Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Donald Trump and J.D. Vance to work out a peace agreement. One Substack writer commented; “What started as nervous diplomacy ended as a Three Stooges pie-fight,” but as Trump put it, “It made great television.”
Was anyone really expecting Zelenskyy to cave in to the planned deal, when he continued to insist on NATO membership for Ukraine, all territories returned, and American military support? As Trump unkindly put it, the Ukrainians “don’t have any cards” in this negotiation.
The military situation? It looks as if Russia is winning, and there is no doubt that Ukraine cannot prevail unless the USA continues its military backing:
“Russia’s military for months has been reporting a slow but steady advance westward across Donetsk region, capturing village after village… The troops have been closing in for several weeks on the key logistics centre of Pokrovsk… Moscow’s troops have focused on capturing Donbas — made up of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.”
The humanitarian situation:
“The conflict in Ukraine has displaced over 3.5 million people within the country and forced over 6.8 million to leave the country as of January 2025… an estimated 12.7 million requiring humanitarian aid and protection, according to the U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR).The war has sparked economic shocks and disruption with global ramifications, impacting people in poverty and contributing to an escalating global hunger crisis.”
“Millions of people are living in damaged buildings without basic necessities like electricity, water, or heat,” according to the United Nations (U.N.), 12.7 million people will need humanitarian aid and protection in 2025.
The war in Ukraine has had a devastating impact on children, with over 2,400 killed or injured since the conflict escalated in February 2022, an average of 16 child casualties every week, according to UNICEF.
So where do negotiations stand now?
Zelenskyy doesn’t seem to understand that in a real negotiation, both sides have to get something out of it. However much Zelenskyy and the West hate the Russian President, Vladimir Putin is in a powerful position, and it is simple logic that he would need some concessions from Ukraine. That’s something that Donald Trump well understands, (along with the opportunities for American business in this negotiation).
What happens next is very much up to the Ukrainian Parliament, and also to Trump, who has already shown willingness to make some concessions on his demands for financial repayments to the USA. We could see a dramatic fall from grace by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and his departure into irrelevance.
Politics in Ukraine
The Western media have fawned over Zelenskyy, and ignored some unsavoury aspects of his government. His rule has become dictatorial; “The president has reduced the national legislature to a tool for rubber-stamping his decisions, a major outlet reports.” The national parliament – the Verkhovna Rada has long been tightly controlled by the presidential administration. Before 2022 Zelenskyy cracked down on opposition politicians and critical media. He has admired, and restored the reputation of, Ukraine’s past Nazi group leaders, Stepan Bandera, Evgeny Konovalets, Yaroslav Hunka. He banned Ukraine’s largest Christian orthodox church, banned the use of the Russian language in official and public documents, banned performance of all Russian language books, music, and films, in public. He has supported one of the most notorious neo-Nazis in modern Ukrainian history: Azov Battalion founder Andriy Biletsky.
Business and Corruption in Ukraine. One can hardly blame Zelenskyy for this – corruption has been consistent in Ukraine, following paths similar to organised crime and political parties in the post-Soviet Union. Transparency International ranks Ukraine low on the “clean” list. In the annual ranking it still ranks 104th among 180 countries. 92% of Ukrainians identify corruption as a severe national issue in 2024, second only to the war.
The USA role in corruption in Ukraine. Well, it’s hard to find information on this. The U.S. Republicans tried hard to pin this on President Biden’s son Hunter, without much success. However he did not come up squeaky clean. Hunter Biden did have business dealings in Ukraine, which included high paid consultancies and gifts, In December 2024, Biden’s father pardoned him for all federal offenses committed between 2014 and 2024, including any potential offenses not yet discovered.
But let’s wait and see what kind of corruption might emerge in Ukraine, once Trump has achieved this contentious peace deal. His record from his previous presidency:
“As president, Donald Trump has flouted all kinds of norms, starting with his decision not to divest from his business interests while in office. That set the stage for an administration marked by self-interest, profiteering at the highest levels and more than 3,700 conflicts of interest.”
All of which leads me to conclude that things are not going to be easy for Ukraine, whatever the outcome of this crisis about a peace deal. It is generally accepted that Ukraine simply cannot fight on without the military backing of the USA. It’s difficult, and confusing, to predict what kind of backing Ukraine can expect from European nations and the UK.
