Originally published at: At Best, A Pointless Detour - TPM – Talking Points Memo
It’s amazing what can happen without JD Vance in the room. American and Ukrainian negotiators agreed after a summit in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to bring things back to what appears to be square one, nearly the status quo ante-Trump-um. The U.S. agreed to resume security assistance to and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, according to…
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When the war started three years ago, I changed my FB profile picture and cover photo to support Ukraine.
It’s been there ever since. Three years has passed and the war continues.
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In my view TPM has succinctly summed up the situation in the Ukraine and current American policy and what that policy should be and what to expect from Trump going forward
To begin with, in regard to the war itself this says it all:
the big problem here is that Russia is attacking.
This is the very reason for the war is Russia is trying to conquer Ukraine and make it Russia’s 51 state.
How does the war end?
And until someone can convince Russia either to stop attacking, or persuade the Ukrainians to fully capitulate, that will not change. Russian officials continue to say that their aim is to control all of Ukraine; they’re nowhere near to achieving that on the battlefield.
So the war continues until Russia wins or gives up and goes back to Russia.
As for the Trump’s administration policy toward Russia’s invasion of Ukraine:
One valuable outcome of the showdown between Trump, Vance, and Volodymyr Zelensky was that it again demonstrated that the Ukrainians will not capitulate. It’s no accident that Vance attacked Zelensky in the Oval Office at the moment when Zelensky made a critical point: the Russian government doesn’t abide by its agreements. Ukraine’s persistence in the face of grim odds, and even in the face of abandonment by allies, undermines the whole MAGA approach of the past month, which has placed maximum pressure on Ukraine and none on Russia.
As for what American policy should be:
Logically, now would be the time for actual pressure on Russia in order to secure a ceasefire.
And finally what to expect from Trump:
It seems more like we’re in for a lot more incoherence, and perhaps more betrayal.
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There is one other option. Putin croaks. He is 72. A natural croaking or unnatural. It doesn’t matter. His successor will have much bigger issues than a war in Ukraine.
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Well, at this point, Zelinskyy is vindicated. he said that Putin doesn’t keep his agreements or decisions. And as we speak, Kiev is being relentlessly bombed.
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JD Vance, with his blathering, has made himself into the propaganda minister, i.e. the Joseph Goebbels for the Donald Trump administration. The office of the Vice President can no longer be described as “a bucket of warm spit.”
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What’s interesting is what happens next. If Putie says no to a 30 day ceasefire, where does that put Trump? Will he withdraw his commitment in continuing aid and intelligence now that Zelensky has agreed to a ceasefire or will he withdraw it? Is Zelensky to be punished once again even after his compliance?
Back to you Donald.
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Day 51: Saw a commercial today for Teslas. The salesman looked familiar. A lot like the guy who was selling cheap eggs and cheerios awhile back
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It only matters if Putin reminds the First Felon as to the dirt Putin has on the FF.
Someone noted earlier today, the first felon seems to have a smaller vocabulary and a greater inability to express himself. Makes one wonder who is really in charge (hypothetically, of course).
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Did he have a University, too?
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And the Cross-as-big-as-a-burrito press secretary is Baghdad Barbie.
Check out her spiel today about the benefits of Canada’s impending 51st statehood (but be prepared to gag).
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the problem remains the same: Russia is invading. And until someone can convince Russia either to stop attacking, or persuade the Ukrainians to fully capitulate, that will not change. [Emphasis added]
My parents taught me to never capitulate to aggression.
Russia, stop attacking.
Republicans, give peace a chance.
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I think the most incredible aspect of this moment (to me at least) is that we are now actually needing to rely on Marco Rubio to navigate between and behind the trumpian vomitus, no matter what the response from Putin.
Lordy.
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The arc of this Trump/Ukraine thing suggests strongly to me that JD Vance is in some more or less direct way an agent of the Putin government.
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Perhaps something like spit, but with a different 2nd letter.
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Also said that the tariffs are a tax cut for the American people. Which Kai Ryssdal on this afternoon’s NPR Marketplace broadcast straight-out called a lie. Because it is.
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Yes, and he also sold crappy steaks.
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It’s really just a question of how many agents the sumbitch has in place within our government.
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I’m not sure it was a lie. She’s stupid enough to believe that tariffs amount to a “tax cut” for Americans. After she chided the reporter for questioning her understanding of economics, she asked him what news org. he worked for. “AP,” he said, and she said something to the effect, “That’s what I get for calling on someone from AP.”
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