It’s bad enough Trump is getting his rocks off playing mob boss with New York City and embattled Mayor Eric Adams. If Trump wanted to, if he really thought Adams was being unfairly prosecuted he could have pardoned Adams. However Trump wants leverage over Adams, so while he’s ordered DOJ to have the charges dismissed the motion includes the words “Without Prejudice” which in regular folks language means ‘We can refile anytime we want to.’ In other words Adams can either be an arm of the Trump administration and help in getting payback on New York for ‘not loving him’, and make a big show in the media capital of the world about immigration or DOJ will crucify him. In a word – BLACKMAIL. Now Trump is doing it to Ukraine. Again only this time with a lot more force.
Remember back when Trump tried to blackmail then new Ukrainian President Zelenskyy? Congress had appropriated funds for military aid, anti-tank weapons and Trump wanted Zelenskyy to stir up the rumor mills for “dirt” to make Joe Biden, the guy he most feared running against look bad. His “perfect” phone call was anything but and led to his first impeachment. Sadly, even though strong bi-partisan majorities in Congress slapped Trump down hard over the aid to Ukraine Trump wasn’t convicted in his Senate trial. A lot has changed since then.
Trump of course holds grudges and lusts for payback for every slight. He kept hammering away about Ukraine and how awful they were. And sticking up for his puppet master Putin even after Pootie chose to invade Ukraine. Complete with an assassination squad dropped outside Kyiv who’s task was to find him and kill him before he could flee. And oh my has Trump whined over the years about Ukraine following THEIR President’s lead and fighting back to control their own freaking country! Ironically, most of the money we’ve spent, the ‘aid to Ukraine’ has been spent right here in the U.S. Yep, while there’s been humanitarian aid the bulk of it has been for weapons. Weapons manufactured right here in the U.S. and then shipped to Ukraine. That’s meant hefty profits for defense contractors. More importantly it’s meant steady employment for loads of U.S. workers at those factories who’ve spent that money in their communities and boosted our economy. Even during COVID.
Alas, Trump’s pal Pootie wants to re-create a new USSR and to do so he needs Ukraine. Since that’s what Putin wants then by god Trump will move heaven and earth to make it happen. Handing what for Russia could be interpreted as any kind of ‘win” in Ukraine would be devastating to the European Union, NATO and our partners in the Pacific. Yes, China is quietly looking on and rooting for Trump to both let Russia off the hook in Ukraine but create massive dissent in NATO. All while THEY are steadily acting on plans for expanding influence in the Pacific. If our allies can’t count on us with Ukraine and NATO then they’re screwed too.
THAT is how big the stakes are. Trump is either too stupid to see it or doesn’t care. Or is afraid of his puppet master over in Moscow for whatever reason. Trump also has made a specific demand from Ukraine about minerals. They have resources also found in Russia and few other places and Trump wants control of them. Of course if he hands Ukraine over to Russia he’s giving Russia/PUTIN blackmail material (literally) over our country. However, Trump has already told Ukraine to ‘pay us back’ for the support we’ve given them and starting with U.S. control of minerals there.
So where are we? Trump is negotiating with Russia on how to ‘settle’ the war in Ukraine, and the country that has seen so much destruction, suffering and death at the hands of Russia and Putin isn’t even allowed at the table! Nor is the European Union. Trump expects both Ukraine and Europe to just sit back and wait, and once he and Putin make their deal rubber stamp it. No matter how unfair it is to Ukraine or unfavorable to Europe. I think they’ve been considering this possibility for a long while fearing Trump would run again in 2024 and worse, win.
At least they aren’t taken totally by surprise and have a head start but still seeing it actually start to happen is a shock to the system. Especially the swiftness with which it’s started to go down. Even worse, Elon Musk has contracts with more than the Unites States and all the players (including Russia) depend on his Starlink and other space assets. That means HE can enrich himself by hundreds of billions in all this. That S.O.B should be in prison as far as I’m concerned. That’s an entirely different topic to discuss however.
