Yes, he’s a narcissist, yes he’s racist, misogynist, crooked in business, and with no regard for civil institutions and laws. And he’s just been sucking up to the nastiest, most murderous, Arabian Gulf regime, in order to make $billions for American business interests, including, notably his own.
But even Trump can do some good things. And in the case of the Ukraine war, this is apparent.
In early 2022, Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy was on the brink of signing a peace agreement with Russia. There’d be no loss of Ukraine territory, and no Ukraine NATO membership. Key Western leaders opposed this negotiation. On April 9, 2022, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived unannounced in Kiev and told the Ukrainian president that the West was not ready to end the war. Then in April, in Kiev, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the U.S. wants to use the opportunity to permanently weaken Russia militarily and economically. He went on, at a meeting of Western leaders in Germany, to declare a Ukrainian victory over Russia to be the strategic goal for Europe and the USA.
Zelenskyy promptly switched policy, and this turned into his peripatetic jaunts to the USA and Europe, to drum up weaponry for this determination to defeat Russia. In this, he had the mindless, and never flinching, support from Joe Biden, and NATO. All of which was most acceptable to America’s warhawks, and manna from Heaven to Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Boeing and General Dynamics.
The West then launched a propaganda campaign about Ukrainian forces defeating Russian forces. English language media continued to show only the Ukrainian perspective. Media scholars have studied this, but I can be sure just from my own experience of the Australian media.
I’ve noticed not only a constant theme that Ukraine can militarily defeat Russia, but that Ukraine is winning the war. This has been accompanied by copious emotional stories about the Ukrainian civilian victims of Russia’s war. Terrible atrocities done by the Russians. And some atrocity reports are faked. In reality, atrocities have been committed also by Ukrainians, but these are rarely reported on.
With that unflinching support from the West, Russia’s steady progress in the war has been disregarded and downplayed. Russia now has the military upper hand on the battlefield and that seems unlikely to change.
From 2022 until 2025, Biden and NATO would not countenance any serious suggestion of a negotiated end, such was their hatred of Russia. Near the end of his office, President Biden signed off on a huge number of weapons to Ukraine.
Donald Trump promised to end the war (in 24 hours, so he’s a bit overdue). In March this year, he stopped all military aid to Ukraine, including weapons already in transit. He’s against NATO membership for Ukraine – as just “not practical”, and does not expect that Ukraine will get back all of its land.
Ukraine has extended martial law until 6 August following Zelenskyy’s request. This will prevent elections from being held before then, and enable Zelenskyy to stay in power. However, Zelenskyy could use fraudulent voter lists as a means of gaining re-election.
Critics, (including myself) have stressed Trump’s aim to make money for American companies out of a peace agreement. Well, so what? American weapons companies have been making $billions out of the war.
The thing is, despite all Trump’s negative aspects, he really does not like war. And with the Trump presidency, there is at last the opportunity to end this pointless slaughter, and avoid a wider war – something that was not possible under a Democrat administration.
As to Trump “not liking war” – that is another story to be explored. He likes to bully people with the threat of war. And that may turn out to be a dangerous way to go.
Zelenskyy’s plan for a ceasefire involves Ukraine getting back all the Russian-occupied land, including Crimea (formally part of Russia since 2014), and Ukraine headed to become a NATO member. Europe, and all Westerners who buy into the Joe Biden view of Ukraine seem now still holding onto the idea of a military victory by Ukraine, over Russia. Zelenskyy’s unrealistic plan for a ceasefire can be disregarded. At least Trump offers a realistic way towards peace. And for that he deserves acknowledgement, even if it is – knowing his trademark modus operandi – ego-driven.
Also by Noel Wauchope: A resounding win for the world’s nuclear-free clean energy movement
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Donald can make all the noises he likes but he isn’t about to do something that will upset his favourite dictator and master. Putin will just keep ignoring the hair with attached orange tumour because he knows The Trumpster is deep in his pockets and is a coward at heart.
https://thehill.com/policy/international/5304551-trump-putin-meeting-russia-ukraine-war-frustrations/
It’s unusually honest for anyone to own up to the fact that they support Trump’s policy.
Personally, I take great comfort from the fact that I can’t think of a single issue where I endorse Trump’s position.
And…
▪︎ The Ukrainian constitution prohibits elections during war.
