Ambassador McFaul, you are diplomatic in your analysis. I am an ordinary citizen and not so constrained. I am LIVID: business trumps principle. That principle began with fighting the Axis Powers in WW II, who invaded, occupied, looted, incarcerated, exterminated, tortured and killed at will in their effort to dominate the world and aggrandize themselves. Four hundred, seven thousand, thee hundred sixteen American soldiers died during WW II in the name of democracy and freedom; approximately eighty nine thousand, seven hundred eighty nine have died in military conflicts and operations since in the name of same. This president - a convicted felon, sex offender, with 91 indictments hanging over his head, leader of an insurrection, who evaded the armed services with bone spurs, a “successful” business man who’s businesses have filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy six times and stiffed any number of businesses, willfully oblivious to history, for whom 77,302,580 Americans voted in the depths of their myopic, perceived self interest and ignorance - has violated his oath of office since day one to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. And he and his cadre of fellow travelers have upended 80 years of promoting and defending democracy and freedom begun in WW II. Russia has nothing to fear from NATO; their grievance is that NATO has stood in its way to doing to its former satellite nations what it has done in Chechnya, Georgia and Ukraine. The Budapest Memorandum, 1994 gave assurances to Ukraine by the US, UK, Russia, France and China that her territorial integrity and sovereignty would be guaranteed in exchange for relinquishing the nuclear weapons in her possession. That agreement means zilch to Putin, Trump and Xi. Fear of Russia going nuclear has cowed NATO into postponing welcoming Ukraine even as Ukraine has been putting its own blood and treasure on the line doing NATO’s job: to hold off Putin’s bellicose ambition to restore the Russian Empire so it won’t have to do same. Now Trump with his own designs on global power and self aggrandizement has the temerity to blame Ukraine for starting the war, bully them into an deleterious economic agreement, and set up a peace that leaves Ukraine to Putin’s tender mercies. Where is the America of old? ! ! ! Where is Europe ? ! ! ! Is the present generation too inexperienced, ignorant and self-absorbed to recall the lessons of Munich September, 1938? What did my wife’s uncle die for in a hedgerow in France in June, 1944? ? ? ? Is any one thinking about a world dominated by three totalitarians - a complicit USA one of them - and no one to stop ascendant autocracy/totalitarianism the way the Allies led by America did in 1945? How many non-Ukrainians eventually may have to die, their cities obliterated before this is eventually stopped - if ever? After all that Ukraine has done to defend itself with imperfect support from the Biden Administration and the Europeans, to see Trump aid and abet Putin by pulling the rug out from under Ukraine is beyond shame, disgrace and redemption. “In God we trust.” HA ! ! !
Trump and Russia seem to have formed an alliance that bypasses the will of Americans, Macron, the EU, UK, Canada and even Japan, all of whom support Ukraine. Trump and Russia are alone on this.
Thank you Ambassador McFaul. Lord what a mess we are in. Our position on Ukraine is shameful. Thank you for your clear analysis of this tragic situation.♥️ 🇺🇦
It's hard not to conclude that the T Administration wants a "deal" as quickly as possible so they can jump right back into bed with Putin's Russia. The negotiations have been less than robust and serious, and this childish haste to solve a hugely complex situation/conflict quickly by a specific date can only be seen as an ulterior motive. Wish there was reason to feel less cynical.
As revealed by the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) whistleblower . . . it seems DOGE is a Trojan Horse and once these Barbaians at the Gate are let in . . . they are opening the doors to Russian (and Chinese?) data downloading. For apparently embedded within DOGE are some foreign agents doing rasPutin’s bidding!
Our existential question is . . . what can we do about this . . .
What are the Blue State attorneys general, the only guardrails left, going to do about the fact that there is lots of EVIDENCE that the Orange-one is a Manchurian candidate for rasPutin:
1. Eric Trump said the quit part out loud on a golf course . . . they didn't like working with American banks (after 6 bankruptcies), that's why he said ALL the money they need comes from Russian Banks. (Actually Russian Oligarchs underwriting loans from Deutsche Bank, buying his properties way over market prices, etc.)
