Before the shameful bullying session in the Oval Office, President Zelensky sent a memorandum to Trump, in which he detailed the numerous talks between Russia and Ukraine since 2014– talks that resulted in twenty cease-fire agreements, every one of which Russia violated.
Sentient Americans–a category that excludes MAGA Republicans–know that Trump has absolutely no understanding of history or diplomacy, not to mention a lack of competence that those in his clown show of an administration clearly share. Consequently, the United States is going down the path of the British Empire, which was once a global power covering around a quarter of Earth’s land surface and ruling over 458 million people before it lost its dominance. Perhaps our own nation’s decline would have occurred in due course in any event, but the would-be autocrats busily demolishing our democracy have certainly accelerated the process.
A newsletter I receive (link unavailable) has reported on the reactions of our (former) allies to the embarrassing spectacle.
After Trump and Vance’s disgraceful Oval Office ambush of President Zelensky, major world players just came out to defend Ukraine and Zelensky:
– POLISH PRIME MINISTER DONALD TUSK: “Dear Zelensky, dear Ukrainian friends, you are not alone.”
– PRESIDENT OF LITHUANIA GITANAS NAUSEA: “Ukraine, you’ll never walk alone.”
– Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen: “Dear Zelensky, Denmark proudly stands with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.”
– FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUAL MACRON: “There is an aggressor: Russia. There is a people being aggressed: Ukraine. We were all right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago and to continue doing so. We, that’s the Americans, the Europeans, Canadians, Japanese, and many others… Because they are fighting for their dignity, their independence, for their children, and for the security of Europe.”
– PRESIDENT OF MOLDOVA MAIA SANDU: “The truth is simple. Russia invaded Ukraine. Russia is the aggressor. Ukraine defends its freedom—and ours. We stand with Ukraine.”
– SWEDISH PRIME MINISTER ULF KRISTERSSON: “Sweden stands with Ukraine. You are not only fighting for your freedom but also for all of Europe’s. Slava Ukraini! ”
– INCOMING GERMAN CHANCELLOR FRIEDRICH MER: “Dear Zelenskyy, we stand with Ukraine in good and in testing times. We must never confuse aggressor and victim in this terrible war.
– CROATIA’S PRIME MINISTER ANDREJ PLENKOVIĆ: “Croatia knows from its own experience that only a just peace can last. The Croatian Government stands firm in its belief that Ukraine needs such a peace – a peace that means sovereignty, territorial integrity, and a secure Europe.”
– FINLAND’S PRIME MINISTER PETTERI ORPO: “Finland and the Finnish people stand firmly with Ukraine. We will continue our unwavering support and work towards a just and lasting peace.”
– ESTONIAN PRIME MINISTER KRISTEN MICHAL: “We stand united with Zelenskyy and Ukraine in our fight for freedom. Always. Because it is right, not easy.”
– IRELAND’S DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER SIMON HARRIS: “Ukraine is not to blame for this war brought about by Russia’s illegal invasion. We stand with Ukraine.“
– LATVIA’S PRESIDENT EDGARS RINKEVICS: “Ukraine is a victim of the Russian aggression. It fights the war with the help from many friends and partners. We need to spare no effort for just and lasting peace. Latvia stands with Ukraine”
– PRIME MINISTER OF THE NETHERLANDS DICK SCHOOF: ”The Netherlands supports Ukraine as firmly as ever. Now more than ever. We want a lasting peace and an end to the war of aggression started by Russia. For Ukraine and its people, and for Europe.”
– PRIME MINISTER OF LUXEMBOURG LUC FRIEDSEN: “Luxembourg stands with Ukraine. You are fighting for your freedom and a rules based international order. ”
Trump and MAGA may live in an alternate reality, but Europe doesn’t.
Rational Americans are appalled by Trump and Vance’s fact-free, transactional assault on a country fighting for its democratic sovereignty. (In the wake of that embarrassing display of pro-Putin bullying, Vance took his family to Vermont to ski, where thousands of outraged protesters lined the streets, calling him a traitor and telling him to go ski in Russia.)
Republicans, however, continue to pander to Trump’s cult.
Indiana’s odious governor, Mike Braun, issued a statement characteristically at odds with reality, saying: “President Trump and Vice President Vance are showing the world what strong, accountable, America First leadership looks like.” Senators like Lindsay Graham are scrambling to adjust their beliefs to Trump’s fantasy world. (Graham’s old friend John McCain is undoubtedly spinning in his grave at Graham’s policy U-Turns.)
Today’s elected Republicans fall in one of two–and only two– camps: clueless/fanatic White Christian Nationalists and spineless sycophants.
When the megalomaniacs said they were going to “move fast and break things,” too few voters understood that what they were breaking was America.