It’s pretty clear, at least to me Trump has his list of demands for Zelenskyy and Ukraine. Meet them, and agree Trump (or Putin) can add to it anytime and a cease fire will be put in place followed by ‘conditions to be named later’ on what Ukrainian territory Russia keeps, any buffer or de-militarized zone etc. and forgo any U.S. assistance in rebuilding their shattered country. OR face the consequences of Trump taking an even bigger wrecking ball to the EU and NATO in addition to withholding every dollar of U.S. aid to Ukraine. Even money that’s been appropriated by Congress and NOW he’s got a GOP in Congress that’s afraid to stand up to him!
If you think that’s bad Trump can do worse. Remember how I mentioned he’d demanded Ukraine pay back the aid we’ve given them? Wait till he sits down with NATO in a few months and demands all THOSE countries pay back all the U.S. assistance that’s gone to Europe going back to the Marshall Plan! If they say no he’ll ramp up tariffs and impose any other sanctions he can via Executive Order and then demand Republicans in Congress help him take it further.
I know many Republicans are horrified by much of this. They are just too cowardly to DO anything about it. At this point one can hope the quiet planning that’s gone on at NATO and in the EU is well along and they can hold the line until our own 2026 midterms. AND that with a third set of Articles of Impeachment sent to the Senate enough Republicans will finally do what they should have done twice before.
However make no mistake. Trump has chosen to BLACKMAIL Ukraine just as he’s blackmailing NYC Mayor Eric Adams. If Trump were to choke on a ‘hamerder’ or chunk of burnt steak dinner we’d still have to deal with Vance. Of course there was a time when Vance had different views about Ukraine and Russia – that were closer to what you and other readers of PZ have so who knows? Alas, we must be prepared for the worst as in Trump continuing to prove the old saying “Only the good die young.” The Secret Service will keep him safe as they can and should do regardless of how awful a human being and President he is. However they can’t protect him from himself and you have to wonder if given how he’s visibly declined his lifetime of bad habits might catch up to him.
I happen to be a senior citizen who depends on Social Security and Veteran’s Disability (and VA Healthcare) which Trump wants to take away. HE wants ME to just effing die. So I won’t apologize for feeling and saying if his fat orange ass croaked and soon I would say good riddance and I hope there is a hell because that’s where you’ll find yourself. I’m sure the people of Ukraine would be rather more ‘colorful’ in expressing similar thoughts. As would the majority of people in Europe including their leaders!
You’re right, Trump is trying to blackmail Ukraine. But it’s not going to work. Ukraine isn’t Eric Adams, and Russia isn’t the SDNY.
The reason this is happening now is not just because Trump wants to get revenge. It’s much more because Putin want to get revenge. But Russia is screwed. Putin desperately needs to end the war ASAP. Ukraine and Europe can smell the flop sweat. So it’s a little different.
Marine…I wonder, thinking back to prewar Germany…when did it dawn on the average German just what the country was morphing into…and when was it too late to do anything but join, flee, or resist, even if it meant violent resistance? We seem to be clearly on that road. And I wanted to get through this life without blood on my hands or conscience. Damn. Who would willingly stand by and watch your children’s future be completely destroyed? That’s a question the citizens, even those fooled, should be asking today, and from this moment forward. It appears reality is inching all of us to some kind of answer. I would sacrifice my life, as I’ve been doing, for their well being. Given most of my daughters are black, I really can’t ignore the danger. Warriors don’t worry…we figure shit out and keep going. Going back is gone. Giving up is not an option. Going forward is the only option. Never give up and the fight continues. The bastards are evil. Standing with the truth is its own reward. We shall overcome.
These guys are mean as hell, but they are nt not subtle,and they’re not smart. I don’t recall that Hitler STARTED by wrecking and pillaging his own country and bullying other countries round the world. Hitler didn’t have an Elon Musk either.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/elon-musks-popularity-plummets-as-he-goes-full-maga-his-favorability-plunges-in-the-negative-zone-says-new-poll/articleshow/117984177.cms?from=mdr
Don’t assume these guys actually know what they’re doing. If they don’t, that’s scary enough, but notice how the rest of the world is handling it. Canada. Mexico. Ukraine. The EU. Everybody’s worried, but they are also dumbfounded by the idiocy of it all.
You’re right, going forward is the only option. We have to fight and fight smart.