#ukraine minerals deal
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Trump says the Ukraine minerals deal is done and Zelensky visiting on Friday
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I am so ashamed of all of this.
What is in the draft of Trump's minerals deal with Ukraine?
#The Trump Administration#U.N.#Russia#U.S.#War on Democracy#democracy#Russia's War on Ukraine#Donald Trump#Ukraine#US Foreign Policy#News#minerals deal#Colonialism
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यूक्रेन के क्रिटिकल मिनरल्स पर अमेरिका की नजर, युद्ध पर बहस के बाद डील रद्द; व्हाइट हाउस में हुआ हंगामा
Washington News: अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति डोनाल्ड ट्रंप और यूक्रेन के राष्ट्रपति वोलोडिमिर जेलेंस्की के बीच शुक्रवार को ओवल ऑफिस में तीखी नोकझोंक हुई है। बता दें कि दोनों नेता यूक्रेन में चल रही जंग के समाधान को लेकर हफ्तों से चल रही चर्चा के बाद मिले थे। बीते कुछ दिनों से रूस के प्रति अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति के बदलते सुर के बीच जेलेंस्की ट्रंप के साथ सौदा करने पहुंचे थे। हालांकि दोनों के बीच बात बनने से…
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Zelenskyy Takes On TRUMP In Explosive Oval Office Clash
#youtube#Trump-Zelenskyy Oval Office clash U.S.-Ukraine relations rare earth minerals deal Ukraine war strategies U.S. military aid to Ukraine Zelens
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France in talks with Kyiv over Ukraine’s minerals: ‘not looking for payback’
France is also seeking access to Ukraine’s deposits of critical minerals, with negotiations already under way for months, the French defence minister said on Thursday, indicating that the United States isn’t the only player. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky is expected on Friday at the White House to sign a minerals deal with the United States. President Donald Trump made the announcement on…
#Donald Trump#Emmanuel Macron#France#French Defence Minister#French needs#Kyiv#lithium#minerals#minerals deal#payback#rare earth elements#Russia#Sébastien Lecornu#talks#Ukraine#Ukraines#Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky#uranium#White House
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Trump tells British PM Keir Starmer that a minerals deal—not U.S. military aid—is Kyiv’s security guarantee, as Putin closely watches. Meanwhile, Zelenskiy heads to Washington for a crucial deal. What does this mean for Ukraine’s future and U.S. allies?
👉 Read the full story at NewsLink7.com
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#trump#british#prime minister#keir starmer#white house#ukraine#minerals#ceasefire deal#zelensky#vladimir putin#newslink7#miami#florida#manhattan#california#miami beach#orlando#gop#broward#ft lauderdale#coral gables#tampa florida#brooklyn#long island#chicago#san francisco#london#losangeles#atlanta#russia
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https://www.healthwealthcommunication.com/2025/02/usa-ukraine-mineral-deal-what-is-going.html
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that's Oksana Markarova current Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States since February 2021. She likely arranged the trip when Trump lied it was a meeting about minerals and peace deal
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What We Know About the U.S.-Ukraine Minerals Deal
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Experts cite legal gaps in Trump's minerals deal with Ukraine
#Donald Trump#minerals deal#Ukraine#Russian War on Ukraine#US Foreign Policy#News#Vladimir Putin#Bernie Sanders
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While you were sleeping ...
Federal judge puts back funding to USAID
Federal judge demands US put back health related federal websites
Judge Tanya Chutkan investigating Elon Musk's ability to run DOGE
The Department of Energy blocks firings of hundreds of employees who work for a key agency maintaining the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile
Federal judge stops Trump from sending detainees to Cuba
Federal judge stops Trump from shutting down Consumer Protection Agency
DOGE now at CMS which covers Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and the Health Insurance Marketplace and are allied with Rachel Riley who worked at privatizing healthcare under Trump's first term.
Trump seeks to gut the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and privatize the nation's weather reports and news
Judge blocks DOGE from sensitive Treasury Dept payment system, system being studied and re-programmed after DOGE invasion. expected to finish in August 25.
DOGE database on DOGE site found compromised, anyone can open and edit
Hundreds of federal workers illegally 'fired' from FEMA, DHS, CIS, CPA, the Coast Guard, USCIS, DHS' Science and Technology Directorate, the VA, Education and the US Forestry Service as well as half of the CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service, The Indian (Native American) Health Service. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the National Institutes for Health, HUD and NOAA.
