Peloni: Zelensky bartering national assets to gain US support. He should offer to backdate the deal to include the beginning of US investments in Ukraine, but that would be many billions in excess of what was used to wage this war even thus far.
President.gov.ua, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Reuters on Friday that he hopes to make a deal with President Donald Trump to bring an end to the war with Russia.
During his campaign for office, Trump vowed to bring peace to the world, as multiple foreign wars had been pushed during the Biden-Harris administration. In an interview with Reuters, Zelenskyy said he was open to making a deal with the U.S. regarding Trump’s request for Ukraine to supply the U.S. with rare earths and other minerals in exchange for continued financial aid.
“These deposits are priceless, it is huge amounts of money, huge. That’s why we need to protect it,” Zelenskyy said. “If we are talking about a deal, then let’s do a deal, we are only for it.”
The Russia-Ukraine war has lasted more than two years, with the Biden-Harris administration providing $175 billion in economic and military aid to Ukraine, but the conflict shows no signs of ending. Last year, Ukraine presented a “victory plan,” suggesting the idea of allowing allies to invest in its essential minerals, according to Reuters.
With Russian occupation controlling less than 20% of Ukraine’s mineral resources, including roughly half of its rare earth deposits, Zelenskyy told Reuters that Moscow could potentially strike deals with North Korea and Iran.
“We need to stop Putin and protect what we have — a very rich Dnipro region, central Ukraine,” Zelenskyy told the outlet.
Just days after his election, Trump warned Russian President Vladimir Putin not to escalate the war against Ukraine during a phone call, reportedly reminding him of the U.S.’s large presence in Europe. The call with Putin came after a conversation between Trump, Department of Government Efficiency’s Elon Musk and Zelensky, in which the Ukrainian president reportedly said he left the meeting feeling content.
“We will protect those trillions. We will prevent Russia from mining the minerals which will later be used to produce technologies for the three countries of the axis of evil. The Americans helped the most, and therefore the Americans should earn the most. And in rebuilding Ukraine, they should have this priority. And they will.”
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Yanukovich could have moved to the eastern provinces of Ukraine , where he claimed his political support was, after he was overthrown by the Orange Revolution (which was a large-scale popular uprising, not a coup). The demonstrators who ousted him were mainly from western and central, not eastern,
Ukraine. So why didn’t Yanukovich simply move to a city in eastern Ukraine, restablish his government somewhere in eastern Ukraine, and thenduke it out with the new “Ornage” regime for control of the country? Instead, he fled all the way to Russia, where he showed no interest in Ukrainian politics for the next thirteen years. He only “reappeared” in Belorussia, claiming he was still the legitimate president of Ukraine, a few months ago. To me, this looks like his “reappearance” in Ukrainian politics was atthe direction of the Kremlin.
The Ukrainian legislature will probably pick the Ukrainian delegation who will represent Ukraine at the peace talks itf they ever appear likely to begin soon. Zelensky might or might not be chosen to be one of the Ukrainian commissioners representing Ukraine at the talks. Although many Ukrainians are critical of Zelensky, I believe that most regard him as the Ukraine’s legitimate president at least until his term ends, which is some day in this year, 2025. However, that date is approaching soon. I don’t know the exact date. When his term ends, there should be an election for a new Ukrainian president. Under the Ukrainian constitution, to the very limited extent that I understand it, the Ukrainian parliament can appoint an interim acting president to fill in before a new President is elected. That individual could be the outgoing president, the presiding officer of the legislature (I don’t know what his official title is) or someone else.
However, my point remains that the Ukrainians insist that they, not the presint of Russia, has the sole right to choose their president.
I don’t think Yanukovich is recognized as Ukraine’s current president by any significant number of Ukrainians. Except perhaps in the Donbass region. But the current inhabitants of the Donbass, or at least that part of it controlled by the Russian and/orseparatist forces, consider themselves Russians, not Ukrainians. That gives them absolutely no right to decide who is the “legitimate” president of uKraine.
My main point is that Ukraine, not Russia, should pick its delegation for any peace talks that may take place Even Ukrainian politicians or generals that Russia, or you personally, despise or hate. Russia should not be allowed to pick the head of the Ukrainian delegation, even if he is the individual that Russia recognize as the legitimate president of Ukraine. That is a matter for Ukrainians, not Russians, to decide.
From the Ukrainian parallel universe. I disagree with every statement of fact in your treat and believe every one of them to be false. Absolutely none of them have ever been in any of the sources that I use for information about the Russo-Ukraine war. It is theoretically possible that all of the sources that I rely on, either Ukrainian or Western are liars. But I don’t believe that to be the case.
Could you please send a reply to this comment that lists the source each specific allegation that you make here against the Ukraine government and one or more of its officials. its officials. Not just a list of your sources in general, as you have sent me in the past. But your source for each specific allegation against the Ukrainian government or one or more of its officials that are presented in your comment. I want to check out each one to see if it seems credible to me.
The sources that I rely on all claim that the reporters whom they rely on are actually stationed full-time in Ukraine, working for one or another Brit news out lets. These reporters are identified name, and sometimes the host gives a brief summary of their credentials and past working experience.
The one exception of the sources that I use for information is Davyd Davydov’s site. However, Davydov does usually identify the occupations and employers of the sources he quotes on his site, and how he contacts them.
