The Oval Office *spat* prompted European #allies to mount a spirited defence of the embattled Ukrainian President #Zelensky.
On Sat, the #EU's top diplomat, #KajaKallas, warned that it had "become clear that the free world needs a new leader. It is up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge."
Friedrich #Merz, who is expected to become #Germany's next chancellor, wrote that he stood w/ #Ukraine "in good & testing times", adding: "We must never confuse aggressor & victim in this terrible war."
Of the many bizarre & uncomfortable moments during today’s Oval Office meeting between #Trump, #JDVance, & Volodymyr #Zelensky — during which Trump finally shattered the American #alliance w/ #Ukraine — one was particularly revealing: What, a reporter asked, would happen if the #ceasefire Trump is trying to negotiate were to be violated by #Russia?
#geopolitics #Putin #USpol #NewWorldOrder #Europe #ForeignPolicy #RevengePolitics
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/02/zelensky-trump-putin-ukraine/681883/
“What if anything? What if a bomb drops on your head right now?” #Trump spat back, as if #Russia violating a neighbor’s #sovereignty were the wildest & most unlikely possibility, rather than a frequently recurring event.
Then Trump explained just why he deemed such an event so unlikely. “They respect me” he thundered. “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 & Russia. Russia, Russia, Russia, you ever hear of that?…”
#Trump seems to genuinely feel that he & #Putin forged a personal bond through the shared *trauma* of being *persecuted* by the Democratic Party. Trump is known for his cold-eyed, transactional approach, & yet here he was, displaying affection & loyalty. (At another point, Trump complained that #Zelensky has “tremendous hatred” toward Putin & insisted, “It’s very tough for me to make a deal w/that kind of hate.”)
#Trump was not explaining why a deal w/ #Russia would advance #America’s interests, or why honoring it would advance Russia’s. He was defending Russia’s integrity by vouching for #Putin’s character.
In recent yrs, the kinship between Trump & Putin has become somewhat unfashionable to point out. After #Mueller disappointed liberals by failing to prove a #criminal #conspiracy btwn the Trump campaign & Russia, conventional wisdom on much of the center & left…came to treat the scandal as overblown.
But even the facts #Mueller was able to produce, despite noncooperation from #Trump’s top lieutenants, were astonishing. #Putin dangled a Moscow building deal in front of the #TrumpOrganization worth hundreds of millions of dollars, & Trump lied about it, giving Putin leverage over him. Trump’s campaign chair, #PaulManafort, was in business w/a Russian #intelligence officer.
#geopolitics #Zelensky #Ukraine #Russia #UnitedStates #NewWorldOrder #allies #Europe #ForeignPolicy #RevengePolitics
#Russia published hacked #Democratic emails at a time when they were maximally useful to #Trump’s campaign, & made another hacking attempt after he asked it on television to find missing emails from #HillaryClinton. The pattern of cooperation between Trump & #Putin may not have been provably #criminal, but it was extraordinarily damning.
#Conservatives have invested even more heavily in denying any basis for the Trump-Russia scandal.
A handful of #MAGA devotees have openly endorsed #RussianPropaganda, but more #Republicans have explained away #Trump’s behavior as reflecting some motivation other than outright sympathy for Moscow: He is transactional, he is a nationalist, he admires strength & holds weakness in contempt.
And it is all true: Trump does admire #dictators. He does instinctively side w/ #bullies over victims. He does lack any #values-based framework for American #ForeignPolicy.
But many #Republicans who acknowledged these traits nonetheless believed that #Trump could be persuaded to stay in #Ukraine’s corner. They were wrong. The reason they were wrong is that, in addition to his generalized #amorality, Trump exhibits a particular affection for #Putin & #Russia.
#geopolitics #Zelensky #Europe #Putin #Russia #UnitedStates #NewWorldOrder #allies #ForeignPolicy #RevengePolitics #PutinsPuppet
Flow of #US Weapons to #Ukraine Has Nearly Stopped & May End Completely
The #Biden admin saw the $67 billion in military assistance it provided to Kyiv as essential. #Trump sees any further #aid as #leverage.
#MafiaState #extortion #geopolitics #NationalSecurity #GlobalSecurity #Russia #Putin #Europe #NATO #alliance #NewWorldOrder
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/28/us/politics/trump-ukraine-weapons.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&sgrp=p&pvid=F7682D2B-F1BD-499B-9C8D-F4FC064605E4
President Volodymyr #Zelensky of #Ukraine entered the White House for a meeting w/Donald #Trump on Friday knowing that the flow of weapons & military hardware from the #UnitedStates to his country had essentially stopped.
By the time he left, after a televised argument between the 2 leaders, the situation appeared even more dire.
#extortion #geopolitics #Putin #Russia #UnitedStates #MafiaState #allies #Europe #ForeignPolicy #RevengePolitics #PutinsPuppet
As the 2 men met, it had been 50 days since the #Pentagon had announced a new package of weapons to #Ukraine & the #Trump admin had said little about providing any more.
An admin ofcl said later on Fri that all #US #aid to Ukraine — including the final shipments of ammunition & equipment authorized & [already] PAID FOR during the #Biden admin—could be canceled imminently.
#extortion #geopolitics #Putin #Russia #MafiaState #allies #Europe #ForeignPolicy #RevengePolitics #PutinsPuppet
…such shipments of military hardware from the #UnitedStates were announced roughly every 2 weeks during the #Biden admin, & sometimes just 5 or 6 days apart.
