Quote:"No, I respect president and I respect American people," he added. "And if I don't know if I think that we have to be very open and very honest, and I'm not sure that we did something bad, I think maybe sometimes, some, some, some things we have to discuss, out of out of media, with all respect to democracy and to a free media but there are things that, where we have to understand the position of Ukraine and Ukrainians, and I think that is the most important thing."

Quote:Zelenskyy asked if the public spat in front of the media at the Oval Office served Ukrainians well:

"I think this kind of spat is not good for both sides. I am very open but I can't change our Ukrainian attitude to Russia. They are killers to us. It is very clear that Americans are the best of our friends. Europeans are the best of our friends. Putin with Russia are our enimies. And it doesn't mean that we don't want peace. We just want to recognize the reality."

Quote:JUST IN: President Zelensky responds to Senator Lindsey Graham's comments, says he will not be resigning to accomplish a peace deal.

Baier: "You're not gonna step down to do a peace deal?"

Zelensky: "No. No. I'm not, I'm not sure that is a good idea... Only the Ukrainian people can decide that."

You won't allow elections, so how can they decide?

Quote:NEW: President Zelensky apologizes at the end of his interview with Fox's Bret Baier, says he thinks he can repair his relationship with Trump.

Baier: "Do you think your relationship with President Trump after today can be salvaged?"

Zelensky: "It can be. Yes, of course... This is very very important and we are thankful and sorry for this."

Quote:Zelenskyy just refused to disavow Democrats calling President Trump "Putin's lapdog."

"Do you agree that President Trump is too close to Vladimir Putin in your mind?"

Zelenskyy: "I want to be very honest. I want really him to be more at our side."

SCREW THIS HOBO DICTATOR.

Quote:Zelenskyy responds to Trump saying that all Zelenskyy wants to do is "fight, fight fight":

"First of all, we want peace. That's why I'm in the United States. That's why I visited President Trump. And thanks for the invitation again. The deal on minerals is the first step to security guarantees. It's meant for the peace, closer to peace. That's why I'm here."

^
Z is fricked.

He did not help his cause. He better kiss alot of European arse.

(02-28-2025 07:01 PM)shere khan Wrote:  ^
Z is fricked.

He did not help his cause. He better kiss alot of European arse.

I seriously doubt he's going to be breathing much longer ... and the CIA won't have to help ... it's either that or he goes into exile ... I don't see how he recovers from this one...

(02-28-2025 07:07 PM)stinkfist Wrote:  

(02-28-2025 07:01 PM)shere khan Wrote:  ^
Z is fricked.

He did not help his cause. He better kiss alot of European arse.

I seriously doubt he's going to be breathing much longer ... and the CIA won't have to help ... it's either that or he goes into exile ... I don't see how he recovers from this one...

A member or two of the Ukrainian Parliament are calling for an emergency session to discussing impeaching Zelenskyy. I wouldn't be surprised if the Ukrainian government gives him the heave ho after this.

(02-28-2025 07:10 PM)GeminiCoog Wrote:  

(02-28-2025 07:07 PM)stinkfist Wrote:  

(02-28-2025 07:01 PM)shere khan Wrote:  ^
Z is fricked.

He did not help his cause. He better kiss alot of European arse.

I seriously doubt he's going to be breathing much longer ... and the CIA won't have to help ... it's either that or he goes into exile ... I don't see how he recovers from this one...

A member or two of the Ukrainian Parliament are calling for an emergency session to discussing impeaching Zelenskyy. I wouldn't be surprised if the Ukrainian government gives him the heave ho after this.

they have to be in panic mode .... w/o our presence in a major economic capacity, they're toast ... toss in Rubio just gave the finga bang with energy support...

yep, Z doesn't survive this one...

like I stated a few weeks ago, this may be the G.O.A.T cabinets...

Bessent just said that, given his prior experience negotiating with Z, one on one, and given Z's similar behavior with Rubio and Vance in Munich, that he thinks Z planned to do this all along, that he wanted to make his case to the media.

