilities are we going to need as a nation to use in the information environment?’ he said. ‘I still don’t think we have all the tools that we need,’ he added. One of the tools is ‘sentiment analysis,’ he said. He referred to a ‘major brand”’ that every day measures how it is faring in public opinion compared to its competitors. ‘Where is our sentiment analysis?’ he asked.”.
https://johnhelmer.net/killing-is-cheaper-the-us-army-special-operations-command-weaponizes-twitter-facebook-instagram-whatsapp-telegram/
Looks like General Clarke is looking to ensure the money spent on info-war is spent effectively. So he should be. It’s money for old rope as it is, running info-ops. No one checks what you’re doing or how well you’re doing it. Taking money from Western governments for information warfare activities is about as easy as taking sweets from a child. As ethical too, but when was that ever an issue.
Where is our sentiment analysis indeed? Think about it. If you want to make money from the state by selling it stuff it’s hard work. After all the lobbying and lunches and spreading money around to get the contract you actually have to put some effort into producing the tank or the bridge or the hospital the state wants to end up with. And unless you’ve spread a whole heap of money around some pesky procurement officer wants to ensure the stuff you’re selling the state works.
No layabout looking to make a quick buck from Uncle Sam is going to want to have to do all that. Probably can’t put together the capital needed. Doesn’t even know how to do it!
Easier to work what used to be called over here the Bellingcat scam. Put together some seedy rumour mill. Punt it around the Foreign Office or the BBC, or State or some cloak and dagger NATO or EU info-op. And away you go. No quality checks. No accountability. Or if you’re not inclined even to put that much effort in, go work directly for some government or NATO info outfit – 77 Brigade or whatever – and sit back and wait for the pension.
I’ve not seen anyone trying to work out how much the taxpayers of the West pay out for such work. The lines are blurred anyway. Take Ben Hodges. Was he ever a career professional officer and only that? Or has he always regarded himself as what he is now. An information warrior, or what the Australians in their direct way call a bullshit artist.
Or the Dearlove/Steele duo, the all singing all dancing combo who got Russiagate off the ground. When they headed up MI6 or the Russia desk, were they solemnly counting Russian nuclear warheads or setting up honeypots for unwary Russian diplomats? Or were they in addition to those somewhat pedestrian duties putting in time on info scams even back then?
Certainly, looking at the UK, I’m not at all surprised we’ve only got a handful of tanks and only some operational. Or that we have more Admirals than boats. I reckon when it comes to defence we don’t spend our little all on toys that go bang. So yesterday. We’ve bet the farm on info war.
So too with NATO. So too, on an immensely greater scale, in the States. Maybe, given that all this info activity doesn’t seem to work very well, the new US administration is looking to find out how good the US/NATO Infowar Empire actually is. Maybe it’s looking for metrics, something like the “sentiment analysis” General Clarke refers to. Could be Musk’s even now circulating the questionnaire to the hapless worker bees of the information war: –
1. Detail five lies you invented over the past week.
2. How many read those lies?
3. How many believed them?
4. To what extend did the lies degrade the enemy’s fighting capabilities?
And so on. After all, if the taxpayer expects value for money from the run of the mill government contractors, why should he not get it from the bullshit artists?
tantrum theater by the worst drama queens in US diplomatic history.
Zelenskyy has seen his mistake and does the right thing:
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/trump-halts-all-us-military-aid-ukraine-white-house-official-says-2025-03-04/
“US, Ukraine to sign minerals deal, sources say; Zelenskiy pledges to ‘make things right'”
Napoleon once said, IIRC, that if he needed something from someone he’ll kiss his ass and not make too fine a point of it. Zelenskyy is a good man but not a trained statesman and he made a rookie mistake by engaging in an argument with Trump on camera. I’m glad to see he can admit a mistake and not let his ego get in the way.
I expect Trump to announce that the military aid which he paused will resume tonight.