The most likely outcome – the Ukrainian parliament does decide to agree to a deal with Russia, which will entail considerable USA business presence and commercial gain from resources, both in Ukraine and in Russia. Hardly a surprise – as that’s what Donald Trump is all about – American business interests in control.
It doesn’t sound like a great outcome for Ukraine. But from the humanitarian point of view, it sounds better than the carnage of war.
Dear reader, we need your support
Independent sites such as The AIMN provide a platform for public interest journalists. From its humble beginning in January 2013, The AIMN has grown into one of the most trusted and popular independent media organisations.
One of the reasons we have succeeded has been due to the support we receive from our readers through their financial contributions.
With increasing costs to maintain The AIMN, we need this continued support.
Your donation – large or small – to help with the running costs of this site will be greatly appreciated.
You can donate through PayPal or credit card via the button below, or donate via bank transfer: BSB: 062500; A/c no: 10495969
My god…everyone flips from supporting Zelensky who was set up by the US in the first place, to painting him as a dictator. Just because Trump huffs and puffs and acts like the bully he is. Ukraine was a US ally 5 mins ago…now Trump just wants control of its mineral resources and doesn’t care if the country ceases to exist. This article is shameful really.
If not disgusting, this is not credible analysis just shallow spruiking of RWNJ authoritarians and ultraconservatives (see allies of Abbott, Murdoch et al), to throw Ukraine a sovereign nation under the bus while Russiamis struggling (for a lifeline)?
Don’t ever let anyone tell you that Australians are as stupid, selfish and uncaring as MAGA Americans…..
Cherry picking and misinterpreting news articles* and making false equivalence between the nasty mob behaviour of GOP-Trump-Musk vs Zelensky’s diplomacy, while ignoring Putin’s and Russia’s behaviour vs Ukraine and Europe?
*Taibbi on the SubStack was the former alleged ‘liberal’ who was commissioned by RWNJ Musk to audit then Twitter; his response to blow back was that he had a mortgage, kids and school fees……
Making anodyne or generic assertions or observations about Russia’s (invasion of) Ukraine war, while taking a moral, ethical and empathy bypass e.g. thousands of Ukraine’s children taken by Russia and millions of refugees who fled to the EU?
Says something of how Australians think or mostly not nowadays?
Gone down the fossil fueled far right anti- refugees & immigration eugenics and authoritarianism rabbit hole of Atlas Koch and MAGA Tanton Networks, with Murdoch Fox led media providing PR and comms lube; all anti-Ukraine and anti-EU, too easy.
Good news is this Trump-Musk-Putin-Vance show has put the ‘frighteners’ on and now palpable anger of voters elsewhere to avoid right wing Putin Trump allied parties in Europe and tbe Anglosphere.
To the disappointment of the writer, RWNJs and some commenters here, Dutton & LNP are now toast; whose side are you on?
If Zelensky agreed with Trumps deal without guaranteed US security, and just the rights to minerals, I suspect that Trump would outsource the mining and processing to Russian interests.
The interview was a set up as with Trump and JD’s voices were clear and loud, far louder and clearer than Zelensky’s.
It’s hard to believe that many in the USA don’t realise how the rest of the world view them, as whining, brash, bullies.
Clare De Mayo,
Not everyone has flipped from supporting Zelensky. Not everybody was fooled. The jingoistic propaganda that manufactured consent for a ruthless sacrifice of people’s lives with the sole aim of weakening Russia so that it could be destroyed as a nation is at last being exposed now that this callous and stupid plot has, as predicted, failed. Those who were fooled are of course extremely reluctant to admit it because that is the nature of fools. Some fools would even prefer pushing themselves into a nuclear Armageddon rather than admit they have been fooled. The Russians didn’t start this war, nor did Ukraine. It was the US bully and its gang of NATO toadies, but Ukraine was a willing collaborator, as indeed was Australia that still today insists that it stands by a country where cultural ethnic cleansing, hate-speech and Nazi salutes aren’t banned, but openly celebrated as expressions of patriotism.
Zelensky is now a dictator. His term of office as President has long expired and he rules by decree without opposition nor democratic elections. How can he sign a peace treaty if he is not legitimate? How can Russia be party to a treaty that Ukraine can at a future date declare to be non-binding and void because of Zelensky’s undeniable illegitimacy?