Oops.

(02-28-2025 07:22 PM)TripleA Wrote:  Bessent just said that, given his prior experience negotiating with Z, one on one, and given Z's similar behavior with Rubio and Vance in Munich, that he thinks Z planned to do this all along, that he wanted to make his case to the media.

Oops.

That doesn't surprise me at all. (I think I said that in my thread about the whole thing.) Yeah, he's cooked.

(02-28-2025 07:22 PM)TripleA Wrote:  Bessent just said that, given his prior experience negotiating with Z, one on one, and given Z's similar behavior with Rubio and Vance in Munich, that he thinks Z planned to do this all along, that he wanted to make his case to the media.

Oops.

^^ Yep, that's it. Thanks.

(02-28-2025 07:24 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  

Frick this guy

LoL

Verkhovna Rada deputy Alexander Dubinsky demanded the immediate convening of an emergency meeting of parliament to decide on the impeachment of Volodymyr Zelensky. He said this in his statement published in the telegram channel.

"The events of recent hours — Zelensky's public humiliation at the White House, Trump's recognition by (US President Donald) Trump of his diplomatic bankruptcy and Ukraine's loss of unconditional US support — have become the final act of the collapse of the regime. But Zelensky has not just failed international politics — he has brought the country to a state in which everyone who disagrees with his course is subjected to repression. I was thrown into prison not for a crime, but for telling the truth. The very truth that Trump has just told: Zelensky has lost, he has no cards, he is running out of soldiers, and the country is at an impasse because of his stubbornness. I demand the immediate convening of an emergency meeting of the Verkhovna Rada, at which the parliament must decide on the impeachment of Zelensky," the MP writes.

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

(02-28-2025 07:27 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  

(02-28-2025 07:22 PM)TripleA Wrote:  Bessent just said that, given his prior experience negotiating with Z, one on one, and given Z's similar behavior with Rubio and Vance in Munich, that he thinks Z planned to do this all along, that he wanted to make his case to the media.

Oops.

Quote:More details are emerging about the aftermath of the Oval Office blow-up that saw Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky unceremoniously booted out of the White House and his lunch served to White House staffers. The big question on everyone's mind is whether or not President Trump is open to immediately reopening talks with Zelensky after a cooling-off period.

The answer, reportedly, is hell no.

As Susie Moore reported earlier on Friday evening, the president answered some media questions as he made his way to Marine One on the first leg of his trip back to Mar-a-Lago. The basic gist of Trump's remarks was this: The U.S. wants to broker peace, but Zelensky wants to keep fighting with assistance from the U.S.

High-ranking White House officials confirmed to CBS News that President Trump is unwilling to talk to Zelensky at this point because of Zelensky's disinterest in peace.

High-level Trump sources tell me the White House is now uncertain if they can get the Russians and Ukrainians to stop fighting because this episode with @ZelenskyyUa raised questions about whether he can move forward toward a peace deal. It also raises questions about whether US will pause aid to Ukraine. But Trump is NOT seeking regime change in Ukraine. No discussions about who in Ukraine might be a better leader than Zelenskyy.

Ukrainian officials have reached out this afternoon to senior White House officials desperate to get the deal back on track. But that will not happen today, I'm told. Trump is unwilling to talk to Zelenskyy further today.

When Rubio and Waltz went into the Roosevelt Room to ask Zelenskyy to leave, Rubio made it clear that any further engagements today would be counterproductive. Waltz told Zelenskyy he had made a tremendous mistake, and it was a grave disservice to Ukraine and to Americans, both.

No phone calls between Trump and Putin have been scheduled. But multiple European officials have called top Trump officials since Zelenskyy left asking how the minerals deal can be salvaged.

Trump fully intended to sign the minerals deal today. Two official binders were prepared -- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his Ukrainian counterpart and the two presidents were going to sit at a conference table in the East Room and then trumpet their success at podiums.

