Friday’s televised White House meeting with Trump and Vance berating and humiliating Ukrainian President Zelensky set a new standard for vileness.
Before throwing Zelensky out (cancelling their scheduled lunch, and the minerals deal Trump was trying to blackmail Ukraine into), they accused him of “disrespect.” Of course it was them disrespecting him. Insisting he hadn’t thanked us for our help — ridiculously untrue. Though now, with “friends” like America, who needs enemies?
Disrespect? Those two aren’t fit to lick Zelensky’s shoes. Their behavior drenched this country in shame.
What ignited their sickening fireworks was when Vance ignorantly babbled about “diplomacy,” and Zelensky reasonably pointed out Putin’s consistent history of violating agreements. Hence the need for security guarantees in any peace deal. Trump refuses to hear this, and it set off his loud tirade of finger-pointing insults.
Indeed, Trump refuses to hear that Russia started the war with unprovoked aggression and horrific atrocities. Instead, as the Kremlin’s mouthpiece, he grotesquely puts all the blame on Ukraine for the war’s start, and for not somehow ending it (by surrendering). Even ludicrously called Zelensky a dictator. But won’t say a word against Putin — who, with his flunkies, were dancing with glee over Trump’s Freaky Friday performance.
He hates Zelensky because of that “perfect” phone call where Trump tried unsuccessfully to extort a smear of Biden in exchange for releasing aid (resulting in his first impeachment). While seeing Putin as a role model he wishes he could emulate.
Thus Trump aligns us with Russia as against Ukraine and the rest of Europe. That’s not merely an appearance or inference, it’s brute reality. He actually believes in a “might makes right” world order where the strong can crush the weak.
This is what America today literally stands for in the world. When the UN voted overwhelmingly the other day condemning Russia’s Ukraine invasion, the U.S. joined with North Korea, Iran, Russia, and few others, opposing the resolution. Even China abstained.
On the PBS Newshour Friday, noted Yale historian Timothy Snyder spoke in measured terms, yet devastatingly, about how it’s not only morally bankrupt but insanely self-harming for America to turn like this. Shredding the bonds with advanced democratic nations we’d spent 80 years building, in favor of allying with a rogue Russia, that actually has a mere fraction of NATO and EU countries’ economic importance. That past alliance well served our interests by ensuring a stable peaceful Europe and a global economy that spread prosperity far and wide. Now Trump aligns us with criminals who want to blow it all up. Making us not only dishonorable, but weaker, poorer, and less secure.
Republican officialdom, beaten down by terror of Trump, is of course mostly mute about this disgrace. While Senator Lindsay Graham declared that Zelensky should resign, and Secretary of State Rubio actually lauded Trump for “standing up” to Zelensky!
In Friday’s meeting, Trump crazily accused him of gambling with millions of lives and even courting “World War III.” Trying to cast himself as a peacemaker and Zelensky as an obstacle. Of course what really threatened WWIII was Putin’s invasion accompanied by nuclear saber-rattling; the prospect that he’ll be rewarded for it undermines peace everywhere. That’s what Trump’s surrender deal would actually achieve. Encouraging all the world’s bad guys to similarly go for it (notably Xi Jinping against Taiwan).
And of course Zelensky was spot-on in highlighting that a Ukraine “peace deal” without some sort of security guarantee would just be another Munich enabling Putin to consolidate his gains and gird for the next assault. Refusing to see this obvious reality makes Trump a deranged fool. Moreover it’s mad to imagine he can make some deal with Putin and simply impose it on Ukraine. Most frontline European countries — denouncing Trump’s Friday awfulness — say they’ll continue and even step up their aid for Ukraine’s resistance.
They should just tell Trump and Putin where they can shove their slimy deal.