Noel,
I don’t agree with your sentiments and I doubt many of our readers would either, but the beauty of this site is that you are given the freedom to discuss the goings on in the world as you see them.
It is not that Trump opposes supplying Ukraine with arms, far from it, the US armaments industry is a major part of the US economy. What Trump objects to is not being paid for the armaments. Hence he wants the minerals.
As he has said of Gaza, it would become American (Club Med.) in repayment for the arms supplied to Netanyahu to carry out the genocide (i.e. site clearance).
Trump is nothing if not transactional (and stupid !)
There’s plenty of discordant bugling here but not much tuneful music. We may all have a say, be correct or believe that, be seen as error ridden in full or part, or just itchy, angry, strident. President Dollop O’Dogshit of the USA is a serious case of multiple misfittery, but an army of Freudian types would struggle to unravel it, let alone offer a cure process with a chance…Trump appears so low as to want to reduce anyone, e. g., a Zelenskyy, to zero so as to be taller, finer. A world of subparticles would suit sicko Trump who would be internally and externally huge, even though a mere gravel grit. If Trump cannot ever mature and be a real man, he must reduce all others. The shitshow on T V was set up unfairly but the intended victim did not agree to be slaughtered and humiliated, despite Trump and Spewbowl Vance yabbering. May the world’s leaders find a way or ways to unite, to oppose Trump and the vomitous current USA scene, to outflank the filthy criminality of racketeering and extortion, and survive, for all our sakes. Quarantine, boycott, refusal, confronting, that is needed to crush Trumpery, the pox of current times. But the systems and setups and personnel behind Trump will remain, evil, anti-social, negative, greedy, blinkered, pustular.
Thank you, B Sullivan – for taking the long view and seeing how this war came about. And for noting the Nazi influence in Ukraine – even if it is only minor – that influence is there. However, I think that you are mistaken in the idea that Zelensky is not a legitimate President. Even though his term of office finished many months ago, it simply was not practical or doable for Ukraine to hold an election in the middle of a war. Zelensky could still sign a valid peace treaty. The legal regime of martial law explicitly prohibits the government from holding presidential elections, during the state of martial law. (Article 108 of the Constitution of Ukraine)
So it’s all Zelensky’s fault for not kowtowing to The Orange Messiah say the sycophants in the Weird House.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/01/trump-officials-zelenskyy
Noel, the neo-nazi influence in Ukraine is not minor.
It is significant.
Immediately after the coup they were given three important posts in the new regime.
From memory, one of those was national security.
As noted above, Zelensky is a democratically elected President and is still, I believe, supported by a majority.
Whatever the perceived provocations, the fact is that Russia invaded Ukraine and therefore is directly responsible for all of the deaths. NATO is a defence alliance, not an aggressive one and despite the Ukraine’s non-membership by its support clearly identifies Russia as a threat. Trump’s complete misunderstanding of the situation and his abject apparent willingness to deal with Putin (to the insulting exclusion of Ukraine) speaks volumes about his stupidity. Any withdrawal of support of Ukraine by the US would embolden Putin to advance further. He will only back off if faced with united and forceful opposition which should, must, include a strengthened response from the US, sadly unlikely under the ignorant Trump/Vance regime.
“The Art of the Deal” by Donald J Trump :
First spit the dummy, then have a tantrum, if that doesn’t work talk over your opponent and call him/her disrespectful, rude and a liar – never fails !
Andrew Smith cannot resist spreading anti-Russia nonsense — “while taking a moral, ethical and empathy bypass e.g. thousands of Ukraine’s children taken by Russia…”
This allegation when first made created an outcry in the West, it resulted in a charge against Putin by the ICC, and it was based on nothing.
Even The American Conservative cautioned against the hype — It is common in Ukraine for single mothers or impoverished families to send their children to orphanages hoping one day to reclaim them when their circumstances improve. This makes it difficult for Russian authorities who want to place war orphans in new homes; they don’t know which ones still have parents in Ukraine who might want them back.