But there were suspicions before Zelenskyy arrived today that it might fall apart. Because the Trump admin had been pushing for weeks for a minerals deal signing at the ministerial level, and Ukraine had refused. Zelenskyy wanted security guarantees.

US officials thought negotiations would be much harder with **Putin** so today have been been in disbelief that it has been Zelenskyy who has been more difficult, making maximalist demands, sources told me.

Some more tidbits emerged, including a sharp rebuke at the idea that the Trump administration had set Zelensky up. To the contrary, the president is reported to have been committed to signing the minerals deal today, and everything seemed cordial until Zelensky lost it in Oval Office.

NEWS: When asked if the minerals deal is still on the table, multiple top Trump officials said: Not today.

None of this drama premeditated. Trump officials were incredulous that some media outlets suggested it might have been. The greeting with Trump and Zelenskyy was warm, with jokes and a guest book signing in the West Wing lobby. They went straight into the Oval and the vibe was positive. White House wanted this deal done today.

Trump believes that Zelenskyy missed out on a huge opportunity to have the US as a business partner, with US companies helping Ukraine monetize mineral resources such as gas, oil, aluminum, tritrium, gallium and others. Trump viewed it as the 1st step in in a progression towards peace.

France's Macron, the UK's Starmer, the sec general of NATO have all been talking to Trump and his team about troop presence in Ukraine, what the security guarantees would look like. But now US officials believe Zelenskyy has put his country in a terrible position, sources told me.

Instead of leaving with the US as a major business partner and all that that status would mean for Ukraine, Trump officials think Zelenskky left looking foolish, without reassuring Ukraine and without assuring American people they'll get to recoup their hundreds of billions, the officials said.

Zelensky's Friday night interview with Fox News' Bret Baier all but confirmed President Trump's suspicions to be true. There can be no peace right now because Zelensky seems determined to keep fighting and to draw the U.S. into the war.

With the president safely ensconced at Mar-a-Lago, likely with some relaxing golf on the agenda, it seems unlikely that Zelensky will be invited to talk anytime soon. The ball, it would seem, is now in Europe's court.

Link

(02-28-2025 07:27 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  

(02-28-2025 07:22 PM)TripleA Wrote:  Bessent just said that, given his prior experience negotiating with Z, one on one, and given Z's similar behavior with Rubio and Vance in Munich, that he thinks Z planned to do this all along, that he wanted to make his case to the media.

Oops.

Did I hear right that the Ukrainians texted they wanted back into the White House to sign the deal?

(02-28-2025 08:00 PM)Tiger1983 Wrote:  

(02-28-2025 07:27 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  

(02-28-2025 07:22 PM)TripleA Wrote:  Bessent just said that, given his prior experience negotiating with Z, one on one, and given Z's similar behavior with Rubio and Vance in Munich, that he thinks Z planned to do this all along, that he wanted to make his case to the media.

Oops.

Did I hear right that the Ukrainians texted they wanted back into the White House to sign the deal?

Yup.

(02-28-2025 07:57 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  

(02-28-2025 07:27 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  

(02-28-2025 07:22 PM)TripleA Wrote:  Bessent just said that, given his prior experience negotiating with Z, one on one, and given Z's similar behavior with Rubio and Vance in Munich, that he thinks Z planned to do this all along, that he wanted to make his case to the media.

Oops.

Quote:More details are emerging about the aftermath of the Oval Office blow-up that saw Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky unceremoniously booted out of the White House and his lunch served to White House staffers. The big question on everyone's mind is whether or not President Trump is open to immediately reopening talks with Zelensky after a cooling-off period.

The answer, reportedly, is hell no.

As Susie Moore reported earlier on Friday evening, the president answered some media questions as he made his way to Marine One on the first leg of his trip back to Mar-a-Lago. The basic gist of Trump's remarks was this: The U.S. wants to broker peace, but Zelensky wants to keep fighting with assistance from the U.S.

High-ranking White House officials confirmed to CBS News that President Trump is unwilling to talk to Zelensky at this point because of Zelensky's disinterest in peace.

