Trump has abandoned decades of American foreign policy. Is that bad? A deal over minerals is now at hand.
Open Feud Erupts
On February 19, the Wall Street Journal reported Trump Calls Zelensky Dictator in Escalating Row Over Ukraine Peace Talks
The feud between President Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky escalated rapidly on Wednesday, with Trump calling him a “Dictator without Elections” and Zelensky accusing Trump of repeating Russian propaganda.
The back-and-forth barbs marked a significant deterioration in relations that could complicate efforts to end the war in Ukraine. The exchange came one day after Trump accused Zelensky of starting the war, which began after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a large-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
Vance Warns Zelensky
The Daily Mail reports JD Vance warns Zelensky he will regret ‘badmouthing’ Trump and condemns his ‘atrocious’ response to peace talks
Vice President J.D. Vance on Wednesday warned the Ukrainian president against attacking President Donald Trump, saying that ‘badmouthing’ him in public would only backfire.
Vance spoke to DailyMail.com hours after Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky accused Trump of living in a Russian-made ‘disinformation space.’
‘The idea that Zelensky is going to change the president’s mind by badmouthing him in public media … everyone who knows the president will tell you that is an atrocious way to deal with this administration,’ said Vance during an exclusive interview in his West Wing office.
Major U.S. Shift on Russia
The Washington Post reports Trump’s Attack on Zelensky Stirs Fear of Major U.S. Shift on Russia
“We do not understand the American logic very well,” French government spokeswoman Sophie Primas said, calling Trump’s comments “diverse, varied and often incomprehensible.” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Trump’s remarks were “wrong and dangerous,” while his foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, called on Trump to “look at the real world instead of just tweeting.”
In Congress, even lawmakers who support Trump’s attempts to stop the war begged to differ with his version of events. “I mean, Russia is the aggressor here, there’s no question about that,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) said while urging critics to “give [Trump] some space.” “Dictator,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), was “not a word I would use.”
Zelensky on Wednesday called reporters to his presidential office to respond. The U.S. president, he said, was living in a “web of disinformation. … I wish Trump’s team had more truth.”
Trump shot back with a withering personal attack on social media, replete with exaggerations and falsehoods. “Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy … talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start,” he said, giving a figure that is nearly double the actual amount of money the United States has spent in military and other aid to Ukraine. “A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left. … Zelenskyy probably wants to keep the ‘gravy train’ going,” Trump wrote.
“Trump doesn’t see any of the global dimensions of this and doesn’t even care. Ukraine is like Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria … some other idiot’s war, not his, and he wants it out of the way so he can get the deal with Putin he has always fantasized about,” the former official said. “It’s sad but very simple. And now Zelensky has criticized him, he will try to get rid of him.”
Deal Over Minerals
Please note White House and Ukraine Close In on Deal for Mineral Rights
The U.S. and Ukraine are nearing a deal that would hand valuable mineral rights to the U.S., an agreement that the Trump administration has sought as compensation for military aid to fight off Russia’s invasion, people familiar with the matter said.
Ukraine had refused to sign such a deal earlier this week, sparking a war of words between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and fears of a break in relations between Washington and Kyiv.
In an apparent nod to an impending deal, Zelensky said in a nightly video address Friday that teams of U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators were working on a draft agreement.
“This is an agreement that can strengthen our relations, and the key is to work out the details to ensure its effectiveness,” he said. “I look forward to the outcome—a just result.”
Zelensky was presented with a deal by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Kyiv last week, but refused to sign, saying the Ukrainian side needed to study it further and that a deal should contain some form of security guarantees for Ukraine. Ukrainian officials said that they had only a few hours to study it before it was presented to them.
An agreement could be signed as soon as Saturday, although it isn’t yet complete, people briefed on the talks said. The exact terms couldn’t be learned.
Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, this week had called the proposed deal “an economic partnership” and “a historic opportunity to have the United States of America co-invest with Ukraine, invest in its economy, invest in its natural resources.”
Ukraine says it has Europe’s largest reserves of titanium, which is used to make alloys for aircraft and naval vessels, and lithium, a key material in batteries.
It also has deposits of rare earths, essential in certain high-tech industries, including defense and renewable energy. While potentially plentiful, the reserves would require massive investment to develop, even in peacetime, and many are located in areas occupied by Russia.
It appears that Zelensky finally got the message from Vance, loud and clear.
Ukraine Sellout?
