Showing posts with label Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Show all posts

Thursday, February 27, 2025

Killing with Kindness: Why Putin Is Proving So Amenable to Trump

CARNEGIE POLITIKA: Putin thinks exploiting Trump’s desire to be seen as swift and decisive is the best way to get what he wants in Ukraine.

The release last week of Marc Fogel, a U.S. citizen detained in Russia on dubious drug charges, was obviously meant to put U.S. President Donald Trump in a good mood and serve as a respectable reason for him to talk to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. After all, calling to thank someone for showing mercy to an unfortunate compatriot needs little explanation.

Putin seeks to exploit Trump’s desire to be seen as swift and decisive. Therefore, resuming communication to hand him his first success was a logical step, especially since it was so easy. All Putin had to do was arrest an American citizen, then release him.

Putin is ready to hand Trump the same kind of win with respect to Ukraine: he started the war and will stop it if certain conditions are met and the right words are spoken.

Throughout his quarter century in power, Putin has proposed that Russia and the United States work together to defeat a common enemy, from Islamic terrorists and Somali pirates to COVID-19 and even global warming. He believed that such a victory would bring the two countries closer, transcending political and ideological barriers, differences between changeable and unchangeable power, and even Russian domestic repression, as Stalin and Roosevelt managed to do in the 1940s.

Paradoxically, Putin has come closer to his goal at a time when it would seem he should be further from it than ever, having become the West’s common enemy. Trump’s account of his phone call with Putin casts a war seemingly independent of the Russian president, and not the man himself, as the common enemy worth defeating.

This is not the first time Putin has used force and made himself necessary to deal with the consequences. However, never before has this tactic been used so blatantly or been so readily accepted. » | Alexander Baunov | Monday, February 17, 2025

Putin Visit to the US for Ukraine Negotiations 'On the Table'

Feb 27, 2025 | “Perhaps the visit of President Putin to Washington or President Trump to Moscow, that’s been discussed.”

Putin could descend on the American capital in Ukraine peace negotiations, says Dr Michael Kimmage, former advisor on Russia and Ukraine to the US State Department under Obama.


Putin Won’t Settle for Less Than a U.S. Betrayal of Ukraine

THE MOSCOW TIMES: “I just had a lengthy and highly productive phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia,” President Donald Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, recounting how they had spoken of exchanging visits and bringing the war in Ukraine to an end. “We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately,” he added.

The Russian readout claimed that Putin “supported” Trump’s view that “the time has come for our two countries to work together.”

Europe reacted with barely concealed dismay. The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas reaffirmed her support for Ukraine, noting that the Europeans were “looking forward to discussing the way ahead together with our American allies.”

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine was plainly humiliated, with Trump promising to “inform” him of his talks with Putin. He had long insisted that the only way to bring this war to an end was to speak to Putin from a position of strength. But there was little strength in Trump’s rambling announcement — only hubris. » | Sergey Radchenko | Thursday, February 13, 2025

The Moscow Times can be supported here.

Wednesday, February 26, 2025

The Disturbing Question at the Heart of the Trump-Zelensky Drama

THE NEW YORK TIMES – OPINION: The drama going on between President Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine raises one of the most disturbing questions I’ve ever had to ask about my own country: Are we being led by a dupe for Vladimir Putin — by someone ready to swallow whole the Russian president’s warped view of who started the war in Ukraine and how it must end? Or are we being led by a Mafia godfather, looking to carve up territory with Russia the way the heads of crime families operate? “I’ll take Greenland, and you can take Crimea. I’ll take Panama, and you can have the oil in the Arctic. And we’ll split the rare earths of Ukraine. It’s only fair.”

Either way, my fellow Americans and our friends abroad, for the next four years at least, the America you knew is over. The bedrock values, allies and truths America could always be counted upon to defend are now all in doubt — or for sale. Trump is not just thinking out of the box. He is thinking without a box, without any fidelity to truth or norms that animated America in the past. » | Thomas L. Friedman | Opinion Columnist | Tuesday, February 25, 2025

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Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Trump and Zelenskyy to Sign “What Could Be Trillion Dollar” Minerals Deal at White House | BBC News

Feb 25, 2025 | BREAKING: President Trump has confirmed that Ukraine and the United States have agreed the terms of “a major minerals deal”. Trump said that Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy will sign the agreement with him at the White House on Friday. Mr Trump said: “It’s a very big deal, it could be a trillion dollar deal”. He said the American people would be very happy with the agreement.

So far there are few details of the deal. It’s not yet clear whether the US will offer Ukraine any security guarantees in return, something that has been a key Ukrainian demand.