High-level Trump sources tell me the White House is now uncertain if they can get the Russians and Ukrainians to stop fighting because this episode with @ZelenskyyUa raised questions about whether he can move forward toward a peace deal. It also raises questions about whether US will pause aid to Ukraine. But Trump is NOT seeking regime change in Ukraine. No discussions about who in Ukraine might be a better leader than Zelenskyy.

Ukrainian officials have reached out this afternoon to senior White House officials desperate to get the deal back on track. But that will not happen today, I'm told. Trump is unwilling to talk to Zelenskyy further today.

When Rubio and Waltz went into the Roosevelt Room to ask Zelenskyy to leave, Rubio made it clear that any further engagements today would be counterproductive. Waltz told Zelenskyy he had made a tremendous mistake, and it was a grave disservice to Ukraine and to Americans, both.

No phone calls between Trump and Putin have been scheduled. But multiple European officials have called top Trump officials since Zelenskyy left asking how the minerals deal can be salvaged.

Trump fully intended to sign the minerals deal today. Two official binders were prepared -- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his Ukrainian counterpart and the two presidents were going to sit at a conference table in the East Room and then trumpet their success at podiums.

But there were suspicions before Zelenskyy arrived today that it might fall apart. Because the Trump admin had been pushing for weeks for a minerals deal signing at the ministerial level, and Ukraine had refused. Zelenskyy wanted security guarantees.

US officials thought negotiations would be much harder with **Putin** so today have been been in disbelief that it has been Zelenskyy who has been more difficult, making maximalist demands, sources told me.

Some more tidbits emerged, including a sharp rebuke at the idea that the Trump administration had set Zelensky up. To the contrary, the president is reported to have been committed to signing the minerals deal today, and everything seemed cordial until Zelensky lost it in Oval Office.

NEWS: When asked if the minerals deal is still on the table, multiple top Trump officials said: Not today.

None of this drama premeditated. Trump officials were incredulous that some media outlets suggested it might have been. The greeting with Trump and Zelenskyy was warm, with jokes and a guest book signing in the West Wing lobby. They went straight into the Oval and the vibe was positive. White House wanted this deal done today.

Trump believes that Zelenskyy missed out on a huge opportunity to have the US as a business partner, with US companies helping Ukraine monetize mineral resources such as gas, oil, aluminum, tritrium, gallium and others. Trump viewed it as the 1st step in in a progression towards peace.

France's Macron, the UK's Starmer, the sec general of NATO have all been talking to Trump and his team about troop presence in Ukraine, what the security guarantees would look like. But now US officials believe Zelenskyy has put his country in a terrible position, sources told me.

Instead of leaving with the US as a major business partner and all that that status would mean for Ukraine, Trump officials think Zelenskky left looking foolish, without reassuring Ukraine and without assuring American people they'll get to recoup their hundreds of billions, the officials said.

Zelensky's Friday night interview with Fox News' Bret Baier all but confirmed President Trump's suspicions to be true. There can be no peace right now because Zelensky seems determined to keep fighting and to draw the U.S. into the war.

With the president safely ensconced at Mar-a-Lago, likely with some relaxing golf on the agenda, it seems unlikely that Zelensky will be invited to talk anytime soon. The ball, it would seem, is now in Europe's court.

Link

I actually believe everything in this except the part about Zelensky making the peace process more difficult than Putin. I have no doubt that when its all said and done---they are going to find Putin to be far more frustrating and uncooperative. While its true Biden never even tried to speak to Putin---its not like Putin ever sought talks with the US. Thus far---the talking from the Russian side has been nothing more than a restating of their grievances and demands. lol---I suspect our negotiators are going to find themselves repeating the word "intransigent" over and over once actual negotiations with the Russians begin (assuming the process even gets that far).

Thats not a defense of Zelensky by the way. I thought he was a complete idiot today and did his people a massive disservice. It was so bad---it may end up costing him his job. Ive literally never seen a diplomatic press conference implode like that in my life. Talk about snatching failure from the jaws of success.....

