Few things are more absurd than the current “peace” talks about Ukraine. Everything is wrong – the parties involved, the lines of communications, the issues discussed, and the demands raised. The fundamental problem is that US President Donald Trump is assisting his master, Russian President Vladimir Putin, at the cost of Ukraine and Europe, which need to stand up in protest.
The Wall Street Journal has eminently revealed what it is all about. Kirill Dmitriev is a Stanford and Harvard Business School graduate who has worked for McKinsey and Goldman Sachs. He returned to his hometown Kyiv, but after four years as an unsuccessful fund manager, he moved to Moscow where he married the closest friend of Putin’s daughter Katerina, so he is considered part of the Putin family.
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In October in Miami, Dmitriev formulated a 28-point plan for Ukraine’s capitulation, purportedly with Trump’s ignorant real estate investor Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who saw an opportunity to make money on Ukraine. The Wall Street Journal uncovered that the Witkoff-Kushner-Dmitriev scheme was to jointly loot $300bn of frozen Russian state assets in the West, predominantly in Europe.
As Putin’s obedient servant, Trump issued a one-week ultimatum to President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept the Dmitriev plan, which effectively would have meant Ukraine’s surrender. Needless to say, Trump posed no conditions on his master Putin.
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Fortunately, the situation became too embarrassing even for Trump, so he asked his spineless Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio to talk to the Ukrainians. He did so, and they trimmed it to 19 unpublished points, which have fortunately not been published.
Russia needs to be pressured, but Trump refuses to do that, while he gives no arms or money to Ukraine. Intermittently, he lies incessantly that the US has given $350 billion in support of Ukraine, and initially he wanted poor Ukraine to repay the US for this exaggerated amount. The best evidence of actual assistance given to Ukraine is compiled by the eminent Kiel Institute of the World Economy, and its current number for total US assistance is $130 billion, while Europe has given $200 billion.
Trump regularly abuses Ukraine and Zelensky, for no good reason, while he demands nothing from Russia. Again and again, Trump pushes Zelensky to capitulate, clarifying his full support for Putin. It is difficult to escape the impression that Trump is subject to personal extortion by Putin. Otherwise, Putin would not dare to publicly declare his support for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, after which Trump is quiet.
Poles apart
Ukraine’s demands are obvious and reasonable. First of all, Ukraine wants to live in peace. In the short term that means ceasefire, that Russia stops regularly bombing Ukrainian residential buildings, hospitals, schools, cultural institutions and churches. Second, Ukraine insists on its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Third, Ukraine calls for reliable security guarantees, which can only come with NATO membership. Fourth, Ukraine wants the return of all its deported citizens, in particular, children, and war reparations from Russia.
Trump’s views could not differ more. He does not care about people, but real estate and money. He insists on Ukraine giving up territory to Russia against all traditional US principles. He is unable to impose any ceasefire on Russia, while Ukraine has repeatedly accepted it. When Putin refuses, his servant Trump stays silent. Trump offers no security guarantees to Ukraine and even if he did, he is completely untrustworthy. Trump could not care less about the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, or the killing and torture of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians.
When we move to money, the kleptocrat Trump gets excited. He opposes any Russian reparations because he wants to seize Russia’s frozen state assets in the West in collusion with the Kremlin. He has even launched an absurd and impractical idea of a free economic zone in the Donbas, presumably to transfer some territory away from Ukraine.
Trump has only one real friend in Europe – Viktor Orban, the anti-democratic prime minister of Hungary, who has degraded his land to the most corrupt country in the EU and the only pro-Russian EU country.
The EU strongly supports Ukraine, unlike its enemy the US, so Trump wants to dissolve the EU.
Ukraine and the EU had better realize that Trump is merely the obedient servant of Putin, best ignored and definitely resisted. They should ask their intelligence services to find out why Trump serves Putin.
Western leaders should stop talking to Trump. Just tell him to learn something as well as to behave! An ignorant brute such as Trump should be allowed no place in international politics and certainly not in diplomacy. Similarly, Ukraine should not concern itself with Trump. Trump is an enemy, allied with Putin. Apart from being evil, Trump is focused on his self-enrichment and he is stunningly ignorant. No serious person should talk to such a sadistic fool!
European leaders support Zelensky, but they need to take the initiative from hostile Trump. At the European Council meeting on Dec. 18-19, they need to prove that by seizing Russia’s frozen assets of €210 billion in Europe and pass them on to Ukraine.
It is vital that Europe stands up for Ukraine, democracy, freedom and rule of law against the Trump-Putin kleptocrats.
The views expressed are the author’s and not necessarily of Kyiv Post.
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