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If you want to understand the disastrous budget Republicans are trying to pass–and the process they’ll need to negotiate to do that–I will be doing a Zoom interview of Economics Professor Denvil Duncan from 7:00 to 8:00 on Wednesday night, for the Central Indiana Indivisible chapter. You can register here.
braun was right (kind of). President Zelensky showed what a strong leader he is.
On Heather Cox Richardson’s Substack this morning, she notes that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered U.S. Cyber Command to stop all planning against Russia, including offensive digital actions.
You’ll recall the overwhelming evidence, both before and after the 2016 election, that Russian influence on social media was a major contributor to getting THEIR preferred candidate elected.
The “leadership” of the US – and somewhere around a third of the US population – has completely changed sides. The Congressional majority is supinely on board, and the minority is suffering from learned helplessness. “We will fight for yooouuuu” (please send money)” doesn’t send a string message to the general public or to MAGA.
Filter out the noise …. following the heated exchange between President Trump and President Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, there has been a noticeable shift in public opinion. According to a recent poll, support for President Trump has seen a decline, while Zelenskyy has experienced a boost in support within Ukraine. The clash has drawn widespread attention, affirmation of strong support for Zenlenskyy among former European allies including Canada and Mexico, sparked mixed domestic reactions, with some Trump supporters praising his stance, while others express concern over the diplomatic fallout.
Is it enough now to say: God Bless America … but rather: Please! God Save America!
Warren, it wasn’t Russian influence that got Trump elected twice. It was the 70 million registered voters who stayed home. In 2016, Hillary and two other candidates garnered over 6 million more votes than Trump. Thanks to the E.C., we got the worst human this country has ever produced as president.
Wash, puke and repeat in 2024.
When markets crash, unemployment sores, inflation runs rampant, opinions will change, but, that’ll be like closing the barn door after the horse left. Or maybe, slamming the barn door with the horses inside while the barn burns to the ground. Now, you’ve got something cookin. Maga and the maggetts will be singing a different tune.
Our President is not swayed by unanimous conflicting positions taken by European and our own border nations. To advance his election prospects, he garnered obligations with oligarchs aligned with Russia who financed intense media strategies to
persuade American voters.
Who are among the most prominent of these oligarchs that Trump is amassing the alliance of the world’s wealthiest:
Here are some of the most prominent and wealthiest oligarchs aligned with Russia with whom Trump is on a first name basis with:
Vladimir Potanin: The richest man in Russia, Potanin made his fortune through the loans-for-shares scheme in 1995. He holds the biggest stake in Norilsk Nickel, the largest producer of high-grade nickel.
Vladimir Lisin: With a wealth of $26.7 billion, Lisin is involved in steel and logistics in Russia. He is the Chairman and majority shareholder of Novolipetsk, Russia’s largest steel manufacturer.
Leonid Mikhelson: Mikhelson is the CEO of Novatek, the second-largest natural gas producer in Russia. He also owns a significant stake in Zao Sibur, the largest integrated petrochemicals company in Russia.
Alisher Usmanov: Usmanov holds a 49 percent stake in USM Holding, a Russian investment company. Through USM Holding, he controls Metalloinvest, Russia’s largest iron ore producer, and MegaFon, a major telecom operator.
Roman Abramovich: Known for his ownership of Chelsea Football Club, Abramovich has significant investments in various industries, including oil, aluminum, and steel.
These oligarchs have amassed significant wealth and influence, often maintaining close ties with the Russian government.
RussiaGate was a hoax. ChinaGate is a hoax crafted from the bowels of the MIC and conveyed by our oligarchy-owned media. Ukraine’s proxy war is making a killing at the expense of dead Ukrainian young men?
Many posters here talk about following the money, but they listen to the media too much in this case. Ukraine is a money laundering scheme cooked up by the MIC and carried out by the CIA and State Department. How many military bases do we have in Europe and along Russia’s border? How many military bases does Russia have next to our borders?
Europe’s leaders today are products of US leadership. We’ve been in control of Europe since WW2 under the unipolar rules-based order.
Guess what? The unipolar rules-based order has been over for decades. We don’t rule the world. If I understand the folks behind Trump’s policy strategies, one of Trump’s goals is to shrink our influence to just the Americas. Russia and Europe must work together, and China will control Asia. A true multipolar hegemony reflective of reality.
This goes against every piece of propaganda written over the years about China and Russia. The MIC needs a bunch of bogeymen to scare people with all the time. Russia and China have been the most convenient, even though neither spends close to what we do on our military.
If the money spigot gets turned off like with USAID, I expect many “leaks to the media” complaining about it.