There have been illegal mass firings of 'probationary' federal employees, those who have just taken on jobs up to those who have were hired 2 years ago.
After seven prosecutors quit refusing to give a Trump deal to NYC mayor, prosecutors put into room and all told they would be fired unless a prosecutor signed off on the deal - Eric Adams case has been dropped and as a result, Adams is allowing Trump immigration to invade NYC.
Trump signs order to block funding for schools that mandate Covid vaccines
Trump has already captured funds to house the homeless in NYC that were disbursed by FEMA
Elon Musk has charged the US gov 16 million to hack at government departments so far.
Elon Musk was granted a 400million deal to sell the US gov cybertrucks
Elon Musk is now going after NASA, despite being a contractor for NASA, Trump says Musk will 'police' his own conflicts of interest.
Trump inserts himself into 'negotiations' between Russia and Ukraine, siding with Russia and not guaranteeing that Ukraine will return to pre-war borders.
Apparently at negotiations, US handed President Zelenskyy a note (mafia style) seeking half of Ukraine's mineral rights, which Zelenskyy refused to acknowlege.
at Munich Security Conference VP Vance pushes the right-wing in Europe, shocking and angering NATO allies, changing US policy towards Putin and China. Trump now says there is no US intent to 'beat China'.
FAKE DOGE 'employees' appear in San Francisco city hall demanding access to state systems and data, leaving when confronted.
Trump makes himself head of the Kennedy Center for the Arts many staff resign and many artist pull out of sold-out shows.
#trump administration#illegal federal firings#federal employees#doge#elon musk#donald trump#jd vance#ukraine#russia#china#while you were sleeping#fuck this timeline#democracy#trump overreach#shitler youth#nato#news#federal judges
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Trump literally wants to "negotiate" with Putin behind Ukraine's back openly admitting Ukraine has "no cards" (and therefore no chance at getting a peace deal that isn't to Russia's benefit), repeats russian propaganda, constantly antagonises Ukraine, doesn't even want to call Russia the aggressor in a UN resolution, constantly repeats that he wants to improve relations with Russia, doesn't seem to care about providing Ukraine ANY kind of peace guarantee and openly blocks a NATO-entry, gets praised by the Russian government for 'understanding' them, and wants Ukraine to "pay back" US military aid with minerals when even after an abstract peace deal Ukraine will need even more money for rebuilding itself.... And Ukraine's not even trending?
#I feel like I'm going crazy#this feels so fatal#and yet people barely talk about it#ukraine#russia#war#donald trump#politics#us politics
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Ukraine is totally correct not to fall for phony agreements with Russia. Russia has a long history of not keeping its word – maybe that's why Trump is such a Putinphile..
Russia's invasion violated at least three major international agreements.
The 1945 United Nations Charter [Article 2, Section 4].
The 1975 Helsinki Final Act [1. (a) III and 1. (a) IV] by the CSCE which in 1990 became the OSCE.
The 1994 Budapest Memorandum.
Why should anybody trust Putin's Russia to observe any new agreements?
Tim Mak is a journalist working in Ukraine. He was formerly with NPR and The Daily Beast. This is from his Substack The Counteroffensive. He and two colleagues spoke with diplomat and international attorney Oleksandr Merezhko who participated in negotiations with Russia of previous ceasefires known as the Minsk agreements.
"I believed that [the agreements] could be implemented with good will... but Russia did not even try to achieve a result, they just wanted to use it for purely propagandistic military purposes to destroy Ukraine," Merezhko said. As February 2022 approached, when the full-scale invasion began, Oleksandr began to suspect that Russia was planning something more significant. After all, Moscow was increasingly spreading information online that Ukraine was violating the Minsk agreements. "Russia was looking for an excuse to abandon the ceasefire, accuse Ukraine of violating it, and then its hands would be free for full-scale aggression... We did everything to prevent Russia from having a chance to say that even if it was aggression, an attack, it was provoked by Ukraine," Merezhko said. [ ... ] The main problem is that the Russians were uninterested in a ceasefire and negotiations. They comply with rules and requirements only when it is to their advantage. "The Minsk agreements have once again confirmed that we cannot have anything to do with the Russians, because they are liars and never keep their commitments, or keep them only when it is in their interest. When [their] interest disappears, so do the obligations," Ukrainian diplomat and former foreign minister Volodymyr Ohryzko told The Counteroffensive. The main conclusion to be drawn from the Minsk agreements is that to negotiate anything with the Russians is to disrespect oneself, said Ohryzko. Therefore, the main argument in talks with Russia is strength.