2. Trump 01 administration’s very FIRST action was to try to roll back all sanctions on Russia. Back then, the Republicans in Congress stopped him.
3. He has repeatedly spewed Russian propaganda. For example:
- Publicly siding with Putin at that infamous press conference in Helsinki
- Although he could never even find Moldova on the map, he said their leadership is not good
- He said Russians went into Afghanistan because of terrorism. Who told him to spin history like that? He could never have come up with something like this Kremlin talking point on his own, given his lack of knowledge.
4. Whan confronted in an interview that raPutin is a murdered, he simply said so are we.
5. Hiring Paul Manafort into his inner circle, and striving to bring him into it just recently again . . . given what that man was convicted and served jailtime for (before being pardoned by the rasPutin puppet)
In the light of the NLRB whistleblower, heaven help America.
If what they are doing . . . LOOKS like treasonous actions, if what they are doing WALKS like traitorous acts . . . then they must be . . .
THE EXISTENTIAL QUESTION IS . . . what are we going to do about it, for our survival?
I earnestly believe that Trump originally wanted an equitable peace deal, and he thought he could get it. But unlike the conditions in 2022, three years of war have hardened the positinos of the warring parties; and he cannot force them to accept a peace deal along the lines he originally thought he could.
But Trump still wants a peace deal so ... he pushes against the Ukrainians because he has leverage over them. Like Nixon did in the Vietnam peace negotiations and "peace treaty" of 1973, Trump is looking for a way out for the US. So just as we pressured the Thieu regime to accept the 1973 "peace" treaty because we had leverage over them, in order to get the US out of that war with "honor", I'm afraid that Trump is going to do same--Zelensky playing the role of Thieu.
The question then becomes, after a "peace" treaty is signed (?), will the Russians similarly invade the Ukraine at a later time just as that the N. Viets invaded S. Vietnam in 1975? I don't believe that they are capable of doing so. At the later stages of the war, the South Vietnamese relied on US airpower to stymie NVA forces, and the S. Viet army was riddled with corruption and a lack of willingness to fight. The NVA also had large suppliers of weapons from China and the USSR. While there is corruption in the UKA, the Ukrainians themselves have shown a willingness to defend their country. Russia has spent a large amount of national treasure for rather meager returns, and I do not believe that the course of events during the war that they are capable of such an undertaking, even if they wanted. Russia also does not have the weapons suppliers that the NVA had. North Korea may be able to provide some weapons but not to the extent required for such an operation; and the Chinese have not shown inclination to do so.
Unfortunately for the Ukrainians, I think that Trump may be right in one thing: the Ukrainian can accept a less than satisfactory peace now, or continue fighting for the next three years and lose their entire county. It becomes a cost / benefit analysis. As Clausewitz observed:
"Since war is not an act of senseless passion but is controlled by its political object, the value of this object must determine the sacrifices to be made of it in magnitude and also in duration. Once the expenditure of effort exceeds the value of the political object, the object must be renounced and peace must follow." (On War, Book One, Chapter Two). While this applies equally to the Russians, in this case for the Ukrainians the costs of continuing the war outweigh the benefits of continuing the war.
Like the Finns did in 1940 and 1944, better to negotiate a less than optimal peace now for the sake of the future. Putin is not in good health and may die soon. A better peace is better left for a later time with new regime.
You can't expect Ukraine to be offered much in the way of "carrots". They are losing on the battleground and lack bargaining power. We waited far too late to be having these negotiations, and a huge contributing factor to this was the widespread belief in our own propaganda about the military situation. Look at how peace was negotiated between Finland and the USSR after the Winter War, and the Continuation War, for hints of realistic ways forward for Ukraine now.
On the other hand, I agree with you that the proposed legal recognition of the annexation of Crimea is puzzling. It seems hard to believe that the Trump team could think that Zelensky could ever agree to that -- don't they know anything about the Ukrainian Constitution? It does sound like they might be looking for an excuse to just wash their hands of the war.
Whether or not that's true, looks like dark days ahead.