Zelensky is done. Canceling elections can't save him now. He no longer has supporters. Well, except the powerless big talking Left in this country. That oughtta help him out alot.

So if there's talk about impeaching Z how long does it take or is it an arduous venture like it is in the US? I know that in some places in Europe they can get rid of a president in one day.

Those Ukrainians need to get themselves another president to talk for the nation because this midget has cemented his feet to continuing the war. If he thinks the euros will help out, he'll be mistaken. They just put out those nice words to try to warn Putin that they will fight if need be but not being really serious. This will surely provoke another WW if they're serious. They're trying to keep Putin in check and hoping the war really ends.

(02-28-2025 08:11 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(02-28-2025 07:57 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  

(02-28-2025 07:27 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  

(02-28-2025 07:22 PM)TripleA Wrote:  Bessent just said that, given his prior experience negotiating with Z, one on one, and given Z's similar behavior with Rubio and Vance in Munich, that he thinks Z planned to do this all along, that he wanted to make his case to the media.

Oops.

Quote:More details are emerging about the aftermath of the Oval Office blow-up that saw Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky unceremoniously booted out of the White House and his lunch served to White House staffers. The big question on everyone's mind is whether or not President Trump is open to immediately reopening talks with Zelensky after a cooling-off period.

The answer, reportedly, is hell no.

As Susie Moore reported earlier on Friday evening, the president answered some media questions as he made his way to Marine One on the first leg of his trip back to Mar-a-Lago. The basic gist of Trump's remarks was this: The U.S. wants to broker peace, but Zelensky wants to keep fighting with assistance from the U.S.

High-ranking White House officials confirmed to CBS News that President Trump is unwilling to talk to Zelensky at this point because of Zelensky's disinterest in peace.

High-level Trump sources tell me the White House is now uncertain if they can get the Russians and Ukrainians to stop fighting because this episode with @ZelenskyyUa raised questions about whether he can move forward toward a peace deal. It also raises questions about whether US will pause aid to Ukraine. But Trump is NOT seeking regime change in Ukraine. No discussions about who in Ukraine might be a better leader than Zelenskyy.

Ukrainian officials have reached out this afternoon to senior White House officials desperate to get the deal back on track. But that will not happen today, I'm told. Trump is unwilling to talk to Zelenskyy further today.

When Rubio and Waltz went into the Roosevelt Room to ask Zelenskyy to leave, Rubio made it clear that any further engagements today would be counterproductive. Waltz told Zelenskyy he had made a tremendous mistake, and it was a grave disservice to Ukraine and to Americans, both.

No phone calls between Trump and Putin have been scheduled. But multiple European officials have called top Trump officials since Zelenskyy left asking how the minerals deal can be salvaged.

Trump fully intended to sign the minerals deal today. Two official binders were prepared -- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his Ukrainian counterpart and the two presidents were going to sit at a conference table in the East Room and then trumpet their success at podiums.

But there were suspicions before Zelenskyy arrived today that it might fall apart. Because the Trump admin had been pushing for weeks for a minerals deal signing at the ministerial level, and Ukraine had refused. Zelenskyy wanted security guarantees.

US officials thought negotiations would be much harder with **Putin** so today have been been in disbelief that it has been Zelenskyy who has been more difficult, making maximalist demands, sources told me.

Some more tidbits emerged, including a sharp rebuke at the idea that the Trump administration had set Zelensky up. To the contrary, the president is reported to have been committed to signing the minerals deal today, and everything seemed cordial until Zelensky lost it in Oval Office.

NEWS: When asked if the minerals deal is still on the table, multiple top Trump officials said: Not today.

None of this drama premeditated. Trump officials were incredulous that some media outlets suggested it might have been. The greeting with Trump and Zelenskyy was warm, with jokes and a guest book signing in the West Wing lobby. They went straight into the Oval and the vibe was positive. White House wanted this deal done today.