Anybody who believes that Russia would observe a new agreement without Ukraine getting solid security backing from the West probably attended Trump University and bought a year's worth of Trump Vitamins.
The Russian word показуха generally means "window dressing" but can sometimes be used to describe a staged event. In that sense, that's what the Trump-Vance hissy fit in the Oval Office was.
I suspect that somebody told Trump that Ukraine got the better end of the minerals deal. The only way Trump could weasel out of it was to have a temper tantrum to keep it from being signed as scheduled.
As for Ukraine not being grateful, fact checkers pooped all over Trump's lies about that.
Fact check: 33 times Zelensky thanked Americans and US leaders
How often does Trump thank people? He probably never thanked the doctor who faked the diagnosis of a bone spur to keep him from getting drafted.
Back to 1994 for a moment. In the Budapest Memorandum, Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons for secure borders. Now that Ukraine's territorial integrity has been violated, does that mean it's okay for them to have nukes again?
#invasion of ukraine#peace talks#ceasefire#russia#vladimir putin#russia violates treaties#russia cannot be trusted#united nations charter#helsinki final act#budapest memorandum#nuclear weapons#minsk agreements#oval office fiasco#donald trump#j.d. vance#показуха#дональд трамп#трамп – русский инструмент#трамп – путинский пудель#владимир путин#путин хуйло#myroslava tanska-vikulova#tim mak#mariana lastovyria#oleksandr merezhko#мирослава танська-вікулова#олександр мережко#мар'яна ластовиря#тім мак#слава україні!
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MMFA Staff:
On February 18, President Donald Trump pushed multiple false claims about the war in Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky’s involvement in it, falsely suggesting that Ukraine started the war and that Zelensky is a “dictator without elections.” Both claims echo Russian propaganda about the war. Many right-wing media figures praised Trump's comments, with some commentators even following in his footsteps to target Zelensky. Others denounced Trump's remarks as “music to the ears of Vladimir Putin.”
In the last week, Donald Trump has pushed falsehoods about Ukraine, to the delight of leading Russian political figures
During February 18 remarks at Mar-a-Lago, Trump falsely accused Ukraine of starting the war with Russia, drawing praise from Russian officials. “You never should have started it,” he told reporters, addressing Ukraine’s leaders, before claiming Ukraine “could have made a deal.” Trump was dismissing concerns from Ukrainian authorities — including Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky — that they had been excluded from peace talks in Saudi Arabia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov praised Trump’s comments about Ukraine and NATO, remarking in a speech to Russian lawmakers, “This is already a signal that he understands our position.” [New York Times, 2/19/25; The Guardian; 2/18/25; NBC; 2/18/25]
Russia started the war by launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 after annexing Crimea in 2014. The invasion was widely condemned by world leaders and Russian President Vladimir Putin was later accused of war crimes in Ukraine by the International Criminal Court, which issued a warrant for his arrest. [New York Times, 2/19/25]
Trump later called Zelensky a “dictator without elections” in a Truth Social post doubling down on his false statements, echoing Kremlin propaganda. “Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left,” Trump threatened in a post that repeatedly attacked the Ukrainian leader. Russian President Vladimir Putin has alleged that Zelensky’s presidency is “illegitimate” due to the suspended election, and Trump appears to be repeating Moscow’s narrative. [Twitter/X, 2/19/25; BBC, 2/19/25]
Zelensky was elected to a five year term in 2019, and Ukraine’s 2024 election was suspended due to martial law triggered by Russia’s 2022 invasion. Zelensky has promised that an election will be held once the war ends, as holding an election in an active war zone would be difficult, if not impossible according to some experts. [BBC, 2/19/25]
Trump has also demanded $500 billion of Ukrainian rare earth minerals in exchange for U.S. support in the war. During a Fox News interview, Trump claimed that Ukraine “essentially agreed to do that.” When presented with a proposal for the U.S. to own half of Ukraine’s rare minerals during a meeting in Kyiv, Zelensky declined to sign the document. [Politico, 2/11/25; NBC, 2/14/25]
Russian political figure Dmitry Medvedev: “If you'd told me just three months ago that these were the words of the US president, I would have laughed out loud. @realDonaldTrump is 200 percent right.” [Twitter/X, 2/19/25]
Right-wing media split over Trump pushing pro-Kremlin propaganda.