I wouldn’t pay much attention to Trump as I would the Tech Bros from Silicon Valley. The techies have god-like complexes; they believe the AI they are creating will replace god and they are the apostles. I just picked up Peter Thiel’s article, which got NO press. It’s a religious manifesto. It’s on my reading list today – I’ll post the link later…
I disagree with the dominant narrative here! See Medea Benjamin and Nicolas Davies book for a starte! Yes Putin + Trump are a lethal duo. Yes Russia’s invasion was wrong. The history and context are however distorted. U.S. “interests “ as with Gaza-Palestine are linked for the U.S. empire. The European nations are now caught in a mess. No US and China not the most appealing primary partner. Russia is obviously an aggressor but under Joe we cared little for the Ukrainian People and not at all for the Russian soldiers and not wealthy people. Zelensky is neither a horrible guy nor a hero. Biden could have made a ceasefire and possibly help build towards a lasting peace and Similar to with Israel’s- the “US Interests” were not for peace. Corporate short term profits and justice and peace are antonyms. Look for independent journalism not HCR – Helena Cobbin, Mitch Plitnik, Democracy Now etc
Zelenskyy is a thug. He’s also world’s most entitled panhandler. That white skin of his is the epitome of white privilege. The stark contrast between the support for Ukraine and no support for the women and children of Gaza is there for all to see. The blatant support for nazis is astonishing to behold. The gaslighting shameless.
When it comes to the New Democrats , every accusation is a confession.
I find the term ‘America First’ to be repulsive. It reminds me of a toddler loudly screaming ME FIRST ME FIRST.
The leaders within the Democrat party need to wake up and develop strong and strategic political messaging to fight back against the Republican party’s propaganda messaging that stirs up anger in voters and convinces them to show up and vote straight R tickets.
Decades ago Newt Gingrich convinced the Republican party to become ruthless and bitterly partisan. That attitude has saved the R party and continues to convince people to vote against their own interests. Republican politicians have been taught that to keep their jobs and positions of power they need to constantly spew lies about Democrats. I believe Democrats can win future elections if they campaign against R opponents with equally ruthless messaging that makes it clear to voters that they’ve been duped by R propaganda.
Some of the comments this morning are very revealing. So sad and disheartening to know how animus and disinformation by those who have never lived under a dictatorship can denigrate and demean another country’s leader while ignoring the criminal, ignorant toad’s and his lackeys’ blatant cruelty.
Recent accounts report Russian operatives close to Putin have responded to international press inquiries with ‘coded language’ that “Trump knows his obligations”. I researched the wealthiest oligarchs in the orbit with Putin to name the most significant in previous post this morning. Elon Musk brokered substantial contributions from these oligarchs who funded intervention during our election. Musk now in inner circle of Trump to fulfill promises made to them in return for their substantial financial support. Trump could care less about Putin. He does care about being ‘at the table’ with the global oligarchs.
Democrats seem a-ok to cuts for Medicare,Medicaid,Social Security,Head Start, Housing accommodations for the disabled…
But willing to go to the mattress for Ukraine.
And y’all wonder why so many stayed home. And will in the next election. It seems more like a feature than a bug.
JD…kudos to you!
Todd, I have a sense that you live in a very paranoid place.
If you look up generic descriptions of religions that lack the details of any particular one, then political science, you will notice a strong correlation. That may be insulting to some, religiously or politically, but I’m referring to facts, not beliefs.
Leaders and followers are connected by similar beliefs about how the universe works.
Ever curious, our species has wondered about this since we emerged one by one from the Rift Valley of East Africa about 10,000 generations ago. We wandered off to the horizon until we finally filled the earth 600 generations ago.
But now is now and here is here on our journey through spacetime. We are the current chapter of the story of mankind (personkind?).
The end of a civilization. We progressed faster than ever and collapsed faster because our beliefs overran our knowledge as both peaked. Sad to say.
Our history will say MTV (Musk, Trump, Vance + Johnson, Roberts and Putin) conspired to that end. They did so spiritually, I suppose, as well as politically.
Do we have the spirit to rise again and make this a wrinkle rather than a fold in the fabric of our role in the universe?
I don’t know.
Ian. Democrats are NOT ok with cuts to Medicare, etc. They just can’t stop it when Repugnicans hold the Presidency, Congress and the Supreme Court. Your lies are so obvious they would be laughable if they weren’t so dangerous. Disgusting!
Maybe rude, as it may be to the extremes of our political party’s
Could we try and find ANY words from anyone trying to talk a balanced two-party system???
No. You are ok with it because you and the party are not putting up a fight. Instead it’s the same tired old excuse; ” we can’t do nuttin’ because….Republicans.”
No. You value Ukraine over everything and anyone domestically. That’s your choice. But you can stop the puerile name-calling which reveals more about you than me. Capiche?