Trump believes that Zelenskyy missed out on a huge opportunity to have the US as a business partner, with US companies helping Ukraine monetize mineral resources such as gas, oil, aluminum, tritrium, gallium and others. Trump viewed it as the 1st step in in a progression towards peace.

France's Macron, the UK's Starmer, the sec general of NATO have all been talking to Trump and his team about troop presence in Ukraine, what the security guarantees would look like. But now US officials believe Zelenskyy has put his country in a terrible position, sources told me.

Instead of leaving with the US as a major business partner and all that that status would mean for Ukraine, Trump officials think Zelenskky left looking foolish, without reassuring Ukraine and without assuring American people they'll get to recoup their hundreds of billions, the officials said.

Zelensky's Friday night interview with Fox News' Bret Baier all but confirmed President Trump's suspicions to be true. There can be no peace right now because Zelensky seems determined to keep fighting and to draw the U.S. into the war.

With the president safely ensconced at Mar-a-Lago, likely with some relaxing golf on the agenda, it seems unlikely that Zelensky will be invited to talk anytime soon. The ball, it would seem, is now in Europe's court.

Link

I actually believe everything in this except the part about Zelensky making the peace process more difficult than Putin. I have no doubt that when its all said and done---they are going to find Putin to be far more frustrating and uncooperative. While its true Biden never even tried to speak to Putin---its not like Putin ever sought talks with the US. Thus far---the talking from the Russian side has been nothing more than a restating of their grievances and demands. lol---I suspect our negotiators are going to find themselves repeating the word "intransigent" over and over once actual negotiations with the Russians begin (assuming the process even gets that far).

Thats not a defense of Zelensky by the way. I thought he was a complete idiot today and did his people a massive disservice. It was so bad---it may end up costing him his job. Ive literally never seen a diplomatic press conference implode like that in my life. Talk about snatching failure from the jaws of success.....

Diplomacy has never been his strong point. At one point he really ticked off the Poles over a grain deal and the Poles are his strongest supporters. But I guess his advisers didn't warn him about what an ass Vance was. It was Vance who got Trump started.

(02-28-2025 09:20 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(02-28-2025 08:11 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(02-28-2025 07:57 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  

(02-28-2025 07:27 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  

(02-28-2025 07:22 PM)TripleA Wrote:  Bessent just said that, given his prior experience negotiating with Z, one on one, and given Z's similar behavior with Rubio and Vance in Munich, that he thinks Z planned to do this all along, that he wanted to make his case to the media.

Oops.

Quote:More details are emerging about the aftermath of the Oval Office blow-up that saw Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky unceremoniously booted out of the White House and his lunch served to White House staffers. The big question on everyone's mind is whether or not President Trump is open to immediately reopening talks with Zelensky after a cooling-off period.

The answer, reportedly, is hell no.

As Susie Moore reported earlier on Friday evening, the president answered some media questions as he made his way to Marine One on the first leg of his trip back to Mar-a-Lago. The basic gist of Trump's remarks was this: The U.S. wants to broker peace, but Zelensky wants to keep fighting with assistance from the U.S.

High-ranking White House officials confirmed to CBS News that President Trump is unwilling to talk to Zelensky at this point because of Zelensky's disinterest in peace.

High-level Trump sources tell me the White House is now uncertain if they can get the Russians and Ukrainians to stop fighting because this episode with @ZelenskyyUa raised questions about whether he can move forward toward a peace deal. It also raises questions about whether US will pause aid to Ukraine. But Trump is NOT seeking regime change in Ukraine. No discussions about who in Ukraine might be a better leader than Zelenskyy.

Ukrainian officials have reached out this afternoon to senior White House officials desperate to get the deal back on track. But that will not happen today, I'm told. Trump is unwilling to talk to Zelenskyy further today.

When Rubio and Waltz went into the Roosevelt Room to ask Zelenskyy to leave, Rubio made it clear that any further engagements today would be counterproductive. Waltz told Zelenskyy he had made a tremendous mistake, and it was a grave disservice to Ukraine and to Americans, both.