#Donald Trump#US/Russia Relations#Russia#Ukraine#Vladimir Putin#Conservative Media Apparatus#Russian Invasion of Ukraine#Volodymyr Zelensky
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As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, the toll of relentless drone attacks, grim front-line updates, and the psychological strain of protracted conflict have shifted Ukrainian public opinion. Roughly one-third of Ukrainians surveyed are now open to territorial concessions and 44 percent believe negotiations are overdue.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signaled his openness to negotiations and suggested to the Trump administration that U.S. military support—or a potential NATO path—be traded for access to Ukraine’s vast rare earths and natural resources. Instead of strengthening Kyiv’s negotiating position, however, the proposal invited what many Ukrainians view as economic colonization: a draft agreement granting Washington control over critical minerals, oil and gas deposits, strategic infrastructure, and half of Ukraine’s resource extraction revenues—all without firm security guarantees. Ultimately, Ukraine rejected the deal.
At the same time, the diplomatic landscape has grown more complex as U.S. President Donald Trump has decided to end Russia’s international isolation and normalize U.S.-Russia relations. After a three-year effort by the United States to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine, Trump talked to him on the phone last week, which was followed by U.S.-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia. Notably, the conversations excluded Ukrainian and European representatives.
U.S. officials have begun checking off items on Putin’s wish list. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently dismissed the idea of Ukraine joining NATO and urged Kyiv to abandon its goal of reclaiming all occupied territory. At the recent Munich Security Conference, Vice President J.D. Vance’s remarks signaled a growing rift within the Western alliance, which was welcomed by Moscow.
The next possible item on the list? Forcing early elections in Ukraine before any peace agreement is signed—an effort to remove Zelensky from power. On Feb. 18, Trump suggested Ukraine was to blame for starting the war and said Ukraine should have new elections as a precondition for negotiations.
Kyiv may soon find itself caught between two foreign leaders, both eager to see a change in its leadership for their own reasons. Delegitimizing another country’s leader is a familiar ploy in the Russian playbook, and while Ukraine falling back into Russia’s sphere of influence might seem unthinkable now, it could, in fact, become a reality over the course of a decade. Recent Ukrainian history and broader geopolitical trends provide ample evidence of this risk.
Removing Zelensky and initiating elections is exactly what Russia is waiting for. Putin has claimed Zelensky is “illegitimate” because Ukrainian elections scheduled for 2024 were postponed and said he has no right to sign any peace agreements as a result. More importantly, ousting him would allow Putin to claim progress on one of his war’s key objectives: “denazification.” Despite Zelensky’s Jewish heritage, Russian propaganda has cast him as the leader of a “Nazi-controlled” Ukraine—a narrative that Putin has used to justify the invasion and rally domestic support.
Trump has his own grievances. Zelensky was at the center of Trump’s first impeachment, after he attempted to pressure Kyiv into investigating Joe Biden. On Feb. 19, Trump, who has previously criticized Ukraine’s push for U.S. aid, called Zelensky a “dictator without elections,” after the Ukrainian leader said that the U.S. president is living in a “Russian disinformation bubble.”
A change in power would hand Putin the leverage he needs to achieve his ultimate goal—erasing Ukraine as an independent state. Russia has mastered the art of infiltrating foreign governments by using the Kremlin’s well-worn playbook, which includes spreading disinformation, as well as promoting pro-Russian narratives and political candidates. Often referred to as hybrid warfare, it is used to shift the political direction of nations aligned with Western ideals, pulling them back under Moscow’s influence.