True to form, the Wall Street Journal editorial board says Trump Tilts Toward a Ukraine Sellout
Mr. Trump on Tuesday mimicked Russian propaganda by claiming Ukraine had started the war with Russia and that Kyiv is little better than the Kremlin because it hasn’t held a wartime election.
It’s tempting to dismiss this exchange as mere rhetoric, but it has the feel of political intention for Mr. Trump. He may be trashing Ukraine’s democracy to make voters think there’s no real difference between the Kremlin and Kyiv. He may think this will make it easier to sell a peace deal that betrays Ukraine.
We doubt most Americans will overlook his false moral equivalence. Mr. Putin’s war of conquest started three years ago this month when Russian troops rolled over the border and tried to capture Kyiv. The war began not because Mr. Putin had legitimate security fears—but because the aging former KGB agent wants to reassemble most of the Soviet empire he saw crumble as a young man.
The U.S. has a profound interest in denying Mr. Putin a new perch on more of the NATO border, which is the real reason America has been right to arm Ukraine.
History Lesson for the WSJ
Flashback March 12, 2014: McCain Heads to Ukraine with Seven Other Senators; Let’s Hope They All Stay; Ugly is Beautiful
Here’s the question of the day: What can senators John McCain (R-Az), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) do for Ukraine?
The answer of course is simple: Nothing.
So, why is that group of eight senators wasting money going there? The only possible answer is some combination of arrogance, political foolishness, and support for warmongering.
How Ugly Can it Get?
Inquiring minds just may be wondering “How ugly can this get?”
That’s a good question. I bring it up because Secretary of State John Kerry stated “[This] can get ugly fast if the wrong choices are made, and it can get ugly in multiple directions“.
Mercy! John Kerry made an accurate statement. I suspect however, we do not see eye-to-eye regarding “wrong choices”
History Lesson Part II
Flashback February 24, 2022 What’s the Real Background Story Behind Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine?
What Happened in Ukraine?
The mess today in Ukraine has its roots in the 2014 when democratically elected Ukrainian President Yanukovych was toppled in a US-backed coup.
Sen. John McCain (R‑AZ), the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, went to Kiev to show solidarity with the Euromaidan activists. McCain dined with opposition leaders, including members of the ultra right-wing Svoboda Party, and later appeared on stage in Maidan Square during a mass rally. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Svoboda leader Oleg Tyagnibok.
Q: Why did the US want to get rid of Yanukovych?
A: Because he was against Ukraine joining NATO.
The current comedian president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, repeated two days ago his desire to join NATO. I use the term comedian because he literally is a comedian who ran for office and won.
McCain dined with Svoboda Party leader Oleg Tyagnibok. The Svoboda Party is a group of neo-Nazis.
The citizens of Ukraine were used as pawns in yet another US mission that backfired.
And that’s the rest of the story US media will not discuss.
This no way absolves Putin, but US meddling backfires again, and again, and again.
History Lesson Part III
February 12, 2025: Trump Will Talk with Putin on a Peace Deal, No NATO for Ukraine
By applying pressure on both sides, I expect Trump will succeed on a good deal.
The WSJ and Europe were shocked that Trump and vice-president J.D. Vance took NATO off the table.
However, it was Ukraine’s crossing Russia’s red line on NATO that started the war. The US and Ukraine both understood Russia’s red line.
When Trump says Zelensky started the war, that is what he meant.
To repeat, that does not excuse Russia. However, war was the expected result once Zelensky foolishly insisted Ukraine should join NATO.
The WSJ editorial board has been a disaster from the beginning on Ukraine. In contrast, I believe I got things right.
Why is Trump Leading the Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks Without the EU?
Please consider Why is Trump Leading the Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks Without the EU?
Because 1) no one else has a plan, 2) Trump’s plan is likely to work, 3) the EU would screw it up.
Mish Flashbacks
August 27, 2022: Ukraine Violent Stalemate Sets In, How Long Can It Last?
Ultimately, this will end in a negotiated settlement.
How long can Ukraine deal with 60% inflation? EU with energy costs? Russia with difficulty in getting parts and losing military equipment?
November 20, 2023: Is a NATO Backing a Negotiated Deal Between Ukraine and Russia?
A Tweet from NATO appears to back a negotiated peace in Ukraine. That was followed hours later by an official denial. What gives?
…
What’s Guaranteed to Happen?
I have written about this many times before. There is going to be a negotiated settlement that is not going to fully please anyone.
When? It will happen after both sides have had enough of destruction and lives lost, likely accelerated by political events in the US.