In the last two weeks, America has witnessed its president side with a dictator responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths across three years of war, rather than supporting a democracy attempting to defend its homeland.
Very recently, President Trump spoke out against Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, claiming that he has handled the war with Russia poorly and has no real ability to dictate the outcome of the three-year war. The media has raised alarms at the US president’s comments, claiming them to be uncalled for if not untrue.
On Feb. 21, Trump went on the Brian Kilmeade Show on Fox Radio and stated that Zelenskyy has been going about the war all wrong, and that he’s quite frankly “sick of it.” He says he’s “been watching this man for years now, as his cities get demolished, as his people get killed, as the soldiers get decimated.”Additionally, President Trump mentioned that Ukraine was the one to start the war when this is factually inaccurate.
The president later mentioned, still defaming Zelenskyy, that it doesn’t matter whether or not the Ukrainian President attends the peace meetings since “He’s been there for three years. He makes it very hard to make deals. But look what’s happened to his country, it’s been demolished.”
For context, political leaders representing the United States, Russia, and Ukraine have often met to discuss peace terms and settle the ongoing conflict dating back to 2014 and before. However, recently, the United States and Russia have been leaving Ukrainian officials out of these negotiations due to Zelenskyy’s alleged incompetence and inability to reach a solution.
This is dangerous, especially considering the growing tensions between Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy, putting Ukraine in a vulnerable position. The years of war and conflict that have resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian lives are shaping up to resolve without a happy ending for Ukraine.
Now President Trump is publicly enforcing that Ukraine not only was the one who started the war, but is doing an awful job at trying to reach a peace deal with Russia, its would-be conquerors.
What he fails to recognize, however, is that the Minsk agreement was already struck between Ukraine and Russia back in September of 2014, after Russia invaded Crimea. What was thought to be a long-lasting time of uneasy peace between the bordering countries resulted in a broken treaty and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Peace agreements between Russia and Ukraine are unlikely to be reached for some time. Even if they do, there is nothing stopping Russia from breaking them again, just as it broke the Minsk agreement. An ambitionist like Russian President Vladimir Putin isn’t after peace, and history proves that claim to be correct.
This leaves the White House’s motives unclear, and by extension, the president’s. People fear that the United States will begin to back Russia and Putin’s effort. While not a dictator on paper, Russia has committed war crimes in Ukraine and there’s evidence suggesting that Putin has assassinated prior political competitors. The man is a dictator, hard-stop.
Senior Grant Jaques expresses his concerns with Trump’s tactics and wagers that it’s possibly part of an underlying plot to strong-arm Ukraine. “If he makes Ukraine sweat, then they’d be more likely to accept America’s rare minerals deal that was signed recently. But even if that was the case, that’s still a dangerous way to go about a deal that’s not necessarily mutual between the U.S and Ukraine,” Jaques said.
Last Week, the White House announced a new foreign policy through a new rare minerals deal with Ukraine. Under the deal, Ukraine would use the income from selling its rare minerals to pay back the $500 billion debt it owes to the United States. However, while in effect, the deal does not guarantee any protection or security from the United States.
This deal was scheduled to be signed last Friday before being interrupted by an Oval Office press conference between Trump and Zalenskyy. The Ukrainian President had previously questioned whether it’d be a good idea to sign such a deal.
Zelenskyy reportedly said that the deal would fail if it didn’t embody Ukraine’s vision of the future. In a news conference, he told reporters “If I see and hear a broader vision from him, one that aligns with our concept of a just peace for Ukraine, then this agreement can be part of broader security guarantees.”
Unfortunately, things fell apart during the Oval Office press conference. What was supposed to be an opportunity to answer the media’s question turned into an unproductive babble that only worsened both countries’ hopes for a sufficient agreement and aired as a win for Russia.
Among what was said was Trump’s throwing around the notion of a World War III and pinning the blame for the invasion Russia started on Ukraine. Additionally, JD Vance added that Ukraine isn’t thankful for the support they’ve received from the United States.
Following the press conference, the rare minerals deal wasn’t signed. Many eyes look to the same deal being made by Russia, wondering if the United States will pursue that deal out of their self-interest.
“We don’t need thanks from foreign allies for helping defend their sovereignty. I believe that Trump is trying to leverage the war in Ukraine to somehow benefit the U.S. I believe he will try to go with whichever minerals deal benefits the U.S. the most without any regard to stability in Europe or permission structures for authoritarians.” Jaques continued.
Americans are now more concerned than ever about where future developments will lead the United States. The US has always fought for the spread of true democracy, and now many wonder if they’ll uphold long established values or cave to greed and self interest.
Senior Henry Gannaway shares his grievances with the path the United States is taking. “After hearing so many horrible stories of the effects of the war in Ukraine and of the terror that the Russians have caused, I think it’s hard to believe supporting the Russian side. Especially after how much aid we’ve provided to Ukraine so far, I don’t love the idea of switching sides. I’m just hoping that we’re able to find a way to bring peace in Ukraine and help people find peace and contentment by ending this war,” Gannaway commented.