In Ukraine’s case, this strategy would allow Russia to exploit internal divisions and political corruption, gradually maneuvering pro-Russian leadership into power through political subversion. From there, Ukraine could be pulled back into Russia’s orbit, especially if the United States continues to treat Kyiv as a resource to be extracted rather than a partner to be defended and if Europe remains unwilling and unable to confront Moscow directly. The consequences of such a scenario would be far more devastating in the long run than any negotiated settlement over territory or security guarantees.
Ukraine’s recent history offers a stark example of how pro-Russian forces can reemerge, even after a seemingly decisive defeat.
The 2004 Orange Revolution famously thwarted Viktor Yanukovych’s presidential ambitions and brought a pro-Western leader, Viktor Yushchenko, to power. But in 2010, just six years later, Yanukovych returned and won the Ukrainian presidency, demonstrating how quickly political momentum can shift. What appeared impossible in 2004 became a sobering fact in 2010, a reminder that Moscow’s favored candidates can rebound if Western support for Ukraine falters or fragments.
The experiences of Georgia and Moldova, too, show that even countries that have faced Russian aggression and partial occupation of their territories can still fall back under the Kremlin’s influence.
Despite Russia’s 2008 invasion of Georgia and ongoing Russian occupation of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Moscow was eventually able to steer the ruling Georgian Dream party toward a pro-Russian position. With the help of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, the Georgian government froze European Union accession talks and pushed through a “foreign agents” bill similar to Russian legislation, which was seen by many Georgians as a betrayal of their nation’s pro-Western aspirations. Sustained propaganda, political corruption, and voter intimidation have all contributed to this slow drift eastward.
Moldova’s continued vulnerability is obvious, given the de facto occupation of Transnistria since 1992. The Kremlin’s playbook—spanning clandestine financing of pro-Russian political forces, election meddling, and organized intimidation—resurfaced in Moldova’s recent presidential elections. President Maia Sandu claimed that Russian money aimed to buy 300,000 votes for a pro-Russian candidate. The country staved off a turn toward Russia due to Sandu’s eventual victory, which hinged on the support of Moldovans living abroad, beyond Moscow’s reach.
Additionally, Hungary and Slovakia also show how Russia manipulates political corruption to steer EU and NATO members closer to its orbit.
In Hungary, Moscow capitalizes on Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government through lucrative projects financed largely by Russian loans and high-profile sponsorship deals, such as Gazprom’s support for the Ferencvaros football club. Such economic entanglements benefit Orban’s inner circle while pro-Russian media outlets like Voice of Europe spread Kremlin-friendly narratives. Hungary has become a low-risk hub for Russian intelligence activities and a shield for key Kremlin allies from EU sanctions, positioning Budapest as a Trojan horse within Western institutions.
Slovakia, meanwhile, offers a parallel cautionary tale. By fueling disinformation networks that framed NATO and the United States as aggressors in Ukraine, the Kremlin helped propel nationalist leader Robert Fico back to power in Slovakia’s 2023 parliamentary elections. Once in office, Fico halted direct arms shipments to Ukraine. His next step was to weaken democratic safeguards by dismantling the Special Prosecutor’s Office, which was investigating corruption cases and taking greater control over media. Today, Fico continues to align Slovakia’s policies more closely with Russian interests.
These examples demonstrate how consistently Russia applies the same methods, from choosing and backing a figure with electoral prospects to installing authoritarian pro-Russian regimes, funding them through corruption and supporting them by spreading disinformation.
If Ukraine is pushed into early elections now, Moscow would have the perfect opportunity to promote a candidate who promises an end to the bloodshed, a return to “normalization” with Russia to avoid everyday terror, or simply a seat at the negotiating table—offering, at least on the surface, better terms than Zelensky’s isolation.
A Kremlin-backed candidate wouldn’t need to win outright; they would only need to fracture Ukraine’s political landscape, erode unity, and create a perception that a pro-Russian alternative is viable. In the short term, this might appear as a path to peace, offering war-weary Ukrainians relief from relentless attacks. However, in the long run, it would pull Ukraine back under Russia’s influence, especially without a strong Western alternative to counterbalance Moscow’s grip.
For Trump, this would amount to a strategic loss, allowing Russia to achieve its objectives without a military victory. Worse, it could happen before the end of his term, shaping a legacy of defeat in one of the most significant conflicts of the 21st century. This would not only empower Moscow but also send a message to U.S. allies across the world that U.S. commitments are unreliable.
