I have now read the transcript of yesterday’s “meeting” (if you can call it that) between President Trump, Vice President Vance and Ukraine’s President Zelinsky.
My assessment? Zelinsky is no bargain. Far from it. But President Trump and Vice President Vance’s behavior at this press circus was reprehensible.
They bullied Zelensky, talked over him, treated him like a lesser being (exactly what you don’t do in a negotiation with someone you want something from)….
…and, while doing this, Trump – it apparently is in his DNA and he has no control over himself – made sure to tell everyone how great he was…before summarily ending the fiasco he created.
Short of fisticuffs or gunplay, I don’t know how this could have gone worse.
Bottom line? No ceasefire, no peace and no mineral deal.
Maybe this can be retrieved in the near future; one thing Trump got right, no matter how heavily-handed he presented it, is that Zelensky needs us a lot more than we need him. But a) that remains to be seen and b) in any case it does not change how disgracefully our President and Vice President behaved.
I’m ashamed for them and I’m ashamed for our country.
