Donald Trump, the United States President, & Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian President met in the White House Friday, February 28. Many in Western Europe expected Russian Troops to be at Kyiv(the Ukrainian Capital) within days or weeks after the Russian declaration of war, yet Ukrainian Patriotism keeps their armed forces on to this day; that and Western aid. The United States had a lend-lease agreement to the Ukraine for Surface-to-Air(SAM) missile defences against the Russian Air Force.
Unfortunately for the people fighting tooth and nail for their national sovereignty, Donald Trump has decided to pause US aid to Ukraine. Europe had predicted the US withdrawal and began increasing their military production. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Europe now produces 60% of Ukraine’s aid.
However, the loss of the majority of higher-quality aid has affected Ukraine. The US has also sent surplus Humvees to the defending nation. On top of the loss of armored vehicles, Ukraine has become dependent on US intelligence, both from the government and from Elon Musk’s company, Starlink (BBC).
But it’s not just material aid that the US has provided. They’ve also been training Ukrainian troops and instructing them on how to handle US equipment.
According to the Kyiv Independent, a Ukrainian newsletter, “…former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev joined in, calling Zelensky a ‘cocaine clown.’” What did Medvedev join in on? The mocking and disgrace of the Ukrainian President.
“At the level of public diplomacy, Trump and US Vice President JD Vance violated the rules even respected by figures like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong. The only other regime that sometimes resorts to similar brutality is North Korea — no surprise that Trump has openly praised North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un as a good leader and even called him a friend” (Kyiv Independent).
How about this title that paints a rather unflattering picture of Trump: “A president just disrespected America in the Oval Office. It wasn’t Zelensky” (Kyiv Independent).
A few excerpts from that article read:
“In an ugly exchange, the president and vice president joined forces to admonish Zelensky for ‘not being grateful’ enough for the help Ukraine was getting.
To that, Zelensky reminded them that he had thanked the American people multiple times, including earlier that day. But it appears that gratitude to the American people isn’t what Trump and Vance were looking for — they wanted him to grovel and prostrate himself in front of Trump. Kiss the ring…
…Trump didn’t get into the same kind of arguments with other world leaders who publicly disagreed with him during recent meetings…
…If any ring-kissing happens in their meeting with Putin, the ring will be Russian.”
This amount of disregard for diplomacy makes one question why more than half of a country believes he is a good fit to lead.
The biggest American concern on Zelensky’s arrival was: “’Do you own a suit?’ Glenn continued. “’A lot of Americans have problems with you not respecting the office.’
…’You’re all dressed up today,’ Trump said to a wartime leader.
…According to Zoya Zvynyatskivska, a Ukrainian fashion historian, comments about clothing are never the cause but rather the result of someone’s prejudice and dislike. It is impossible to dress in a way that would change that attitude” (Kyiv Independent).
Why is the US so obsessed with the Ukrainian’s lack of a snazzy dress? Probably because Trump is building bridges with Vladimir Putin. The two nations they lead are bitter rivals. If Trump gets his way, and becomes buddy-buddy with Putin, we’re left with a superpower of authoritarianism and hate. Oh, and between the two, there are thousands of nuclear weapons. Have fun sleeping.