The second thing is that child trafficking in Ukraine is a real problem. The U.S. State Department, the European Union, and UNICEF have all named Ukraine as a hotspot for “institution-related trafficking.” Children in orphanages have been sold to American parents by unscrupulous adoption agents or taken away on false pretenses by criminal gangs, who then use the children in any one of their various money-making enterprises. For a fictional treatment of this issue, based on real stories, see the 2014 novel Orphanage 41 by Canadian investigative journalist Victor Malarek, an expert in human trafficking and author of the non-fiction expose The Natashas: Inside the New Global Sex Trade. (Yep, this is the wonderful democracy we support.)
In other words, there are good reasons why Russian authorities will not release a child simply because someone in Ukraine claims to be his rightful guardian. The desire to reunite children with their relatives must be balanced against the need to protect children from bad actors. Those concerned with the welfare of these children should put their effort into meeting the criteria the Russian authorities have set for reunification in order to bring them home as soon as possible—and leave charges of “genocide” out of it.
But how did all this come about?
According to The Grayzone, The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of the “unlawful deportation” of Ukrainian children to a network of camps inside Russia. The warrant was based on a report by the Yale HRL center, which is funded by the US State Department. Well, well, well.
From Grayzone — * A Grayzone review of the Yale HRL report found the paper’s content contradicted many claims contained in the ICC warrant. It also undercut incendiary statements its director, Nathaniel Raymond, issued during media appearances.
In an interview with Grayzone, Yale HRL’s Raymond further contradicted allegations he made in a CNN interview about a massive “hostage situation” underway in Russia, acknowledging that most of the camps he researched were “teddy bear”-like cultural programs. He also disclosed his collaboration with US intelligence… Yale HRL’s report similarly acknowledges that most of the camps it profiled provided free recreational programs for disadvantaged youth whose parents sought “to protect their children from ongoing fighting” and “ensure they had nutritious food of the sort unavailable where they live.” Nearly all of the campers returned home in a timely manner after attending with the consent of their parents, according to the paper. The State Department-funded report further concedes that it found “no documentation of child mistreatment.”*
Because I do not have 100% trust in any site, I tried to access the Yale report to verify the Grayzone account. And boy oh boy, it took some doing. Links were blocked, time-outs came up, but eventually I found a summary.
https://ysph.yale.edu/news-article/russias-systematic-program-for-the-re-education-and-adoption-of-ukraines-children/
You will find in the summary nothing of substance involving crimes, but you will find “Many children taken to camps are sent with the consent of their parents for an agreed duration of days or weeks and returned to their parents as originally scheduled.”
And this “This report has identified two camps where children’s scheduled return date has been delayed by weeks.”
Yep, it’s a crime against humanity alright.
This is how anti-Russia propaganda works.
I later found the full report, which was in parts highly critical of the Russian program, but there are some factors to keep in mind when considering this.
The report is not from an independent investigation. It was funded by the US State Department, specifically a unit set up to implicate Russia in criminal activity according to Grayzone — “Yale HRL’s work was funded and guided by the State Department’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, an entity the Biden administration established in May 2022 to advance the prosecution of Russian officials.”
Of course, you won’t find that admitted on their home page, but you will find this little rib-tickler — as part of their program to prevent conflict they “Deploy stabilization advisors to U.S. embassies and combatant commands, where they increase civil-military coordination and provide on-the-ground conflict expertise.”
So that’s what they’re called now.
As well, the report goes to quite some length to explain its methodology, but finally had to admit that “This methodology does, however, pose some limitations. Yale HRL does not conduct interviews with witnesses or victims; only the specific information available in open source is collected. When analysts are unable to identify public information about whether a child has returned home, it can be difficult to ascertain the current status of the child. Similarly, Yale HRL does not conduct ground-level investigations and therefore did not request access to the camps.”
It turns out that the summary of the report that I referred to earlier is actually the introduction, but summary or intro, it makes no difference. If a report undertaken to find criminality had found it, we would know about it.
The Grayzone account of the report seems accurate.
Check out the Grayzone article. It’s well worth a read.
https://thegrayzone.com/2023/03/31/iccs-putin-arrest-state-dept-
report/
In the past I’ve observed that the pro Putin brigade is a weird coalition of contemporary fascists, old fashioned communists who yearn for the return of the Soviet Union, conspiracy theorists, anti vaxers and those with a misplaced suspicion of democracy.
There’s plenty of evidence of this here
You’re known by the company you keep
No mention in your article Noel about the Budapest Memorandum.