Democrats care more for arms to Ukraine over the cuts made to the Dept. of Education. That’s truth.
You’re OK with genocide,as well, and that makes you lower than a liar.
Some folks are just resistant to the truth because it’s so uncomfortable.
Norris, if you want to see how money flows from Russia to Trump, research Trump Media and its origins. Trump Media was the company that brought Truth Social public, but it didn’t do so by traditional means. ProPublica has some great journalism about it and it looks like lots of money flowed in from the Caymans and other faved money laundering countries.
There were lots of federal investigations and lawsuits but I’m guessing those have all been wiped clean in January and February.
Secretary Hegseth doesn’t seem to understand that the Pentagon has plans to combat EVERY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD! The point of planning is to plan for the unexpected as well as the expected. We don’t stop planning for any and every contingency. The overriding philosophy is to never be surprised.
Any experienced military general would know that. Only an unqualified buffoon would order a cessation of planning for a Russian invasion.
Now to Russia! Russia! Russia! Most Americans didn’t read the Mueller Report, and many that did apparently didn’t understand it. The report stated that “collusion” is not a term under law.
There was a ton of cooperation with the Russians by the Trump organization and there was enough evidence to prove that in court. That’s why the investigation turned over information and evidence to various US Attorney’s offices to bring at least eleven charges for election interference. The only reason they didn’t mention collusion is that they couldn’t use that specific word to bring charges, even though the evidence of it was overwhelming.
Why weren’t those charges ever brought? Two words: Bill Barr.
Ian:
russia has its chance to fulfill a dream of being in the loop. instead it allowed a assasin to run its regime. now its own billionaires are mostly under interpol investigations from fraud to murder, via putins way. every damn thing russia does fucks its people. and then putin runs a fantasy about eastern Europe aggression if the nato block defends, thats, defends its soverinty. no way will nato ever invade another country unless its under assault from another. your defense of russian aggression is pure BS. Ukraine is a country putin wants merely to line his pocket.and now hes getting help from trump to line his pocket. lives and freedom should never be put into a bag for some scum to decide who lives and dies for wealth..
Friday’s White House fiasco was NOT an accident! It was explicit revenge for a 5 year old resentment.
Remember that Trump attempted to coerce Zelensky to drum up evidence of Hunter Biden corruption with Burisma (in Ukraine) in return for Trump releasing $450 million worth of aid to Ukraine. Said attempted coercion led directly to Trumps first impeachment, and probably contributed to Trumps defeat in the 2020 election. Trump is the proverbial elephant who never forgets! He has been steeping in resentment towards Zelensky ever since.
Does anybody think that it was an accident, or oversight, that a reporter from the Russian News Agency Tass was in the pool for the Friday extravaganza? Of course it wasn’t. The entire thing was a staged publicity stunt so that Trump could publicly humiliate his long time antagonist Zelensky. And Trump was publicly gloating when he said is was great television.
Mueller apparently concluded that he could not not say that trump was guilty, assuming that that Congress would do its job and impeach trump, including conviction in the Senate, which never happened because Mitch swayed enough votes with his comment that the courts would do the heavy lifting. Of course then the master of litigation and especially delay, and with the monster gift Cannon threw his way, trump wins the election and all of it disappears. Wow. You couldn’t dream up a more perfect maga storm. Now we’re in the thrall of POTUS and both houses of Congress in complete control, so don’t try to tell me that the Dems should be doing this or that to somehow prevent the total shit show that has ensued. I just hope to god the courts can be the successful opposing force to all the lies and disinformation being spewed out by this whole clown mess, and that they can overcome the glacial speed at which they normally, and in which “normally” makes sense – operate. AND that even SCOTUS can see the dangers to our democracy – which is looking much more fragile under attack than ever imagined – can step up to the overriding sense of commitment to the Constitution and stop this demolition, as I assume most of the important cases against trump will end up there. ‘
Js, the juxtaposition of wealth and power and Lord Acton’s famous connection of power and corruption is being faithfully played out on both sides of our borders now.
Kudos, to Peggy, CGH and Gil for staying with the facts during this dangerous time. Interpretating what’s going on accurately is a step toward effective resistance.
Ian, you are a nutter. Supporting a democratic country that has been invaded in no way precludes the other stances you say you support. The fact that you suggest otherwise implies you support Russia and it’s invasion. This gives you away, and shows all your bluster as an empty facade.
I am happy to report that Canada stands with Europe and decency in support of Ukraine and against the invader, Russia.
Thanks for your recognition statement, Rose. Gil is most to the point and utterly refutes the fever dream comments by Ian and Todd. How do they shoot their mouths off without a shred of evidence? You’d think they were trying to create a religion, or something.