A quick overview of the questions about whether #Ukraine actually has the mineral deposits that put dollar signs in Trump's eyes. I've heard this skepticism of the deposits before.

I have a suspicion that #Zelenskyy is not such a big fan of the minerals agreement with #Trump because he knows it's not really going to pan out, he's just going along with it to get to the next step that might actually be substantial.

Until Trump botched his own deal, of course.

youtu.be/PFr5dei95KQ?si=Jhuciz…

#USPolitics

I'm a firm believer in Occam's Razor:

What explains more of #MAGA’s hate of #Zelenskyy than Russian connections is their grievance of him.

MAGA is a cult of #manhood, but its led by these crooks who amassed their wealth or power in dishonest ways. And on some level they have to recognise what they are; thieves, bullies and liars.

”Every time a JD Vance sees a Zelenskyy he sees a better man.”

And they rage about it. They are petty, weak men using power to erase proof that better men exist.

Morten Morland Sunday Times cartoon: March 2, 2025
thetimes.com/imageserver/image…

(via thetimes.com/comment/cartoons/…)

#ukraine #usa #zelenskyy #trump #vance #diplomacy

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.

#Zelenskyy said a deal with #Russia is pointless w/o #security #guarantees.

Here’s why: #Kyiv made this mistake before.

#Moscow broke ceasefire after #Minsk agreements. International lawyer Oleksandr watched it all unfold.

Rupar:

Wow -- here's the footage of #Trump attacking #Zelenskyy during their meeting in the White House

bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/p…

Sensitive content Reveal/hide

I watched the full meeting (thanks @avuko for the link: infosec.exchange/@avuko/114083…) and it was actually going pretty well, given the context, until JD Vance intervened. I wish he had just kept quiet, but I'm not sure it would have changed much in the grand scheme of things - the deal that they were planning to make didn't seem useful in any way to guarantee the safety of Ukraine.

It's really admirable how #Zelenskyy managed to stay very calm all along while sitting next to a person (#Trump) who repeatedly avoided criticising Putin, avoided mentioning the possibility that Putin might break the deal (as he has done many times in the past), avoided talking about any security guarantees even though many journalists asked about them. He basically seemed to want to make that deal just to get those precious "rare earth" with no consideration for the safety of Ukraine, and kept talking about how people are dying from both sides (even though Russia is the one sending soldiers to die in Ukraine).

Zelenskyy did really well in stating some facts while still providing a good amount of flattery to Trump, who seemed pretty happy about the whole thing until Vance opened his mouth. And then it was like something switched in Trump and he went on full aggression mode even though he had just said that to make a deal you have to be nice to all parties and that was why he was nice to Putin.

In conclusion, when you watch only the extract that's going around it seems like a big fail on all fronts but the rest is actually showing how it is possible to stand next to a compulsive liar (Trump) while correcting (at least some of) his lies and keeping calm, and that was pretty nice to watch.

PS: they kept insisting that Zelenskyy did not say thank you in the meeting, when he actually did, many times.

⠠⠵ avuko

2025-02-28 22:22:37

I also can't find it, currently listening to the whole convo.

This matches what I'm hearing: archive.is/MxnLS

youtube.com/watch?v=yCZG367Y1B…

- YouTube

Bekijk je favoriete video's, luister naar de muziek die je leuk vindt, upload originele content en deel alles met vrienden, familie en anderen op YouTube.

^{www.youtube.com}

"The Oval Office blowup, in which Trump and Vance berated Zelensky as ungrateful while dismissing the prospect that Russian President Vladimir Putin might renege on a potential ceasefire agreement, is a culmination in a weeks-long campaign to choreograph an end to U.S. support for Ukraine."

~ Josh Kovensky

#Trump #JDVance #Zelenskyy #Ukraine #Putin #Russia #democracy
/15

talkingpointsmemo.com/news/tru…

Trump And Vance Ambush Zelensky In Prelude To Betrayal

President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance moved to betray a key U.S. ally that has lost hundreds of thousands of people in fending off a Russian…

^{Josh Kovensky (TPM - Talking Points Memo)}

"The Trump administration has publicly and privately signaled that it does not believe Russia represents a cyber threat against US national security or critical infrastructure, marking a radical departure from longstanding intelligence assessments."

~ Stephanie Kirchgaessner

#Trump #JDVance #Zelenskyy #Ukraine #Putin #Russia #democracy #PutinsPoodle
/16

theguardian.com/us-news/2025/f…

Trump administration retreats in fight against Russian cyber threats

Recent incidents indicate US is no longer characterizing Russia as a cybersecurity threat, marking a radical departure: ‘Putin is on the inside now’

^{Stephanie Kirchgaessner (The Guardian)}

“Absolute admiration for President #Zelenskyy. The guy has balls. He went into the Oval Office and stood up to #Russia’s best negotiators.”

#Ukraine

"Shortly after the blowup, Trump ran to his Truth Social account to bloviate."

~ Walter Einenkel

#Trump #JDVance #Zelenskyy #Ukraine #Putin #Russia #democracy #PutinsPoodle
/14

dailykos.com/stories/2025/2/28…

Zelenskyy shows true leadership as Trump implodes in Oval Office meltdown

Donald Trump and JD Vance teamed up to embarrass the United States on Friday and derail any meaningful efforts toward a peace deal in the Russia-Ukraine War when they decided to publicly berate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during what was.

^{Daily Kos}

"The sight of an American president so out of control, so lacking in either grace or gravitas, and so dismissive of our own security needs marked a low point in the annals of U.S. foreign policy."

#Trump #JDVance #Zelenskyy #Ukraine #Putin #Russia #democracy
/13

"Never before have we witnessed such a grotesque display of bullying in the Oval Office by a president and vice president of the United States. Berating a democratic ally for the temerity not to sacrifice his own country to Donald Trump’s idol, Vladimir Putin."

~ Jennifer Rubin

#Trump #JDVance #Zelenskyy #Ukraine #Putin #Russia #democracy
/12

contrarian.substack.com/p/aler…

ALERT: Trump and Vance berate Zelensky, kick him out of White House

*Special Alert from The Contrarian*

^{Ilan Goldenberg (The Contrarian)}

"Senator Lindsey Graham tweeted Friday morning. 'President Trump, the deal maker and peace maker, is on display.'

Less than two hours later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was kicked out of the White House, no deal was signed, and the White House pushed out social media clips boasting about it all.

Has there ever been an Oval Office meeting between a US president and a visiting foreign leader like the one today?"

#Trump #JDVance #Zelenskyy #Ukraine #Putin
/11

zeteo.com/p/be-thankful-trump-…

'Be Thankful!' Trump Berates Zelensky in Insane Oval Office Meltdown

The US president and his vice-president tag-teamed to attack, rebuke, and mock Ukraine's president, on live television, before asking him to leave the White House and threatening to cut off aid.

^{Prem Thakker (Zeteo)}