Ambassador McFaul, you are diplomatic in your analysis. I am an ordinary citizen and not so constrained. I am LIVID: business trumps principle. That principle began with fighting the Axis Powers in WW II, who invaded, occupied, looted, incarcerated, exterminated, tortured and killed at will in their effort to dominate the world and aggrandize themselves. Four hundred, seven thousand, thee hundred sixteen American soldiers died during WW II in the name of democracy and freedom; approximately eighty nine thousand, seven hundred eighty nine have died in military conflicts and operations since in the name of same. This president - a convicted felon, sex offender, with 91 indictments hanging over his head, leader of an insurrection, who evaded the armed services with bone spurs, a “successful” business man who’s businesses have filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy six times and stiffed any number of businesses, willfully oblivious to history, for whom 77,302,580 Americans voted in the depths of their myopic, perceived self interest and ignorance - has violated his oath of office since day one to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. And he and his cadre of fellow travelers have upended 80 years of promoting and defending democracy and freedom begun in WW II. Russia has nothing to fear from NATO; their grievance is that NATO has stood in its way to doing to its former satellite nations what it has done in Chechnya, Georgia and Ukraine. The Budapest Memorandum, 1994 gave assurances to Ukraine by the US, UK, Russia, France and China that her territorial integrity and sovereignty would be guaranteed in exchange for relinquishing the nuclear weapons in her possession. That agreement means zilch to Putin, Trump and Xi. Fear of Russia going nuclear has cowed NATO into postponing welcoming Ukraine even as Ukraine has been putting its own blood and treasure on the line doing NATO’s job: to hold off Putin’s bellicose ambition to restore the Russian Empire so it won’t have to do same. Now Trump with his own designs on global power and self aggrandizement has the temerity to blame Ukraine for starting the war, bully them into an deleterious economic agreement, and set up a peace that leaves Ukraine to Putin’s tender mercies. Where is the America of old? ! ! ! Where is Europe ? ! ! ! Is the present generation too inexperienced, ignorant and self-absorbed to recall the lessons of Munich September, 1938? What did my wife’s uncle die for in a hedgerow in France in June, 1944? ? ? ? Is any one thinking about a world dominated by three totalitarians - a complicit USA one of them - and no one to stop ascendant autocracy/totalitarianism the way the Allies led by America did in 1945? How many non-Ukrainians eventually may have to die, their cities obliterated before this is eventually stopped - if ever? After all that Ukraine has done to defend itself with imperfect support from the Biden Administration and the Europeans, to see Trump aid and abet Putin by pulling the rug out from under Ukraine is beyond shame, disgrace and redemption. “In God we trust.” HA ! ! !
Trump and Russia seem to have formed an alliance that bypasses the will of Americans, Macron, the EU, UK, Canada and even Japan, all of whom support Ukraine. Trump and Russia are alone on this.
Interestingly enough, the Wall Street Journal is coming out strongly against Trump's Ukraine policy. Here is their editorial this afternoon (gift article). https://www.wsj.com/opinion/russia-ukraine-settlement-donald-trump-ultimatum-vladimir-putin-volodymyr-zelensky-87eb20b8?st=CKx36Z&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
Thank you Ambassador McFaul. Lord what a mess we are in. Our position on Ukraine is shameful. Thank you for your clear analysis of this tragic situation.♥️ 🇺🇦
It's hard not to conclude that the T Administration wants a "deal" as quickly as possible so they can jump right back into bed with Putin's Russia. The negotiations have been less than robust and serious, and this childish haste to solve a hugely complex situation/conflict quickly by a specific date can only be seen as an ulterior motive. Wish there was reason to feel less cynical.
As revealed by the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) whistleblower . . . it seems DOGE is a Trojan Horse and once these Barbaians at the Gate are let in . . . they are opening the doors to Russian (and Chinese?) data downloading. For apparently embedded within DOGE are some foreign agents doing rasPutin’s bidding!
Our existential question is . . . what can we do about this . . .
What are the Blue State attorneys general, the only guardrails left, going to do about the fact that there is lots of EVIDENCE that the Orange-one is a Manchurian candidate for rasPutin:
1. Eric Trump said the quit part out loud on a golf course . . . they didn't like working with American banks (after 6 bankruptcies), that's why he said ALL the money they need comes from Russian Banks. (Actually Russian Oligarchs underwriting loans from Deutsche Bank, buying his properties way over market prices, etc.)