If Ukraine falls, the Kremlin’s success would echo far beyond Eastern Europe, encouraging further geopolitical shifts in Russia’s and, more importantly, China’s favor. To prevent this, the Trump administration should approach Ukraine’s future with patience and strategy, resisting quick fixes that could ultimately embolden the Kremlin and signal waning U.S. influence on the global stage.
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Daily Mail: "The free world reacts in horror, as most Americans seem to have no inkling of what is going on."
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A day of shame as Trump abandons Ukraine—and our allies.
March 1, 2025
Robert B. Hubbell
Trump and JD Vance shamed themselves, the Office of the Presidency, the United States of America, and the valor of the Ukrainian people in a disgraceful display of thuggish behavior in the Oval Office. During a Friday press conference, Trump and Vance insulted, threatened, and attempted to extort Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a way that felt like a “setup” designed to end US support for Ukraine.
As Ron Filipkowski noted on BlueSky (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social)
Trump and Vance needed to create an incident to provide a justification for their pre-planned abandonment of Ukraine now, then separation from NATO in the near future.
Many in the media are describing the debacle as “extraordinary” and “unprecedented.” Those words conceal the truth of what happened. Reporting in the US immediately devolved into partisan scorekeeping that focused on which members of what parties were supporting or opposing Trump.
Let’s be clear about the significance of Trump's brutish behavior toward Zelensky:
Everyone in the world is less safe today because Trump's fragile ego and non-existent negotiating skills could not tolerate a world leader speaking the truth to the American media in Trump's presence.
Trump has officially switched sides in Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression against the Ukrainian people, telling Ukraine that it is on its own in defending itself against Russia.
Putin is celebrating in the Kremlin because his puppet Donald Trump has finally delivered the “payoff” in the corrupt bargain they struck years ago. Former Russian President Medvedev summed up Moscow’s view of the exchange, saying, “The insolent pig [Zelensky] finally got a slap down in the Oval Office.”
The US no longer has any allies in the world. No ally can rationally trust any promise by any representative of the United States after Trump abandoned Ukraine over its refusal to capitulate to blackmail.
The Oval Office meeting was supposed to precede the execution of an agreement in which Ukraine would grant the US the right to exploit Ukraine’s reserves of rare earth metals (which Trump repeatedly called “raw earth materials” during the press conference).
The metals exploitation deal was naked extortion: Trump had made clear before Friday’s meeting that Ukraine would lose US support in the Russian war of aggression if Ukraine did not grant the US hundreds of billions of dollars in mining rights as “repayment” for money and weapons granted to Ukraine without expectation of repayment.
Trump, as usual, was acting like a mafioso boss, extorting Ukraine (for the second time) by demanding a benefit to which the US was not entitled but which Trump believed he could extract by withholding future military support. (Trump used the same tactic in 2019 when he demanded that Ukraine fabricate evidence of Joe Biden's non-existent wrongdoing.)
When President Zelensky arrived at the White House to sign away Ukraine’s mineral rights in exchange for US military support, the day seemed promising. But when Zelensky joined Trump and Vance in the Oval Office, things quickly turned ugly.
A few excerpts from the exchange are included in The Kyiv Independent, Zelensky, Trump get into heated argument while speaking with journalists in Oval Office. As I write, there are few comprehensive summaries of the discussion, so I would appreciate it if readers could post shareable links to reliable sources in the Comments section.
I watched the exchange live. It was sickening. In general, here is how the confrontation unfolded:
In response to Trump's comments and reporters’ questions, Zelensky made the point that Ukraine could not agree to a ceasefire without security guarantees because Putin had failed to honor ceasefires on dozens of occasions in the past.
Trump said that Zelensky should “make an agreement with Russia first,” and worry about the security guarantees later.
When Zelensky pushed back, JD Vance accused Zelensky of being ungrateful for US support and said that Zelensky had campaigned for “the opposition” (Kamala Harris) by making an appearance at a US munitions factory in October 2024.
Trump and Vance then began to shout at Zelensky, berating him, claiming that Ukraine would have lost the war in two weeks without US support. Trump said to Zelensky,
You are not in a good position. You don't have the right cards right now. . . . You're gambling with World War III. And what you're doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country. It's back to you. . . . Your country is in big trouble. You're not winning ... You have a damn good chance of coming out okay because of us.
