Libertarian gadfly/influencer Richard Hanania on the bizarre Zelensky-Trump/Vance situation. This is of course just an opinion among many, although their might be *something* to it. The short form is that Trump has an ego as big as Olympus Mons, and that Zelensky was too stupid to manipulate him. Lindsey Graham and other main-line Republicans had a plan to "turn" Trump pro-Ukrainian through the mineral deal (this idea is also popular among anti-Ukrainian influencers and anons). For unclear reasons, Zelensky screwed up. Hanania believes that the Ukrainian president must step aside in favor of a more savvy operator...
Personally, I suspect that Zelensky was told by somebody to screw up the press conference, but that´s just another guess. It can´t have been Macron or Starmer, who both want a deal with Trump. Could it be some faction of the Democratic Party? I wouldn´t be surprised if Zelensky will be forced to resign and replaced by, say, Poroshenko. But we´ll see. I mean, we always do in the end, don´t we?
Zelensky has behaved honorably. He should now resign.
Why Zelensky should step aside/ Why you can´t defend Zelensky
The consequences of that meeting will echo around the globe for awhile, surely.
ReplyDeleteWhile not a fan of Hanania I do get the main idea. Z should have swallowed his pride, worn a suit etc. but it was a set up. That a TASS reporter was in the Oval Office is a giant red flag. Did I hear it was broadcast on RussiaTV also? The commentary below had very good points. Putin can't be trusted. Would you trust him? Another comment: the West does not understand what Eastern Europe is really about-certainly not just white (Anglo) culture. I think Z is battle fatigued, proud and well aware of who Trump is. He just didn't want to acquiesce and trust Putin to go along. And why was Vance even in the room? At least three Republican office holders have spoken against Trump/Vance behaviors.
Oh and good on Vermonters! They chased Vance out of his vacation plans: Go Ski in Russia!
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdxqnxw6z73o
https://truthout.org/articles/protesters-crash-j-d-vances-vermont-ski-trip/
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/02/james-lankford-zelenskyy-ukraine-chaos-00206892
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