Saturday, March 01, 2025

So Trump made Zelenskyy an offer. But Zelenskyy refused ...


Just when I think Trump can't possibly get any worse... on Friday, he turned into The Orange Corleone: 
“You’re either gonna make a deal or we’re out, and if we’re out, you’ll fight it out,” said Mr. Trump. “I don’t think it’s gonna be pretty, but you’ll fight it out. But you don’t have the cards, but once we sign that deal, you’re in a much better position, but you’re not acting at all thankful, and that’s not a nice thing. I’ll be honest, that’s not a nice thing.”
And there was more:
 
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So Trump tried to bully Zelenskyy. And it didn't work. And by doing this in public, the whole world now understands that Trump is a vain, stupid, cowardly man, and so is Vice-President Vance and Secretary of State Rubio. The impact of this realization will be incalculable.
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It was obvious that the entire Trump administration is now supporting all of Putin's talking points - that Ukraine is to blame for the war, that Russia wants a cease fire, that Zelenskyy is a war-monger, etc etc. And it was also quite apparent that Trump is terrified of Russia's nuclear threat. But by signalling to Russia that the US would not backstop Ukraine, I think it is actually more likely now that Putin will try to use nuclear weapons to win the war. Europe knows this, too:

In an extraordinary display of public support, heads of state, heads of government, and foreign ministers from all over Europe and Canada are posting in support of Ukraine in response to the Oval Office meeting with Trump, Zelenskyy, and Vance.

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— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yasharali.bsky.social) February 28, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Its not just European governments that are angry:

One of Norway's largest fuel companies just announced that they will no longer refuel US Navy vessels after Trump’s treatment of Zelenskyy. “It made us sick... We encourage all Norwegians and Europeans to follow our example.”

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— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen.bsky.social) March 1, 2025 at 1:47 PM

The nuclear submarine USS Delaware was forced to turn around off the coast of Norway after a refusal to refuel by a private company following the Trump and Zelensky meeting.

— Olga Nesterova (@onestpress.bsky.social) March 1, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Britain tried to mediate:

Statement from Downing Street. Starmer should have tweeted it though. www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

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— SomersetWhovian 💙 🇺🇦 (@clairecopperman.bsky.social) February 28, 2025 at 6:16 PM
The BBC reported a bit more about Starmer's call
Colossal stakes for Starmer's summit on Ukraine
In the immediate hours after those astonishing exchanges between Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House, European leaders, one after another, offered their public support for Ukraine.
But the prime minister remained silent.
Then, as I dashed into the studio for the BBC News at Ten, my phone went.
I had been sent a statement from No 10: Sir Keir Starmer had spoken to them both and the prime minister "retains unwavering support for Ukraine and is doing all he can to find a path forward to a lasting peace".
...Sources are tight-lipped about the precise nature of the two phone calls Sir Keir made on Friday night, very aware of the acute sensitivities of this delicate situation.
But the UK's diplomatic efforts in recent weeks at least allowed those calls to be possible, allowing the UK to attempt to act as a bridge between both Kyiv and Washington, and Washington and Europe.
...At the heart of the UK and others' request of America is that the White House provides a security guarantee to Ukraine under any peace deal.
The UK wants that to amount to air cover. This would be a big ask of any president at any time, with the danger of conflict escalating with Russia. But it is a colossal ask of a president who has made it abundantly clear he has no appetite whatsoever for American foreign military adventures.
Which brings us to this weekend and President Zelensky joining his European allies in the UK.
There is a colossal amount at stake.

NEW: The first front pages of Saturday’s newspapers in the UK. “Ukraine Hero Ambushed” “Trump stuns world with vile rant at Zelensky” “A spectacle to horrify the world” Trump is obliterating the global reputation of the US.

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— News Eye (@newseye.bsky.social) February 28, 2025 at 4:23 PM
And here's a possibility I hadn't thought of...



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— The Globe and Mail (@theglobeandmail.com) February 28, 2025 at 5:05 PM
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This morning I read that the newish (October 2024) NATO secretary general Mark Rutte took a contrary stand, telling Zelenskyy to crawl back to Trump. 
Rutte doesn't seem to understand yet that that ship has sailed. Trump never forgives or forgets. 
I would think this will be "discussed" at the London Summit this weekend:

📸 No one follows more etiquette rules than the Royal Family—but notice how King Charles didn’t make any smart-ass or demeaning comments about Zelensky’s attire today. Why? Because respect isn’t about clothes—it’s about character. And that’s something money can’t buy.

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— Chris D. Jackson (@chrisdjackson.bsky.social) March 1, 2025 at 12:36 PM
Turning to another issue, Zelenskyy left the White House Friday without signing the critical minerals agreement Trump wanted. So now I expect Canada will also be in Trump's crosshairs as he thinks he is entitled to our critical minerals instead: Here's a link to that article:
Canada’s critical minerals and why Trump wants them
...Trump has threatened to annex Canada with an eye on its rich supply of critical minerals crucial to diverting U.S. economic and defence supply chains away from foreign rivals like China.
Here’s an overview of Canada’s critical minerals and why they are important to the United States and other partners.
Critical minerals are found in everything from mobile phones and solar panels to EV batteries, medical devices and military equipment. They have few, if any, substitutes.
Canada lists 34 minerals and metals critical for economic and national security, its energy transition and export markets. The list includes nickel and copper — although there’s a debate over whether they are critical — as well as lithium, cobalt and rare earths.
Many of these are also on a list of minerals important to the United States.....
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And nere is something else that happened today -- Vance and his family tried to go on a ski vacation in Vermont. There were so many protestors that apparently they had to leave:

To be clear, “Vance skis in jeans” is Vermont’s highest insult. This is Final Boss Nuclear Insult level in the Vermont linguistic hierarchy.

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— Garrett M. Graff (@vermontgmg.bsky.social) March 1, 2025 at 12:30 PM

Protestors skiing with signs to humiliate JD Vance is fantastic

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— Adam Parkhomenko (@adamparkhomenko.bsky.social) March 1, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Finally, this is a good one:
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3 comments:

Cap said...

Remember that time Trump got impeached for trying to get Zelensky to lie about Biden? By telling Zelensky to kiss and make up with Trump, NATO chief Rutte's shows he has no insight at all into what makes Trump tick. What a chump.

Another chump is the guy with the big ears shaking Zelensky's hand in the picture above. What the hell was King Chas thinking when he promised Trump an historic second state visit while Trump was threatening the sovereignty of Canada? There's a reason we've got Big Ears on our money, gimme a minute it'll come to me. If this pisses you off as much as it does me, here's a petition to sign https://stoptrump.org.uk/petition-cancel/

6:57 pm
Purple library guy said...

The chump is Keir Starmer. The monarch's name goes on the letterhead, but the decision to do something like that is all the Prime Minister. If Charles refused to send it there would be a constitutional crisis. I wish people would stop talking as if the British monarchs were the rulers of Britain--they reign. They're not in politics, and because they're not elected they aren't allowed to say anything political or do much of bloody anything, and if they did everyone would be all "How dare you!!!"

The Royals can't win. They follow the rules everyone's always "They should be breaking the rules! Down with them!" but if they broke the rules everyone would be "Those unelected illegitimate people are breaking the rules!!! Down with them!"

Whether there should be a monarchy, or whether Canada should continue to have one, is a separate issue (I'm somewhat in favour of keeping them for abstruse reasons about our political and legal institutions), but even if you think there should be no monarch it's unfair to blame the specific one we have for doing his job properly.

1:00 am
Jenn Jilks said...

It's good to know we have friends across the pond!

5:24 pm

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