Strangely enough one of the sources thaat he has been quoting often, at least in recent days, is President Putin. He frequently plays film clips of Putin speaking on Russian TV or internet stations. Yes, he sometimes ridicules Puti and disagrees with what he says. But he also admits that some of what Putin says to his own people is true, and he shares it with his Ukrainian and Western audiences. A liar would not do this.
Davydofv also shares detailed maps of develpments on the battlefield, most of them based on photographs taken from satellites. But he always identifies the agencies and organizations that provide him with these maps. I suspect that these organizations are connected with one or another U.S, governmentagency, although Davydoff does not identify these agencies. However, the maps do give very detailed images of recent battlefield developments in the war. They often show the advances made by Russian forces in Ukraine, especially in the Donbas region, and identify successful Rusian strikes, whether by aircraft, drones, etc. against UKrainian targets. Davydov frequently reports on Russian military advances in Ukraine and successful Russian military advances on the battlefield And he acknowledges the milirary defeats suffered by the uKrainian forces, as well as what he says are their successful military operations. That is why I find him a credible source despite his openly declared pro-Ukraine bias.
What I want to find out is whether your sources also meet my personal standards for evaluating the news sources I follow, whether concerning the Russo-Ukraine war or other matters.
@Adam
I sympathize with your issue regarding Ukrainian generals and politicians. Pres. Viktor Yanukovych was the Ukrainian politician, leader of the Party of Regions, who was overthrown by the Maidan Coup, and the former Chief of Staff who is referenced is probably Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
It is very amusing that the parties can not even agree to whom should sit at the negotiating table on behalf of Ukraine, but the reality is that Zelensky’s betrayal in his role at the negotiating table at Istanbul would argue that someone other than such a scoundrel be included in the proposed peace talks.
Also, something else to consider is this: either Ukraine is an independent nation needing representation of the whole of Ukraine, or it is a Monist Rump needing only representation of the Monists. Indeed, if Ukraine is to be considered as nation of all Ukrainians, as indicated from before the Maidan rumping, it should be noted that Ukraine as a whole has not been represented by any govt since Yanukovych’s overthrow. Indeed, the coup resulted in a replacement govt chosen by Victoria Nuland, to be pushed thru by Biden in his subsequent visit. Of course, the US installed govt only lasted til the May 22, 2014 election, in which about 1/6 of the nation, almost exclusively ethnic Russians, were prohibited from voting.
Following this, in 2019, Zel was elected in an election which took place, grudgingly, under the imposition of marshal law, and not only could the ethnic Russians in the autonomous regions not vote, neither could any ethnic Russians who had sought refuge out of the country, as the border was sealed due to the declaration of marshal law just a couple months prior to the election, conveniently enough.
Hence, while I don’t agree that Yanukovych represents Ukraine’s monist Rump, I think it is a fair argument to suggest that he was the last elected leader when Ukraine was, well, Ukraine as a whole, prior to the Civil War, and prior to the Russian invasion.
Consequently, this brings us back to the original question, is Ukraine a nation just of the Monist Rump, or is it a nation of what was Ukraine back in January 2014. Poroshenko and Yanukovych, respectively, would seem to be legitimate choices for the negotiations based on the answer to this question, but not Zel, who, even if we were to forgive his stark duplicity at Istanbul peace talks, should be passed over due to his remaining in office long past his need-to-be reelected date.
Regarding Valerii Zaluzhnyi, he is well connected to the Nazi element inside Ukraine’s Azov regiments, so it is quite reasonable that the Russians would not be in a hurry to sit down with him, and let us recall that his representation is that of an appointee of the Rumpist Ukrainian Monists, which refers back to the arguement above about whether the representation should be that of the Monist Rump state or the Ukrainian state as a whole.
Of course, if Ukraine were in a stronger position than in which it stands, it could hold out to win this argument, but in fact, it is Russia which holds the stronger position on the battlefield, and so, Russia can afford to press its demands while Ukraine continues to lose more and more territory.
Just some thoughts to consider, of course.
Oh, by the way, was the poll which you cited, which supports Zel being Ukraine’s representative at the table, conducted with USAID money? Likely so, if it was taken in Ukraine.
Sorry that I can’t remember the names of any of the ukrainian and Russian politicians and generals who are likely to figure in the Trump-mediated peace talks, if they ever happen. My senility grows worse every day. Could anyone make some sense out of my comments by filling in the names of the people I was talking about?
Both Zelensky and Putin say they want a peace deal, and they both say they welcome Trump as the mediator. So far so good.
But there are lots of “wrinkles.” Putin says he does not recognize Zelensky as the legitimate president of Ukraine, and wants the last pro-Russian president of Ukraine (his name escapes me. But I am sure Peloni remembers it) to represent Ukraine at the negotiating table. That would deny any meaningful representation of Ukrainians at the negotiating table. This former president fled to Russia, where he has lived until a few weeks ago (he is now in Byelorussia) because he was overthrown in the so-called “color revolution,” or orange rervolution.” Whether you think this revolution was justified and legitimate or not (I know Ted and Peloni think it was not justified and was a coup by the USG), very few Ukrainians think he represents them now. According to recent polls, 52% of Ukrainians think that Zelensky is the individual most “suitable” to head the Ukrainian side of the negotiating table in any future peace talks with Russia. That is also Trump’s view. Those who favor someone other than Zelensky would
either like that the president who most recently preceded him, or a very popular general and former chief of staff of the Ukrainian armed forces. Very few, however want the former president who Putin considered the legitimate president of the Ukraine to represent them in peace negotiations. Before these negotiations even begin, the issue of who will be sitting at the table must be resolved.