▪︎ Your evidence of Ukrainian atrocities is a Daily Mail article that reports on the actions of Russian backed separatists
▪︎ Russia has (illegally) annexed territory it doesn’t control
▪︎ Zelensky hasn’t made a ceasefire conditional on return of Ukrainian territory, whereas Putin has demanded Ukraine relinquish territory Ukraine controls as a condition for a ceasefire
▪︎ And let’s not forget that Putin has previously expressed ambivalence about Ukraine joing NATO.
to A Commentator. Yes, you are right. Zelensky has not made a temporary ceasefire conditional on return of Ukrainian territory. However, Zelensky has clearly stated on several occasions his goals for a permanent peace deal. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qrOddoBPd8 ) These goals are 1. NATO membership 2. Western forces, especially U.S forces stationed in Ukraine. 3. return of Ukraine territories including Crimea.( https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/15/significant-step-russia-ukraine-talks-in-turkiye-what-to) These conditions are totally unacceptable to Russia.
Zelensky’s demands for a temporary ceasefire – first an “unconditional, 30-day ceasefire “in the air, at sea and on land” would mean that Ukraine could build up its weaponry and troops during that period. Not a practical plan for Russia, now in a winning position
Let’s (firstly) deal with this issue-
If Zelensky is willing to accept a ceasefire without condition, and Russia places conditions on a ceasefire, such as- Ukraine must relinquish territory it currently controls, which side do you believe seeks to prolong the war?
Good advice for troubled times… wherever and whenever.
Kanga, that’s a ripper, you’ve done it again!
Did you notice that the lovely lady is not accustomed to using the magic word?
But she soldiered on in a good cause.
………………………………………..
A few days ago Yanis Varoufakis put out a very short video about the 80th anniversary of the victory over fascism, in which he outlined the link to the Ukraine conflict.
The link to Ukraine was the policy of the West, the victors, to employ conquered fascists to pursue the same anti-humanity policies under a new banner.
“The victors employed fascists, enlisted them, to maintain the pre-war colonial order, the pre-war pseudo-liberal regimes, whose economic and ethical bankruptcy begot fascism. Today the fascism spectre is rising again. In Ukraine on the very same battlefields where it was crushed, naziism lives on, armed to the teeth, striking out from both the Azov battalion and the Wagner group. In the EU, fascism is back, not with sieg heils and jackboots, but in the xenophobic demagogues in our parliaments…”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UUHd4S9wFQ
All plausible, but… ignores how Putin is bad faith actor or negotiator?
‘In early 2022, Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy was on the brink of signing a peace agreement with Russia.’ (based on one micro media source)
Current European based analysis, including the left, but not Anglosphere & FoxNews, would profoundly disagree.
One micro media source?
Says Andrew Smith who quotes the discredited Vatnik Soup at every opportunity.
Michael von der Schulenburg is a former UN Assistant Secretary-General, who worked for over 34 years for the United Nations, and shortly for the OSCE, in many countries in war or internal armed conflicts often involving fragile governments and armed non-state actors.
Hajo Funke is Professor Emeritus for political sciences of the Otto-Suhr-Institute/ Freie University Berlin.
General (ret.) Harald Kujat was the highest ranging German officer of the Bundeswehr and at NATO.
From Michael von der Schulenburg, Hajo Funke, Harald Kujat
Just one month after the start of the Russian military intervention in Ukraine, Ukrainian and Russian negotiators had come very close to an agreement for a ceasefire and to an outline for a comprehensive peace solution to the conflict.
Contrary to Western interpretations, Ukraine and Russia agreed at the time that the planned NATO expansion was the reason for the war. They therefore focused their peace negotiations on Ukraine’s neutrality and its renunciation of NATO membership. In return, Ukraine would have retained its territorial integrity except for Crimea.
There is little doubt that these peace negotiations failed due to resistance from NATO and in particular from the USA and the UK. The reasons is that such a peace agreement would have been tantamount to a defeat for NATO, an end to NATO’s eastward expansion and thus an end to the dream of a unipolar world dominated by the USA.
https://braveneweurope.com/michael-von-der-schulenburg-hajo-funke-harald-kujat-peace-for-ukraine
Well said by Yanis.
It’s never stopped – the guile of France, Britain and The Holy Roman Empire (later to become Germany – whose indiscretions let the team down). They’ve been gouging at Russia and the East (particularly Middle East) for millennia, here and there either press-ganging or in competition with the Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish and others. Then America joined with its bastille of crazy ex-Europeans to take over the hegemony with an advanced zenophobia, paranoia, and militarized coercion, subjugation and extraction.
T-Rumps antics seem to be revealing the stupidities. Yet the EU, shitting bricks is still talking militarism to continue the gouge. Who ever knows what it’ll come to.
The Donald throws yet another childish tantrum (what else is new) about the Ukraine situation and basically says, “Not my problem.”
https://theconversation.com/after-another-call-with-putin-it-looks-like-trump-has-abandoned-efforts-to-mediate-peace-in-ukraine-257021