2. Trump 01 administration’s very FIRST action was to try to roll back all sanctions on Russia. Back then, the Republicans in Congress stopped him.
3. He has repeatedly spewed Russian propaganda. For example:
- Publicly siding with Putin at that infamous press conference in Helsinki
- Although he could never even find Moldova on the map, he said their leadership is not good
- He said Russians went into Afghanistan because of terrorism. Who told him to spin history like that? He could never have come up with something like this Kremlin talking point on his own, given his lack of knowledge.
4. Whan confronted in an interview that raPutin is a murdered, he simply said so are we.
5. Hiring Paul Manafort into his inner circle, and striving to bring him into it just recently again . . . given what that man was convicted and served jailtime for (before being pardoned by the rasPutin puppet)
In the light of the NLRB whistleblower, heaven help America.
If what they are doing . . . LOOKS like treasonous actions, if what they are doing WALKS like traitorous acts . . . then they must be . . .
THE EXISTENTIAL QUESTION IS . . . what are we going to do about it, for our survival?
#
I earnestly believe that Trump originally wanted an equitable peace deal, and he thought he could get it. But unlike the conditions in 2022, three years of war have hardened the positinos of the warring parties; and he cannot force them to accept a peace deal along the lines he originally thought he could.
But Trump still wants a peace deal so ... he pushes against the Ukrainians because he has leverage over them. Like Nixon did in the Vietnam peace negotiations and "peace treaty" of 1973, Trump is looking for a way out for the US. So just as we pressured the Thieu regime to accept the 1973 "peace" treaty because we had leverage over them, in order to get the US out of that war with "honor", I'm afraid that Trump is going to do same--Zelensky playing the role of Thieu.
The question then becomes, after a "peace" treaty is signed (?), will the Russians similarly invade the Ukraine at a later time just as that the N. Viets invaded S. Vietnam in 1975? I don't believe that they are capable of doing so. At the later stages of the war, the South Vietnamese relied on US airpower to stymie NVA forces, and the S. Viet army was riddled with corruption and a lack of willingness to fight. The NVA also had large suppliers of weapons from China and the USSR. While there is corruption in the UKA, the Ukrainians themselves have shown a willingness to defend their country. Russia has spent a large amount of national treasure for rather meager returns, and I do not believe that the course of events during the war that they are capable of such an undertaking, even if they wanted. Russia also does not have the weapons suppliers that the NVA had. North Korea may be able to provide some weapons but not to the extent required for such an operation; and the Chinese have not shown inclination to do so.
Unfortunately for the Ukrainians, I think that Trump may be right in one thing: the Ukrainian can accept a less than satisfactory peace now, or continue fighting for the next three years and lose their entire county. It becomes a cost / benefit analysis. As Clausewitz observed:
"Since war is not an act of senseless passion but is controlled by its political object, the value of this object must determine the sacrifices to be made of it in magnitude and also in duration. Once the expenditure of effort exceeds the value of the political object, the object must be renounced and peace must follow." (On War, Book One, Chapter Two). While this applies equally to the Russians, in this case for the Ukrainians the costs of continuing the war outweigh the benefits of continuing the war.
Like the Finns did in 1940 and 1944, better to negotiate a less than optimal peace now for the sake of the future. Putin is not in good health and may die soon. A better peace is better left for a later time with new regime.
You can't expect Ukraine to be offered much in the way of "carrots". They are losing on the battleground and lack bargaining power. We waited far too late to be having these negotiations, and a huge contributing factor to this was the widespread belief in our own propaganda about the military situation. Look at how peace was negotiated between Finland and the USSR after the Winter War, and the Continuation War, for hints of realistic ways forward for Ukraine now.
On the other hand, I agree with you that the proposed legal recognition of the annexation of Crimea is puzzling. It seems hard to believe that the Trump team could think that Zelensky could ever agree to that -- don't they know anything about the Ukrainian Constitution? It does sound like they might be looking for an excuse to just wash their hands of the war.
Whether or not that's true, looks like dark days ahead.
Can it be as simple as getting Russia cooperation for the Trump Moscow hotel?