Ukraine
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Ukraine could win if Europe committed to fixing the Russian problem.
Instead it seems the will and consensus is not yet present; not yet seen as vital.It's all too easy to slag off Trump(CF) for his ridiculous comments that Zelensky started the war and that Zelensky is a dictator.
But what is Europe going to do regarding the war? There's no point us whinging about the demented stream of consciousness emanating from the brain of Trump(CF).
We need European leaders to agree on a coherent, viable plan. -
Pity we don't have someone as courageous as this as our president.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a press conference in Kyiv on Sunday he would be willing to resign from his post in exchange for peace in Ukraine or NATO membership.
“If it is peace for Ukraine, and if you really want me to leave my post, I’m ready,” Zelenskyy said in Ukrainian. “Alternatively, I can trade this for NATO membership, if such conditions exist, immediately, so we don’t have lengthy discussions. I’m focusing on Ukraine’s security today, not in 20 years. And I don’t intend to stay in power for decades.”
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/zelenskyy-presidency-peace-nato-rcna193364
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Zelensky is standing firm.
President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed back at the U.S.’ demand for a $500 billion fund to be financed with Ukrainian natural resource revenue, saying that the U.S.’s aid grants are not debts, during the Ukraine: Year 2025 forum in Kyiv on Feb. 23.
Negotiations on a deal to entrench U.S. interests in Ukraine's reserves are ongoing, with the latest draft presented by the White House demanding $500 billion of Ukraine’s natural resources, including critical minerals, to recuperate American aid to Ukraine.
Zelensky said that he will not recognize such a large sum since it vastly outweighs the $100 billion the U.S. has sent to Ukraine under former President Joe Biden.
The president added that the aid given to Ukraine cannot be counted as debts since they are grants and stressed that security guarantees need to be included in the deal. So far no such guarantees have been put in place, he said.
“I am not signing something that will be paid by 10 generations of Ukrainians," Zelensky said, adding that he wants a dialogue with Trump.
The initial White House proposal sought a 50% interest in Ukraine’s natural resources, including critical minerals, oil and gas, as well as critical infrastructure and ports. Zelensky said Ukraine is not ready to “split 50/50 without knowing what’s ahead.”
The Ukrainian leader also pointed out that the U.S. proposed to return future aid with an interest of 1:2. “For every U.S. dollar, Ukraine must return two. In simple terms, this is 100% of the loan,” he said.
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Biden didn't send more than 100 billion? I'd like to see an accounting.
The money Biden had for Ukraine and Israel and Trump has for Israel in comparison to Biden and now Trump not spending money in the US for the benefit of Americans is arguably disgusting.
I've said this before and nobody here wanted to believe me then and nobody will probably want to believe me now but it's a proxy war.
It has wrought plenty of death and destruction and should come to an end in my opinion.
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Fareed Zakaria's take:
https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/23/world/video/gps0223-trump-surrendering-to-russia
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$114 billion and change through the end of last year.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1303432/total-bilateral-aid-to-ukraine/
And this graph, as a percentage of each country's GDP:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1303450/bilateral-aid-to-ukraine-in-a-percent-of-donor-gdp/
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Link to video
Trump wasn't briefed or couldn't remember what he was told.
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Zelenskyy: no security guarantee agreed with the US and minerals deal depends on Trump
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said no security guarantee with the US has been agreed and described the deal between the two countries as a ‘framework’.Speaking at a press conference earlier today, the Ukrainian president also said the success of an initial minerals agreement with the US will depend on President Trump.
Zelenskyy said a security guarantee with the US was essential. Speaking to the BBC, he added, “if we don’t get security guarantees, we won’t have a ceasefire, nothing will work, nothing.”
A White House official has cast doubt on Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s purported trip to Washington on Friday. Speaking anonymously to Reuters, the official said “If the Ukrainian leader says the deal isn’t finalised, I don’t see why an invitation would make sense. There’s an expectation that his coming is to recognise a final position, and he is not at a final position in his own words in this new wording.”
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A security guarantee would have been NATO membership and it has been denied. These events happened in the framework of the US violating certain promises and in the process destroying the global nuclear arms control framework. Russia was never going to accept Ukraine becoming a member of NATO. It was a bridge too far for them and they are the hegemonic power in the region.
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Details on the deal. The most comprehensive description I've seen so far.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/economic-deal-between-us-ukraine-191525595.html
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How many resources are there, anyway?
https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/27/politics/trump-ukraine-minerals-doubts-resources/index.html