Acc/to the #Pentagon, ~$3.85B remains of what #Congress AUTHORIZED for additional withdrawals from the #Defense Dept’s stockpile. A fmr snr defense ofcl from the Biden admin said the last of the arms Ukraine had PURCHASED from #US defense companies would be shipped within the next 6 months.
…it will be up to… #Europe & other countries to keep #Ukraine’s guns firing.
#Trump has insisted on “#payback” for #military #aid. On Fri, the 2 leaders had been expected to sign an agreement that would give the #UnitedStates access to #Ukraine’s minerals.
A draft of the deal vaguely mentioned #security guarantees for Ukraine. But #Zelensky left the WH w/o an agreement, while his country faces relentless attacks from #Russia & #NorthKorea troops along a 600-mi front line.
…After Friday’s spectacle in the Oval Office, the #Trump admin ofcl said the president might decide to end even the indirect support being provided by the #US, which includes other types of #military financing, #intelligence sharing, #training for Ukrainian troops & pilots, & hosting a call center that manages #InternationalAid at a US military base in Germany.
#extortion #geopolitics #Putin #Russia #MafiaState #allies #Europe #ForeignPolicy #RevengePolitics #PutinsPuppet
Once the last of the #US – funded purchases of arms end, the main source of #military assistance for Kyiv will be the #Ukraine Defense Contact Group, a collection of roughly 50 nations founded in April 2022 by fmr #Defense Sec #LloydAustin III. It met 25X during the #Biden admin to coordinate the provision of weapons & the development of new military capabilities for the embattled nation.
#geopolitics #Russia #war #NewWorldOrder #allies #Europe #ForeignPolicy #RevengePolitics #PutinsPuppet
…On Feb. 6, the #Trump #Pentagon said it was passing leadership of the group to #Britain.
The Pentagon referred questions about continuing support to #Ukraine to the British ministry of #defense.
“A just & lasting peace is only possible if we continue to show strength & provide Ukraine w/the support it needs to defend itself against continued Russian aggression. There will be no letup in our support, which we will continue for as long as it is necessary,”a spox for the ministry of defense said…
#Germany’s president, Frank-Walter #Steinmeier, on Saturday sharply criticized #Trump over the WH meeting w/ President Volodymyr #Zelensky on Friday, saying that #Europe must #StandWithUkraine & prevent the country “from having to accept subjugation.”
“The scene at the White House yesterday took my breath away,” Steinmeier said. “I would never have believed that we would ever have to defend Ukraine from the #UnitedStates.”
#geopolitics #ForeignPolicy #NewWorldOrder
https://nordot.app/1268569760790692163
#Hungary's #Orban urged the #EU to start direct discussions w/ #Russia on a ceasefire in #Ukraine & drop plans for a joint declaration at an extraordinary EU #summit.
Orban said there are "strategic differences in our approach to Ukraine that cannot be bridged".
"I am convinced that the European Union - following the example of the #UnitedStates - should enter into direct discussions w/Russia on a ceasefire & sustainable peace in Ukraine," Orban, a #Trump ally, said.
#CzechRepublic PM Petr Fiala says "#Europe faces a historic test" & has to be able to take care of itself: "Nobody else will do it."
#Fiala said Saturday that Europe has to increase its #military support for #Ukraine & European countries have to increase their arms spending to reach "at least" 3% of GDP.
"If we don't increase our effort fast enough & let the aggressor dictate its conditions, we won't end up well," he said.
#geopolitics #NewWorldOrder #Russia #US
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/european-leaders-back-zelenskyy-trump/
#Slovakia populist PM Robert #Fico repeated his country won't provide #Ukraine any military or financial support that would help it fight #Russia. Fico also demanded that an emergency EU summit in Brussels on Thurs agree to a call for an immediate ceasefire, "which is something that President #Zelenskyy & a majority of #EU member states refuse to do." Fico said his country also wants the summit to specifically request Ukraine to reopen the transit of Russian #gas to #Europe.
#Poland's President Andrzej #Duda has called on #Zelenskyy to return to the negotiating table in order to ensure the #security of his country, arguing that only the #UnitedStates is able to stop #Russia aggression. Duda is a strong supporter of #Ukraine & has friendly ties w/ #Trump.
"Volodymyr Zelenskyy should return to this table, sit calmly at this table, remain calm, negotiate a solution that will make Ukraine safe," Duda said.
[He knows that if Ukraine falls, Poland is next]
French minister of the armed forces says #France's #nuclear deterrent will remain the prerogative of the country's president as #Europe’s leaders mull ways to bolster their #security amid *uncertainty* over #US support. Sebastien Lecornu posted a clarification on social media after French president Emmanuel #Macron said he was ready to open discussions on a possible European nuclear deterrent.
#geopolitics #Zelensky #Ukraine #Putin #Russia #Trump #UnitedStates #NewWorldOrder #ForeignPolicy
Future #Germany leader Friedrich #Merz has suggested that #Britain & #France could "share" their #nuclear weapons in the future.
German Foreign Minister Annalena #Baerbock said "a new era of nefariousness" had begun in the wake of #Trump's treatment of #Zelenskyy at the White House, but vowed that it would only increase her country's commitment to #Ukraine.
#geopolitics #Russia #UnitedStates #NewWorldOrder #ForeignPolicy
"Many of you will have slept fitfully tonight in the face of the unspeakable videos from the White House. Frankly, so did I. Unfortunately, this was not a bad dream, but a violent reality," #Germany’s #Baerbock said. "Our horror is greater today than before, but so is our commitment to the people of #Ukraine, to our own #security & to #peace in #Europe."
She described Ukraine as "part of free & #democratic Europe" & said there is no question who the aggressor is & who is "the brave defender.”
