Monday marks the third anniversary of Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. While President Trump, NATO and the European Union continue to spin the wheels in an attempt to agree to the end of the war, Russia continues to attack Ukraine's civil population centres and energy infrastructure, relentlessly “flesh” at the forefront. “Attack.”
Team Trump is lost in its own mist. Trump is unable to see Putin as a dictator, and his administration has denounced Ukraine and NATO for invading Russia incredible ways.
It's just getting worse. Shannon Breem, Secretary of Defense Pete Heggs in an interview with Fox New Sunday. He refused Putin's responsibility. Instead, he biased, saying, “It's fair to say it's a very complicated situation.”
Yesterday, the United States voted against the United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for Russia to declare its Ukrainian invaders and the immediate and complete withdrawal of all Russian troops from Ukraine. Anyway, the resolution passed and the White House was surprisingly sided with Moscow.
Americans don't buy it. A Kinipiac University poll conducted last week found that “81% of American voters thought the US should not trust Russian President Vladimir Putin.” Trump would be wise to view this as a wake-up call.
His attack on Ukrainian President Voldimir Zelensky is backfired. His one-sided approach to dealing with the war leads to a strategic dead end, if not defeated at the hands of Russia and China.
Consider Trump's demand that Ukraine signMineral Resources Trade It's worth more than $500 billion to “refund” the US over the past three years. ZelenskyI refused that transaction“I can't, I can't sell our state.”
The deal, which US Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent described as featuring “strategic minerals, energy and state-owned enterprises,” will offer Ukraine“Implicit” security guarantee only. According toAmerican officialsNegotiation-savvy “Draft transactions provide financial guarantees to the United States and therefore Ukraine's security guarantees.” “As resources begin to flow, the United States offers even more incentives to protect Ukraine. I'll have it.”
However, according toState DepartmentThe US has provided “$65.9 billion in military aid since Russia launched its Ukraine invasion on February 24, 2022, and has been around $69.2 billion in military aid since Russia's first Ukraine invasion in 2014. “We are providing assistance.” Furthermore, the United States has “used the drawdown powers of the emergency president 55 times since August 2021 to provide approximately $2768.8 billion in Ukrainian military assistance from the DOD stockpile.”
That amounts to just over $162.5 billion. Trump's return on investment is over $337 billion. I won, yes – but how much does it cost? That doesn't seem fair considering the destruction Russia has inflicted on Ukraine and the destruction given to the number of Ukrainian civilians killed.
Team Trump has also called for a presidential election to “justify” the Ukrainian government, a frequently repeated Kremlin topic that the White House appears to be examining with this demand. Shortly after Zelensky refused to trade in minerals, Trump branded Zelensky.Dictator“No elections are held despite Ukrainian laws banning wartime elections.
Zelensky requires Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine – sovereignty and independence – and security assurances in the form of membership in the NATO alliance.
Zelensky needs to make this a quiz professional arrangement, as Team Trump is set up more with deals that benefit the US than just and fair solutions that close the war.Condition-based contractsespecially as NATO and the EU are stuck in hopelessly bureaucratic invasions.
This will let your skin enter the game for Team Trump.
Now let's trade.
The United States has set conditions for the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from all Ukraine, including Crimea, in exchange for a mineral contract with the United States to reimburse Ukrainian war investments against Russian invasions. These states of diplomacy or kinetics depend on the Kremlin.
Call it that: diplomatic shock and adoration, but it has been a long time behind. As a vice presidentjd vance“There's a new sheriff in town.” Only now, this phrase is properly directed towards the enemy, Moscow.
During the next roundPeace negotiationsIn today's Riyadh, we need to understand that with Russia, together with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Vladimir Putin's foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov, the Russians, that the terms are ordered and not appointed for negotiations. There is. Pat tone ske? yes. Essentially the US “unconditional surrender” subsidies? absolutely.
That is the only message Putin really understands and respects – strength. Or, in Trump's words, “maximum pressure.”
Once that task is completed, Ukraine will sign a contract for the value of the assistance provided. Additionally, in exchange for his NATO membership, Zelensky declares the end of martial law and holds a presidential election. To ensure peace, NATO will deploy troops along the Ukrainian border with Russia and Belarus.
What Russia wants is irrelevant. The army, along with its death, is given a safe passage into Russia. Ukraine will withdraw from Kursk Oblast completely. Russia will continue to access the Black Sea via the Sea of Azov and Kerch. The frozen Russian assets will be used to rebuild Ukraine.
Moscow probably rejects such conditions and forces a movement solution back to the negotiation table. The solution requires a plan to address the three conditions described inKyiv PostSaturday.
First, Ukraine needs the power to stop the Russian army, ammunition, weapons and supply flows to Ukraine. If the Russian army cannot maintain its forces in Ukraine, they will wither and become vulnerable to the vine. This requires precise deep strike weapons to target Russian military and equipment assembly areas, ammunition warehouses and fuel storage teams.
Second, it prevents attacks on Russian civil population centres and critical energy infrastructure. From a defensive standpoint, we will boldly implement and implement a fly zone that will have similar consequences to those we witnessed during Iran's attack on Israel.
At the same time, it will provide Kiev with the necessary air defense systems to protect civilian population centres and critical energy infrastructure. More importantly, it will allow Ukraine to target Russian missile drone weapons systems, its launch sites, crews, radar, ammunition storage facilities, and Russian command and control centres.
And thirdly, we remove obstacles on deep strikes. It forces Ukraine to attack Russia's ability to wage and fund war. Ukraine is extremely effective in targeting oil refineries, natural gas liquefactions, arms and ammunition production facilities, and government facilities. Along with sanctions, this has crippled the Russian economy.
The Ukrainian Road to Peace and Eastern Europe are overcoming Russia's defeat in Ukraine, not through Putin's registration.
Colonel (ret.)Jonathan SweetHe served as the Army Intelligence Auditor for 30 years.Mark TossI write about national security and foreign policy.
