In the world of Donald Trump, things happen very quickly.
Just recently, the president of the United States made the erroneous accusation that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was a “dictator” who instigated the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and who lacked the ability to respond.
The Ukrainian hero, however, will get a hero’s welcome at the White House on Friday.
There will be a fruitful encounter between us…. We’re gonna be great friends. OK. We hold one other in high regard. In a Thursday statement, Trump expressed his admiration for the president.
Zelensky has experienced a personal revelation.
Following the US delegation’s absence from the Ukrainian peace negotiations in Saudi Arabia last week, he accused Trump of bringing Russian President Vladimir Putin out of isolation. He also cautioned that the president of the United States was navigating a “disinformation space.”
However, Zelensky has discovered an important lesson: concede Trump’s victory.
The president of Ukraine is visiting the US capital to finalize a deal that would allow American companies to harvest rare earth minerals found in Ukraine. The initial version of the agreement resembled the colonial plunder of a beleaguered nation; Zelensky declined to sign it, expressing his inability to sell up his country’s riches. After Russia invaded Ukraine, Trump said he could repay taxpayers for the financial and military aid by making half a trillion dollars.
Ukraine, which began talks with the US last year over leveraging its mineral reserves to fund the reconstruction of its damaged towns and infrastructure, will likely find the more recent version to be much easier to implement. Trump’s original assertion for a $500 billion value—a wonderful metaphor for a foreign policy perspective that views the globe as a real estate deal—has been completely erased from the conversation about a joint reconstruction fund.
I suppose so. Although Zelensky may have succeeded in removing the most harsh provisions from the planned agreement, the reality remains that he was left with few alternatives. He’s making an effort to re-enter the peace negotiations by any means necessary. What seems like an improbable possibility only a few days ago may take shape as a long-term US partnership with Ukraine if Zelensky’s first meeting with Trump since his reelection allays worries of betrayal.
The main reason Zelensky is portraying the accord as only a foundation for a future contract is because he is attempting to utilize Ukraine’s mineral riches to secure future security assurances from the US, which he believes are crucial to the survival of any peace deal that may be negotiated.
Then why did it thaw?
While meeting with Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, earlier this week, Trump dropped hints.
I get bargains. Deals are my life,” Trump declared.
Even if the president’s hopes for the rare earth minerals agreement with Ukraine are low, he will nonetheless portray it as a remarkable triumph for the United States and himself.
“We’re going to be signing an agreement, which will be a very big agreement,” the president announced before Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting.
Trump was so intent on reaching a settlement that he conveniently forgot his earlier accusation that Zelensky was a tyrant. He still holds a grudge against the Ukrainian president, whom he blames for being on the opposite end of the phone conversation that resulted in his first impeachment.
I thought I said that. Believe it or not, I just stated it. What do you think is the next question? Trump stated Thursday in the Oval Office, almost smirking.
Trump maintains his confidence in Putin
In the past several days, Zelensky and Trump may have had a significant change of heart.
The US president’s most recent demonstration of total confidence in Putin on Thursday sounded a tremendous warning about the type of agreement he may attempt to strike with Russia, but nothing has changed between the two leaders.
It is likely that he will honor his promise. You know, I’ve had conversations with him and have known him for quite some time. While meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the Oval Office, Trump made the statement. I have faith that he will keep his promise. Upon finalizing our agreement, I do not anticipate his return.
Someone may argue that Trump is the only Western leader capable of negotiating with Putin to halt the war, which has killed countless innocent people, ravaged large portions of Ukraine, and sent shockwaves throughout the globe. What the president really wants is the Nobel Peace Prize, and he will get it if he can bring about a fair and permanent peace.
However, US European allies are understandably worried that Trump will accept any agreement with Putin that legitimizes Russia’s illegal invasion of nearly 20% of Ukraine’s land, prepares the stage for a future conflict of even greater severity, and encourages Putin to attempt to seize even more of Europe, maybe even the Baltic states.
This week, Macron and Starmer both made their points very clear to Trump.
Starmer stated, “We have to get it right,” when speaking at a press conference with Trump about Thursday. We must win the peace is a well-known phrase in Britain that originated in the aftermath of World War II. Peace that benefits the oppressor or regimes like Iran cannot be achieved through this current course of action.
Drawing on his past disappointments in his interactions with Putin prior to the invasion, Macron attempted to convey to Trump the difficulties of reaching an agreement with the Russian leader. I spoke with President Putin for seven hours on many occasions, the longest of which was at the start of 2022. “He denied everything fifteen days before the attack was launched,” Macron stated.
Trump should not put his confidence in Putin’s sincerity. Reestablishing diplomatic ties with Russia and its autocratic leader has been an objective of each of the last five US administrations. Nothing worked. Plus, Putin has a history of not keeping his promises; he most recently admitted to have no intention of invading Ukraine before actually carrying it out.
Many former top officials are concerned that Trump’s readiness to believe the Russian president might result in appeasement instead of a strong, long-term peace agreement.
The layering of Starmer’s
A perfect illustration of the facade that European leaders must maintain in order to communicate with a president who threatens to dismantle an international liberal system that has existed since the end of WWII and is 80 years old is Starmer’s visit.
A former barrister noted for his discipline and restraint, the prime minister is not famous for his political antics. However, he created quite a spectacle when he proudly displayed a letter from King Charles III inviting Trump to a state visit in the Oval Office.
“Indeed, it is correct. While receiving the king on a state visit in 2017, the president expressed his excitement and commended the country, saying, “Your country is a fantastic country.” The monarch is the son of the late Queen Elizabeth II. “He is an exceptional gentleman. An exceptional gentleman. Trump indicated as much, gesturing with the letter. I mean, isn’t it a signature? Very lovely. And what a handsome, nice man he is.
In what was perhaps the most brazen attempt by any foreign leader to boost Trump’s ego thus far in his second term, Starmer went all out. It’s a request for a return state visit. I am very amazed. There has never been anything like this. This has never happened before.
A lesson in the futility of flattery may await the prime minister of the United Kingdom in her dealings with President Trump. The fate of Ukraine, however, seems to be precariously balanced between the rituals of a state visit to the king and Putin, to whom the US president frequently bows down.
However, the sight horrified one long-time British political observer.
According to Vince Cable, a former Cabinet minister and Liberal Democrat leader, “It was humiliating in a way” when speaking to AWN International’s Jim Sciutto. A certain level of admiration must be directed towards Starmer for his willingness to endure public shame in order to attain a certain political objective, as stated by Cable.
Cable expressed his embarrassment as a British citizen upon witnessing such debasement. “But I guess we’ll just have to accept that’s the way it’s necessary with this president if he can achieve anything.”