Ukraine is rich in oil and gas along with many rare minerals. President Trump had initially demanded a right to $500 billion in revenue from Ukraine’s minerals, in return for what he claimed were the costs to the US of supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia.

That demand was rejected by President Zelenskyy, contributing to a war of words with Mr Trump in recent days, with the US president describing the Ukrainian leader as a “dictator”. Zelensky said nowhere near that much American aid had been provided, and said: "I can't sell our state."

Clive Myrie presents BBC News at Ten reporting from Gary O’Donoghue in Washington and James Waterhouse in Kyiv.


U.S. and Ukraine Agree to Minerals Deal, Officials Say

THE NEW YORK TIMES: President Trump had insisted he wanted “payback” for past aid, shifting America’s three-year alliance with Ukraine to a mercantile footing.

Ukraine has agreed to turn over the revenue from some of its mineral resources to the United States, an American and a Ukrainian official said on Tuesday, in a deal that follows an intense pressure campaign from President Trump that included insults and threats.

The final terms of the deal were unknown, and it was not immediately clear what, if anything, Ukraine would receive in the end after days of difficult, sometimes tense negotiations. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine had repeatedly pressed for security guarantees for his country in exchange for mineral rights, as Russia’s war has entered its fourth year.

Previous draft agreements reviewed by The New York Times included no such commitment. Mr. Trump had insisted he wanted “payback” for past military aid to Kyiv, shifting America’s alliance with Ukraine to a nakedly mercantile footing. » | Constant Méheut, Andrew E. Kramer and Alan Rappeport | Constant Méheut and Andrew E. Kramer reported from Kyiv, Ukraine, and Alan Rappeport from Washington. | Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Trump’s ‘Strategic Stupidity’ towards Putin Has China Making Dangerous Plans

Feb 25, 2025 | Foreign policy and security analyst Jimmy Rushton tells Times Radio’s Maddie Hale that Donald Trump has operated with “strategic stupidity” towards Vladimir Putin, raising questions over whether China is watching the United States’ “weakness” and making “dangerous” plans

Trump 'Forced' into Talks with Zelenskyy as Ukraine Dangles Mineral Deal in Front of US

eb 25, 2025 | "Zelenskyy wasn't succeeding in getting into the Oval Office before he linked it to the mineral deal in that way."

Ukraine is using the mineral deal to get Zelenskyy into the Oval Office and "force" a conversation with Trump, says The Times's Catherine Philp.


Friday, February 21, 2025

'This Is a Dictator': New York Post Cover Shows Cracks in Right-wing over Trump's Comments

Feb 21, 2025 | ‘Politics Nation’ host Rev. Al Sharpton, host of the ‘Bulwark Podcast’ Tim Miller, and Puck News Senior Political Columnist John Heilemann join Nicolle Wallace to discuss the growing cracks in the Republican coalition as they voice dissent over Trump’s comments calling Ukrainian President Zelenskyy a dictator.

Trump Cozies up to Russia — Why “Nobody Trusts America”

Feb 21, 2025 | As the Russia-Ukraine war stretches into its fourth year, I spoke with former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul about the conflict’s global stakes. Following the Trump administration’s divisive peace talks with Russia that sidelined Ukraine, McFaul analyzes the geopolitical fallout, NATO’s future, and the shifting role of the U.S. on the world stage. How will Trump’s relationship with Putin reshape international alliances? And what are the risks of abandoning Ukraine? Don’t miss this deep dive into one of the most pressing global crises of our time.

Former MI6 Boss on Trump, Putin and a 'New Era' for International Relations

Feb 21, 2025 | As Donald Trump calls Ukraine’s President Zelensky a “dictator” and the US enters peace negotiations with Putin’s Russia, former MI6 boss Sir Alex Younger and former Financial Times Moscow Correspondent Catherine Belton discuss how the White House is paving the way for a “new era” of international relations.

World Reacts in Horror as Trump Surrenders to Putin

Feb 21, 2025 | In the last week, the Trump Administration’s actions have been so egregious that they caused more damage to our alliance with Europe than any other administration in American history. It started when JD Vance went to Germany to criticize the country for cracking down on far-right extremists, and it culminated with Donald Trump blaming Ukraine for being invaded by Russia. Our allies are speaking out against us, and that’s never a good position, as Ring of Fire’s Farron Cousins explains.