No phone calls between Trump and Putin have been scheduled. But multiple European officials have called top Trump officials since Zelenskyy left asking how the minerals deal can be salvaged.

Trump fully intended to sign the minerals deal today. Two official binders were prepared -- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and his Ukrainian counterpart and the two presidents were going to sit at a conference table in the East Room and then trumpet their success at podiums.

But there were suspicions before Zelenskyy arrived today that it might fall apart. Because the Trump admin had been pushing for weeks for a minerals deal signing at the ministerial level, and Ukraine had refused. Zelenskyy wanted security guarantees.

US officials thought negotiations would be much harder with **Putin** so today have been been in disbelief that it has been Zelenskyy who has been more difficult, making maximalist demands, sources told me.

Some more tidbits emerged, including a sharp rebuke at the idea that the Trump administration had set Zelensky up. To the contrary, the president is reported to have been committed to signing the minerals deal today, and everything seemed cordial until Zelensky lost it in Oval Office.

NEWS: When asked if the minerals deal is still on the table, multiple top Trump officials said: Not today.

None of this drama premeditated. Trump officials were incredulous that some media outlets suggested it might have been. The greeting with Trump and Zelenskyy was warm, with jokes and a guest book signing in the West Wing lobby. They went straight into the Oval and the vibe was positive. White House wanted this deal done today.

Trump believes that Zelenskyy missed out on a huge opportunity to have the US as a business partner, with US companies helping Ukraine monetize mineral resources such as gas, oil, aluminum, tritrium, gallium and others. Trump viewed it as the 1st step in in a progression towards peace.

France's Macron, the UK's Starmer, the sec general of NATO have all been talking to Trump and his team about troop presence in Ukraine, what the security guarantees would look like. But now US officials believe Zelenskyy has put his country in a terrible position, sources told me.

Instead of leaving with the US as a major business partner and all that that status would mean for Ukraine, Trump officials think Zelenskky left looking foolish, without reassuring Ukraine and without assuring American people they'll get to recoup their hundreds of billions, the officials said.

Zelensky's Friday night interview with Fox News' Bret Baier all but confirmed President Trump's suspicions to be true. There can be no peace right now because Zelensky seems determined to keep fighting and to draw the U.S. into the war.

With the president safely ensconced at Mar-a-Lago, likely with some relaxing golf on the agenda, it seems unlikely that Zelensky will be invited to talk anytime soon. The ball, it would seem, is now in Europe's court.

Link

I actually believe everything in this except the part about Zelensky making the peace process more difficult than Putin. I have no doubt that when its all said and done---they are going to find Putin to be far more frustrating and uncooperative. While its true Biden never even tried to speak to Putin---its not like Putin ever sought talks with the US. Thus far---the talking from the Russian side has been nothing more than a restating of their grievances and demands. lol---I suspect our negotiators are going to find themselves repeating the word "intransigent" over and over once actual negotiations with the Russians begin (assuming the process even gets that far).

Thats not a defense of Zelensky by the way. I thought he was a complete idiot today and did his people a massive disservice. It was so bad---it may end up costing him his job. Ive literally never seen a diplomatic press conference implode like that in my life. Talk about snatching failure from the jaws of success.....

Diplomacy has never been his strong point. At one point he really ticked off the Poles over a grain deal and the Poles are his strongest supporters. But I guess his advisers didn't warn him about what an ass Vance was. It was Vance who got Trump started.

No, it was not Vance that got Trump started. Vance explained the difference between Biden's empty posturing and Trump using diplomacy. Zelenskyy started with the whole "what diplomacy?" bullcrap after that. That's what set everything off. That means Zelenskyy started the argument, and Trump finished it. I'm sorry that's not what you want to read or hear, but that's the truth. Learn it, live it, love it.

Also, if what both Sean Hannity and Bret Baier said was true, Zelenskyy knew that this was the first phase in a three-phase deal to bring the war to an end, and he acted like this?!? Nah. To hell with him.