“On December 5, 1994, leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Russian Federation met in Budapest, Hungary, to pledge security assurances to Ukraine in connection with its accession to the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as a non-nuclear-weapons state. The signature of the so-called Budapest Memorandum concluded arduous negotiations that resulted in Ukraine’s agreement to relinquish the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal, which the country inherited from the collapsed Soviet Union, and transfer all nuclear warheads to Russia for dismantlement. The signatories of the memorandum pledged to respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity and inviolability of its borders, and to refrain from the use or threat of military force. Russia breached these commitments with its annexation of Crimea in 2014 and aggression in eastern Ukraine, bringing the meaning and value of security assurance pledged in the Memorandum under renewed scrutiny.”
Why would that be?
Follow the money. I guess this is where Trump is coming from.
When Putin was provoked into his “special military mission”, it appeared that he took on the task of moving a front line of Russian turf, into what had been Ukraine.
Since the start of hostilities this line has steadily moved to diminish the size of Ukraine despite the billions of dollars tipped into the mix.
A year ago I saw a graph where money spent was plotted against land recovered by Ukraine, and it has a negative slope all the way.
So investment in Ukraine is hardly a smart financial move, but it looks like Trumps mates want the war over so that they can plunder the resources of the land that is still up for grabs.
The longer this biffo goes on then the less of the Ukrainian resources will be available to western interests.
The Ukraine president may be a plucky lad but Trump is right when he says the guy is no longer holding cards with attractive value.
You know I’m with you, AC, the only difference is I don’t mind hearing differing opinions.
Yes Roswell, I’m not as tolerant of the willfully misinformed
And Patricia has made a great point about the relevance of the Budapest Memorandum
Thanks folks, interesting. Good to read disparate views. Re the not holding elections therefore a dictator – Ukraine’s constitution suspends elections in wartime, so he has followed their own rules. Russia has broken a memorandum (because they HAVE a dictator in charge) by invading, and the USA has broken it as well by failing to make security assurances, so let’s just keep things honest here. DT has put all his money in Putin’s bucket – those 2 are the dictators, those 2 are driven by power and money with not an ethical bone in their bodies. It is heartwarming to see the show of support from Europe and the UK. I am glad Australia is also in that company. For mine I would rather we dumped the AUKUS deal – since DT has no clue what that is and who we are anyway – and resign with France and the UK. Maybe we should team up with China – that’d be fun !!
In any event can we please maintain our stance with the right side. Let us not forget that the USA only entered WW2 because they were attacked, Britain’s pleas for help fell on deaf ears. Not a ringing endorsement for an ally.
Conservative journalist Charlie Syke’s of The ‘never Trump’ Bulwark now describes Trump as a bona fide ‘Russian asset’…like Peterson and Carlson.
Steve Davis you are desperate citing the Grayzone as a sole source and hence, whatever claims made, are not credible.
Tampere University Finland’s Russian Disinfo Research Unit, database introduction on ‘Vatnik Soup’:
Grayzone
‘It’s best known for misleading reporting, disinformation and love of authoritarian regimes and dictators. Basically, if somewhere around the world there is an authoritarian leadership, Grayzone boys and girls will be quickly licking their boots. Same goes for genocide: if one is happening somewhere around the world, these “journalists” will deny it.’… continues…
https://vatniksoup.com/en/soups/60/
Andrew Smith says that I quoted a source that is not credible.
Andrew claims to be an educator, yet it escaped his eagle eye that I used the Grayzone article as an intro to the main course — the foundation documents.
I provided a link to the Grayzone article, so if Andrew wishes to promote his educational skills he should quote those sections of the article that he finds problematic, and analyse them for us.
To be frank, I thought that Andrew would maintain a discreet silence for a while about his love affair with Vatnik Soup. At Conveniently Forgotten and Ignored I exposed the site as being “the worst type of online journalism.”
Yet here we are again.
Trump played his hand and was rebuked by macron but it went straight over his head. When zelenski rejected the deal trump said ‘make a deal or we are out.’ no aid without strings is the way in america
Noel,
People are encouraged to label Putin as a dictator at the drop of a hat, even though he was democratically elected under a system that was recommended and approved by the US itself. He hasn’t banned opposition parties by presidential decree. Zelensky has. Russia always invites international scrutiny of its elections. The US Western Alliance always ignore these invitations but nevertheless invariably cast aspersions on their legitimacy. The west has already demonstrated that treaties with Russia mean nothing to it. They have admittedly been signed with no intention of being honoured. A treaty signed by the undemocratic representative Zelinsky will always be an open invitation to dishonour the treaty whenever it suits Ukraine or its masters.