Thursday, February 20, 2025

'It's an Unbelievable Betrayal of Freedom': Putin Critic on Trump Attacking Zelenskyy

Feb 20, 2025 | CEO of Hermitage Capital Management and Head of the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign William Browder joins Nicolle Wallace to discuss President Trump's criticism of Ukrainian President Zelenskyy as he seems more interested in negotiating the end of the war with Vladimir Putin

Europe 'Will Almost Certainly Be At War with Russia' If Trump's Ukraine Chaos Continues

Feb 20, 2025 | "The way to prevent that is strong defense to spend money on defence to be prepared for the worst case, because that is the only way we are going to deter Russia." US withdrawal from NATO and failure to challenge Putin in ceasefire talks would cause a war in Europe in five years warns Former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Richard Shirreff on Frontline.

Stop Criticising Trump and Sign $500bn Mineral Deal, US Official Advises Kyiv

THE GUARDIAN: National security adviser says Ukraine is wrong to push back against Trump’s approach to peace talks with Russia

White House officials have told Ukraine to stop badmouthing Donald Trump and to sign a deal handing over half of the country’s mineral wealth to the US, saying a failure to do so would be unacceptable.

The US national security adviser, Mike Waltz, told Fox News that Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, should “tone down” his criticism of the US and take a “hard look” at the deal. It proposes giving Washington $500bn worth of natural resources, including oil and gas.

Waltz said Kyiv was wrong to push back against the US president’s approach to peace talks with Moscow, given everything the US had done for Ukraine. He denied accusations the US had snubbed Ukraine and America’s European allies by excluding them from talks earlier this week with Russia. This was routine “shuttle diplomacy”, he said. » | Luke Harding in Kyiv | Thursday, February 20, 2025

This dude is talking through his pine end! Look what Ukraine has done for America and the West! They have done all the fighting on the West’s behalf to stop the war spreading. America should be grateful to Ukraine, not the other way around. Those rare earth minerals belong to Ukraine and to future generations of Ukrainians, not to Trump and his billionaire cronies. – © Mark Alexander

Trump’s Savage Attack on Zelenskyy Shaped by Pro-Russian Coterie

THE GUARDIAN: ‘Kremlin whisperers’ have the president’s ear and dissenters are few – but a thin skin and self-interest are also at play

Donald Trump’s tarring of Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “dictator” who is to blame for the war with Russia, plunging Ukraine into a Darwinian struggle for its very existence, landed like a bombshell on the diplomatic landscape. But it did not come out of nowhere.

The US president has left the already badly frayed western alliance in disarray with a devastating social media attack on his Ukrainian counterpart, just hours after he had already implicitly blamed Kyiv for Russia’s invasion.

After much of what he said appeared to echo Kremlin talking points, including falsehoods about Zelenskyy’s popularity being at 4% (a recent poll put it at 57%), Ukraine’s president attributed it to Trump being trapped in a Russian “disinformation bubble”.

In fact, Trump may be the author of his own misconceptions about Ukraine – or at least responsible for having built the bubble himself, by surrounding himself with prominent figures who have often seemed to echo the Russian line. » | Robert Tait in Washington | Thursday, February 20, 2025

Musk: Zelensky Is ‘Despised’ by the Ukrainian People

THE TELEGRAPH: Volodymyr Zelensky is “despised” by the Ukrainian people and is “feeding off the dead bodies” of his countrymen, Elon Musk claimed.

Parroting criticisms voiced by Donald Trump, Mr Musk wrote on X that Mr Zelensky’s approval ratings have slumped and accused the Ukrainian leader of rigging online opinion polls and the media to boost his popularity, without citing evidence.

“If Zelensky was actually loved by the people of Ukraine, he would hold an election,” the tech billionaire said. “He knows he would lose in a landslide, despite having seized control of ALL Ukrainian media, so he cancelled the election.

“In reality, he is despised by the people of Ukraine, which is why he has refused to hold an election.”

He went on to challenge Mr Zelensky to call an election and claimed Mr Trump is justified in freezing the Ukrainian leader out of peace negotiations. » | Kieran Kelly. Jack Maidment, Politics Live Blog Editor. Cameron Henderson. Dominic Penna, Political Correspondent | Thursday, February 20, 2025

The way things are developing with the Trump presidency, the world will soon be at war. Things are spiralling out of control. We Westerners need to brace ourselves and prepare for the very worst. – © Mark Alexander

Malcolm Turnbull Says Trump's Comments on Zelenskyy 'Predictable' | ABC NEWS

Feb 20, 2025 | The former prime minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull says Donald Trump appears to be facillitating a victory for Vladimir Putin over Ukraine.

'He Can't End the War If He's Taking Sides': Bill Browder on Trump Calling Zelenskyy a 'Dictator'

Feb 19, 2025 | Bill Browder of Hermitage Capital Management talks about how Europe could change how it supports Ukraine if the U.S. cuts off military aid.