Trump also said falsely that the US wasn’t aligned with “any party” in the Ukraine war. That statement constituted a major shift in US policy because the US has been firmly backing Ukraine--until today.
In truth, Trump is aligned with a party in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Trump is aligned with Russia.
During a truly remarkable portion of the press conference, Trump spoke of himself and Putin as “co-victims” of the investigations into Trump's ties with Russia, which he called the “Russia hoax.” Trump suggested that he and Putin had survived the investigations as a team. Trump said,
Let me tell you, Putin went through a hell of a lot with me. He went through a phony witch hunt where they used him and Russia, Russia, Russia.
After the press conference ended, Trump threw Zelensky out of the White House (a demand delivered by the cowardly Marco Rubio).
Trump then posted an offensive statement on Truth Social that said that Zelensky was not welcome back to the White House until he was “ready for peace”—a statement that can only be interpreted to mean “when Zelensky is ready to surrender Ukraine to Russia.”
European leaders rallied behind President Zelensky in a series of statements posted within minutes of the encounter. Trump's enablers posted self-congratulatory statements on Twitter and Truth Social.
Rebecca Solnit provided the correct analysis of the Trumpworld tweets in her post on BlueSky (@rebeccasolnit.bsky.social):
Here's what the idiots in the White House utterly fail to comprehend. They and the US came out of that argument weaker. Zelensky came out stronger, with Europe rallying behind Ukraine more than before. They came out looking like petulant idiots; he came out looking like a leader with integrity.
David Frum gave his view The Atlantic, At Least Now We Know the Truth.
Frum writes,
We’re witnessing the self-sabotage of the United States. “America First” always meant America alone, a predatory America whose role in the world is no longer based on democratic belief. America voted at the United Nations earlier this week against Ukraine, siding with Russia and China against almost all of its fellow democracies. Is this who Americans want to be? For this is what America is being turned into. [¶¶] Both the president and vice president showed the U.S.-led alliance system something it needed urgently to know: The national-security system of the West is led by two men who cannot be trusted to defend America’s allies—and who deeply sympathize with the world’s most aggressive dictator.
Frum’s point is correct: America hasn’t abandoned Ukraine. It has abandoned the world. Until we defeat Trump and his cowardly supporters, America is “on its own” in global politics—not because the global community has ostracized us, but because Trump has demonstrated that under his leadership, America cannot be trusted.
Hundreds of thousands of Americans sacrificed their lives to earn the trust that Trump and JD Vance squandered in 45 minutes in the Oval Office by berating the heroic leader of a brave people whose fight against Russia promotes the peace and security of the United States and its (now) former allies.
Concluding Thoughts
Trump has aligned his administration with Putin. The Guardian reported on Friday that the US has stopped treating Russia as a cyberthreat to American national security—a change in policy seemingly designed to allow Russia to infiltrate US computer networks. See The Guardian, Trump administration retreats in fight against Russian cyber threats.
The shameful incident in the Oval Office was staged for the benefit of Russia. It is no coincidence that Trump initially invited a reporter for TASS (the official Russian news agency) into the Oval Office—even as he continues to exclude the Associated Press and Huffington Post. (The TASS reporter was removed from the Oval Office when his presence was noted by other pool reporters.)
There is little more Trump could do to advance Russia’s interests at the expense of the peace and security of the United States than if he was an active agent of the Russian KGB—a theory that reputable sources have begun to publish. See The Hill, Was 40-year-old Trump recruited by the KGB?
The stakes of defeating Trump just got higher. By a lot. None of us can afford to sit on the sidelines. Each of us must become an active participant in the effort to defeat Trump's enablers in Congress—the powerbase that allows him to act with impunity in destroying US foreign relations and federal government, twin goals that have been on Putin’s “to-do” list for decades.
As a reminder, I will host a Substack livestream on Saturday, March 1 at 9 am PST and 12 noon EST. Open the Substack App at the appointed hour and click on the livestream notification. Download the Substack App here.
[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]
#Robert B. Hubbell#Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter#Russia Russia Russia#President Zelenskyy#TFG#Vance#the KGB#Putin#The Daily Mail#America Alone
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