Zelensky’s lack of democratic legitimacy has been ignored in the Australian media. Deliberately ignored, like so much that is rotten about the state of Ukraine. It suggests that there is something rotten about our own state which shamelessly supports this proxy war which was unambiguously engineered with the purpose of destroying Russia as a nation state.
This war is defended by ludicrously portraying the oppressive authoritarian state of Ukraine as a democratic nation unjustly invaded without any provocation by an evil undemocratic dictatorship. No other explanation is permitted. Russia cannot be permitted to win. That’s the bottom line but unfortunately for the Western backers Russia doesn’t see it that way and continues relentlessly on towards victory. The Russians know the west has conspired to destroy them, but people in the West are so invested in their deceit they will just go on ignoring it. United in deceit. That is the corruption of the west.
to B.Sullivan. Omigawd! Don’t bring facts into this! It seems that the whole of Australia is outraged at Trump’s rudeness to Zelensky. Nobody (except perhaps you) would be so impolite and unpatriotic as to recognise some truths that Trump said so rudely:
1. Ukraine must seek immediate ceasefire not more war
2. Why? The war is lost with Zelensky having “no more cards to play” to achieve his unrealistic, indeed delusional war objectives.
3. Only the US can achieve war’s end thru a negotiated peace with Russia. What Trump omitted is that this has always been America’s war simply using Ukraine proxies to fight it.
4. Ukraine is running out of soldiers, relying on old men and conscripts snatched off the street to fight a lost cause.
5. Zelensky could start WWIII with his efforts to keep war going by attacking deep into Russia.
Its almost possible to view the Ukraine ding dong as a match between the CIA and the KGB.
Looking like the KGB won because they swung the USA election machine to elect trump who is now their best buddy.
They have pocketed a whole lot of territory that Ukraine owned for a while.
Poor old CIA, who started the war as a result of their regime change activities, are now required to end it after their plucky choice has put the game into a dead end.
The CIA may be able to start stuff but they have a sad record when winding up their regime change games.
Russia invaded. Even the anti-Ukraine brigade admit that.
Russia has broken more than one ceasefire so far. Can you admit that also?
As Patricia pointed out – what about the Budapest Memorandum? Why is that so frequently ignored?
This is bullying by a larger nation against a smaller. It’s the old “might makes right” attitude that was behind colonialism and empire-building. And somehow, too many people are fine with that as long as it’s Putin and Russia doing it, rather than USAnia. How about considering the possibility that it’s wrong regardless of who does it?
If Ukraine gives Putin/Trump what they want, who’s next? Don’t imagine that a slavish acceptance of this betrayal will make any nation safe; all it will do is show that bullying works. And if there’s one thing I’ve learnt in my life, it’s that, despiute the cost to oneself, you don’t give in to bullies. You have to stand up to them. You have to fight.
Noel: ” …Zelensky having “no more cards to play” to achieve his unrealistic, indeed delusional war objectives.”
Freedom is a delusion? Independence is a delusion? Zelenskyy did not invade anyone – the invaders are the Russians.
I wonder what B O ‘Sullivan was smoking when he said Putin was democratically elected. Also the claim he hasn’t banned opposition parties by Presidential decree. Well, maybe but killing off any credible Opposition Leader is a pretty effective way of quelling dissent. I am open to differing views but some of the claims about Zelensky bad, Putin good smack of wilful ignorance.
How many of those insisting that Zelenskyy should have accepted this deal are aware of the actual details?
There are no security guarantees. Russia keeps the territory it has taken. USAnia gets a permanent 50% stake in all future exploitation (including exploration licences) of certain Ukrainian resources, including rare-earth materials – and there’s a lien on that so they have to be paid first, regardless of the domestic situation. With no security guarantees.
He’s supposed to cede territory and turn his country into a slave state of USAnia, in perpetuity, for a “well, we might and we might not” break in the onslaught. Why is Trump asking for that acceptable, given the usual attitude to USAnian economic and cultural imperialism?