Shameful and Infamous: a Meeting that Will Curse the United States for Generations

Trump and Vance Behave as Gangsters Before the Watching World

I after watching the shameful televised Oval Office meeting between President Trump, Vice President Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy I was so angry at the leaders of my country and those who blindly put Trump that I could barely contain myself. In normal times I would never believe that a President and Vice President could ever act in such an openly thuggish and hostile manner to the leader of a country which has been fighting for its life against a country traditionally viewed by American leaders since the end of World War II as an enemy.

During the height of the Cold War I commanded an Army Ambulance Company on the Fulda Gap. Our mission was to help reconstitute the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, they and we were expected to take 80-90% casualties if we succeeded in delaying the expected Soviet assault. My ambulances were often referred to as mobile artillery registration points, only partially in jest, due to the big Red Crosses on white fields painted over their camouflage. We all knew that we were dead if war occurred as the Soviet doctrine emphasized massed artillery bombardments, the use of chemical and biological weapons and possibly tactical nuclear weapons.

Ronald Reagan aptly called Russia, then the Soviet Union “The Evil Empire.” Despite a brief moment of hope in the early 1990s, but that changed with the rise of Vladimir Putin who deceived many in the west into believing he was a pro-business reformer. But there were no more free elections as Putin backed by corrupt Russian autocrats and oligarchs began to build a police state, eliminate political opposition and begin destabilizing independent countries which had been part of the Soviet Union.

Unfortunately, by then Ukraine which had agreed to give up its nuclear weapons, as well as the naval and air forces left behind by the Soviets, effectively leaving it defenseless against Russia. That being said part of that 1994 agreement was that that the United States and NATO would guarantee Ukraine’s security. Then in the 2000’s Russia began meddling in Ukraine’s internal affairs, interfering in elections to the point that Ukrainians overthrew a pro-Russian government. In 2014 Russian troops attacked and occupied much of eastern Ukraine and Crimea. The Ukrainians fought back and in 2019 a cease fire agreement was reached with Russia which in February 2022 broke that agreement by launching a massive assault against Ukraine. However, the Ukrainians did not submit to Putin’s aggression and fought back, even regaining lost territory as Europe and the United States began to supply it with weapons and they created many new ingenious weapons systems as they greatly improved their Soviet era equipment while they modernized their forces. Ukraine has suffered greatly, in addition to its losses in people, infrastructure, and equipment, tens of thousands of Ukrainian children were kidnapped by Russia and separated from their families, likely forever. The Russians committed war crimes and crimes against humanity on a greater scale than anything seen since the Second World War.

As soon as he entered office, Donald Trump, a long time ally of Vladimir Putin signaled a change in U.S. policy towards Ukraine, one openly hostile to Ukraine and President Zelenskyy.

Barely a week and a half ago Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a team of Trump’s sycophantic appointees met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and a ruthless team of highly skilled diplomats in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to negotiate a peace agreement to which the Ukrainians, nor Ukraines European allies were not invited.

Shortly thereafter the Secretary of the Treasury went to Kiev to present Zelenskyy a demand for 50% of Ukraine’s natural resources, including many extremely valuable rare earth minerals to repay the United States for its relatively paltry military assistance which, other than Javelin anti-tank missiles, a HIMARS MLRS systems primarily consisted of out of date weapons systems that the United States had destined for the scrap heap. The demand was open ended and included no demands that Russia withdraw from any Ukrainian territory, and no guarantees of assistance if Russia would break a cease fire agreement.

On 23 August 2022, what is known as Black Ribbon Day to remember how Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union’s nonaggression pact which allowed Hitler to invade Poland and the Soviet Union to take its eastern regions. It also allowed the Soviets to take over Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia before attacking Finland, Ursula Van Der Leyen, President of the European Union spoke these words:

"the painful memory of the past is not just a distant recollection, but has found an echo in Russia's illegal and unjustified war against Ukraine. Today more than ever, we stand united against the Russian state-controlled propaganda that distorts history, spreads conspiracy and punishes those who oppose it. We will continue with determination our work to counter disinformation. And we will ensure that those who stood against totalitarianism will not be forgotten."

The Ukrainians reluctantly agreed to the demands which were to be signed Friday, following the Oval Office meeting. In that meeting Trump and Vance presented Russian talking points as the truth, and Trump accused Ukraine of starting the war, while President Zelenskyy stated provable facts about Russia previous invasion and how they broke the 2019 peace accord by attacking in 2022. But, Trump and Vance erupted in a string of threats, and insults against Zelenskyy, who rather than backing down to kiss their asses stood up to them which was too much for them. Trump abruptly ended the meeting, said that “it would be great television” ask Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian delegation to leave and cancelled the signing ceremony.

The meeting resembled a televised organized crime shakedown of a friend and ally rather than anything remotely resembling a diplomatic meeting of heads of state., and Trump’s final words demonstrated his desire for the meeting, it was an ambush of Zelenskyy in which he was expected to meekly submit to demonstrate Trump’s manliness and authority. It backfired, leaders in Europe and around the world went to Ukraine’s support. Former Republican majority whip Liz Cheney said:

“Generations of American patriots, from our revolution onward, have fought for the principles Zelenskyy is risking his life to defend. But today, Donald Trump and JD Vance attacked Zelenskyy and pressured him to surrender the freedom of his people to the KGB war criminal who invaded Ukraine. History will remember this day—when an American President and Vice President abandoned all we stand for.”

I would like to continue but it is late and I need to turn in for the night.

Until next time, be safe and watch your six.