Why should Volodymyr Zelenskyy be grateful for Trump’s protection-racket gangsterism?
The Ukrainian President travelled to the White House to sign a deal in which the United States would gain the rights to mine huge amounts of rare-earth minerals, in return for a vague offer of “bringing an end to this conflict” – the war between Mr Zelenskyy’s country and Russia.
But the deal fell apart when a row broke out in a press conference that was intended to be a prelude to the signing when, despite Mr Zelenskyy repeatedly saying he had been thankful for US help in the past, Trump and his Vice-President, JD Vance insisted that he should be more thankful and accused him of “gambling with World War Three.”
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To This Writer, that looks like gangsterism; Trump and Vance were demanding a huge amount of material wealth from Ukraine in return for a peace deal that we have no reason to believe is forthcoming from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
See what it looks like to you. Here’s the press conference, from the moment it started to go wrong:
A press conference scheduled to take place later in the day was cancelled, and Zelensky was asked to leave the White House before the minerals agreement could be signed.
The argument prompted concerns that the United States could withdraw its support for Ukraine – but the BBC reported a comment by former Tory Chancellor Jeremy Hunt that suggest this will not happen because President Trump considers it to be an important part of his future legacy.
Hunt said:
“Trump wants a sustainable peace in Ukraine because he sees this as a very big part in his legacy and he wants that to last for many years.
“He doesn’t want to withdraw from Ukraine and abandon it to the Russians in the way that the United States abandoned Afghanistan to the Taliban, he knows that would be very bad for his reputation, for America’s reputation, so in the end he needs a ceasefire that both Zelensky and Putin are part of.”
Mr Hunt stressed that what was needed for negotiations to restart was “a little bit of time” for “tempers to cool down”.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has already stepped in to try to play peacemaker, holding phone conversations with both the Ukrainian and American presidents.
Here’s the BBC again:
Speaking on Friday, a No 10 spokesperson said: “The prime minister has tonight spoken to both President Trump and President Zelensky.
“He retains unwavering support for Ukraine, and is doing all he can to find a path forward to a lasting peace based on sovereignty and security for Ukraine.”
In This Writer’s opinion, that peace must be based on mutual respect – and the US government showed little, if any, respect for President Zelenskyy.
Without respect it seems to me that the other main parties in this matter – the United States and Russia – may decide to do whatever they like, ignoring the needs of the country whose fate is being decided here.
The way Mr Zelenskyy was treated at the press conference was a warning sign that he and his country were likely to be mistreated by what looked to me like a cartel of international gangsters playing at politics.
Trump and Vance were essentially telling him that they were taking his country’s wealth away and he should be grateful to them for it.
That is nonsense and he was right to stand up for himself and his country.
He is on the record as saying that he wants peace – but not at any cost.
It seems to me that he and his fellow Ukrainians are willing to fight Russia to the bitter end – alone if need be.
While Hunt’s comments about Trump’s legacy ring true, there is also the fact that if Russia does eventually win its war with Ukraine, Vladimir Putin will have that country’s minerals and the United States won’t.
So Trump’s strong-arm behaviour may be nothing more than a bold front; he needs this deal not only to boost US industry but also to prevent Russia from benefiting instead.
In the press conference, Trump repeated a card-playing metaphor that he was playing the hand he was given.
What if he has nothing better than a high-card hand with no pairs, while Zelenskyy – as the player who actually has the minerals at the moment – has the royal flush?
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Why should Volodymyr Zelenskyy be grateful for Trump’s protection-racket gangsterism?
Why should Volodymyr Zelenskyy be grateful for Trump’s protection-racket gangsterism?
The Ukrainian President travelled to the White House to sign a deal in which the United States would gain the rights to mine huge amounts of rare-earth minerals, in return for a vague offer of “bringing an end to this conflict” – the war between Mr Zelenskyy’s country and Russia.
But the deal fell apart when a row broke out in a press conference that was intended to be a prelude to the signing when, despite Mr Zelenskyy repeatedly saying he had been thankful for US help in the past, Trump and his Vice-President, JD Vance insisted that he should be more thankful and accused him of “gambling with World War Three.”
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
To This Writer, that looks like gangsterism; Trump and Vance were demanding a huge amount of material wealth from Ukraine in return for a peace deal that we have no reason to believe is forthcoming from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
See what it looks like to you. Here’s the press conference, from the moment it started to go wrong:
A press conference scheduled to take place later in the day was cancelled, and Zelensky was asked to leave the White House before the minerals agreement could be signed.
The argument prompted concerns that the United States could withdraw its support for Ukraine – but the BBC reported a comment by former Tory Chancellor Jeremy Hunt that suggest this will not happen because President Trump considers it to be an important part of his future legacy.
Hunt said:
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has already stepped in to try to play peacemaker, holding phone conversations with both the Ukrainian and American presidents.
Here’s the BBC again:
In This Writer’s opinion, that peace must be based on mutual respect – and the US government showed little, if any, respect for President Zelenskyy.
Without respect it seems to me that the other main parties in this matter – the United States and Russia – may decide to do whatever they like, ignoring the needs of the country whose fate is being decided here.
The way Mr Zelenskyy was treated at the press conference was a warning sign that he and his country were likely to be mistreated by what looked to me like a cartel of international gangsters playing at politics.
Trump and Vance were essentially telling him that they were taking his country’s wealth away and he should be grateful to them for it.
That is nonsense and he was right to stand up for himself and his country.
He is on the record as saying that he wants peace – but not at any cost.
It seems to me that he and his fellow Ukrainians are willing to fight Russia to the bitter end – alone if need be.
While Hunt’s comments about Trump’s legacy ring true, there is also the fact that if Russia does eventually win its war with Ukraine, Vladimir Putin will have that country’s minerals and the United States won’t.
So Trump’s strong-arm behaviour may be nothing more than a bold front; he needs this deal not only to boost US industry but also to prevent Russia from benefiting instead.
In the press conference, Trump repeated a card-playing metaphor that he was playing the hand he was given.
What if he has nothing better than a high-card hand with no pairs, while Zelenskyy – as the player who actually has the minerals at the moment – has the royal flush?
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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