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UJ
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Former President Donald Trump defended the US involvement in peace discussions that did not include Ukraine by altering established facts.
While speaking to reporters at Mar-a-Lago following a golf game on Tuesday, Trump claimed that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky “should never have instigated” the conflict, suggesting, “A deal could have been made.”
Regardless of the debate regarding the vast amounts of US military assistance to Ukraine or the alliances the US ought to pursue, there is no credible narrative—except for one propagated by Russia—in which Zelensky ignited the war that commenced in February 2022 when Russian troops invaded Ukraine.
Presently, after nearly three years of a fierce war of attrition, Zelensky was denied a place at the discussion table for the negotiations held by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which included representatives from Putin’s regime—an entity that has ruled for 25 years through six US presidential administrations.
Zelensky attempted to counter Trump’s distortions during his own press conference on Wednesday morning in Kyiv.
“Regrettably, President Trump – whom I respect as a leader of a nation we admire and a nation that consistently backs us – unfortunately navigates through a realm of disinformation,” Zelensky stated.
In a subsequent post on his social media platform, Trump echoed Kremlin narratives, labeling Zelensky a “dictator” while unfoundedly claiming that a significant portion of the aid approved by Congress for Ukraine has vanished.
In reality, over half of the US assistance to Ukraine has been delivered in the form of weaponry and ammunition sourced from US reserves. The funding transitioned from US taxpayers to domestic defense contractors for the acquisition of military resources, with some of this inventory ultimately dispatched to Ukraine.
This moment feels significant as Trump appears to be pivoting towards Russia, distancing himself from Ukraine.
Yet this shift happens amidst Trump’s remarkable political resurgence, despite investigations regarding his campaign’s interactions with Russian entities and his impeachment tied to leveraging Zelensky for inquiries into Joe Biden prior to the election Trump attempted to contest and has yet to acknowledge losing.
In essence, history plays a role in this context. A brief recap of the last decade is beneficial.
In 2015, while running for president, Trump was also exploring the possibility of a real estate project in Moscow, although reports indicate this proposal was ultimately discarded.
Although there was insufficient evidence for the subsequent special counsel Robert Mueller to determine there was collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russian actors, US intelligence assessments confirm that Russia actively sought to assist Trump’s election bid, a narrative Trump now denounces as the “Russia Hoax.”
When Trump publicly invited Russians to obtain Hillary Clinton’s campaign emails, they promptly commenced their efforts, as outlined in indictments issued by the Department of Justice in 2018.
Trump’s campaign chairman for a brief period during the 2016 campaign, Paul Manafort, had prior affiliations with pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine, which contributed to his eventual departure from Trump’s campaign.
There’s too much to summarize here, but it suffices to say that Russia’s influence significantly loomed over Trump’s presidency, commencing with the dismissal of his first national security adviser for deceiving about meetings with the Russian ambassador, followed by the recusal of his inaugural attorney general, and the appointment of former FBI director Robert Mueller to investigate Russian efforts to sway the 2016 election, along with multiple legal trials involving Trump associates.
In 2019, in an attempt to obtain incriminating information on Biden, Trump pressured Zelensky, newly instated, to investigate Biden and his son Hunter in exchange for military aid meant to counter Russia. That call led to a whistleblower report and ultimately Trump’s first impeachment, although he was acquitted of “high crimes and misdemeanors” in a Senate trial.
Until recently, Zelensky consistently praised Trump. The two leaders met in New York back in September.
However, this leads us to an unusual situation: The foreign leader whom Trump might hold accountable for impeachment is the same individual receiving billions in US military assistance to fend off the foreign leader that US intelligence agencies believe orchestrated efforts to assist Trump in his election.
What does Trump say about Putin and Ukraine?
Trump often boasts that during his presidency, Putin refrained from pursuing his ambitions in Ukraine for four years. It’s accurate that Russia invaded Crimea in 2014 under President Barack Obama and attempted to complete its incursion in 2022 with President Joe Biden in office.
Trump’s assertion during the 2016 campaign that Putin would not advance further into Ukraine during his tenure proved true.
However, some of his other claims, like the one made during a debate with Vice President Kamala Harris last September, asserting that “I will resolve this matter before I even become president,” have not materialized.
Trump has referred to Putin as shrewd and commended his strength while Putin amassed troops along Ukraine’s border. Concurrently, the Biden administration was striving to persuade the globe of the seriousness of an impending Russian invasion and that Russia sought justification for such an action.
Trump called into a Fox News segment and argued—asserting still today—that Biden’s ill-fated withdrawal from Afghanistan provoked Putin to act on his desire to invade Ukraine, neglecting to mention that the plan for Afghanistan was initially devised during Trump’s presidency.
For those needing a recap, consider what transpired nearly three years ago when Russia invaded Ukraine: Russia’s spokesperson claimed the invasion was part of a mission to “liberate” Ukraine, which needed to be “cleansed of Nazis.” Notably, Zelensky is Jewish.
Two GOP senators rail against Putin despite Trump’s rosy assessment of Russian leader
In the period following the invasion, a number of Republicans have shifted toward Trump’s perspective. Some supporters of Ukraine, like former Senator Marco Rubio, have transformed their views. Rubio is now Trump’s Secretary of State and participated in the Saudi Arabian peace discussions. Conversely, other Republicans, such as Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, maintain a staunch anti-Russia stance, yet the party is evidently realigning itself with Trump’s ideology.
Will Putin stand down under Trump?
Wendy Sherman, a State Department official from the Biden administration who engaged in discussions with Russia prior to the 2022 invasion, stated in an interview that it is evident that Putin still aims to claim Ukraine as part of his vision of restoring the Russian empire.
“He believes in this ideologically and historically, and I don’t think he will accept anything less than an opportunity to eventually seize all of Ukraine,” she remarked, criticizing Trump for offering concessions to Putin and normalizing US-Russia relations for the sake of a peace agreement.
