Thomas Friedman sees no doubt that this was a setup, with wartime Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sandbagged by Trump and his dutiful puppy Vance. Whether Trump deserves enough credit to be capable of setting anyone or anything up is hard to say, even if Lindsey Graham told the president of a sovereign nation in advance of the meeting to drop to his knees and bow and scrape before Trump. This could be read to suggest that Graham was in on the set up, or that he just realizes that Trump only tolerates sniveling sycophants.
But while the cadre of the Trump-dependent spew the talking points to gaslight a nation that watched the debacle in real time that it was Zelensky being disrespectful of Trump, the rest of the world isn’t buying. Russia loved it, watching Trump suck up to Putin, but European countries, one after another, watched in dread as they came to the realization that the post-World War II structure of the world had come to an end.
The insolent pig finally got a proper slap down in the Oval Office. And @realDonaldTrump is right: The Kiev regime is “gambling with WWIII.”
— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) February 28, 2025
The United States under Trump had abandoned Ukraine, democracy and liberty in favor of Trump being chummy with Putin. Except for Medvedev, the countries not in thrall with buffoonery expressed their support for Ukraine.
Leaders lined up behind Ukraine and lauded its embattled president, the statements coming one after the other: from France, Germany, Poland, Spain, Denmark, the Netherlands, Portugal, Norway, Finland and others. Canadian, Australian and New Zealand leaders also added their voices to the Europeans’.
Even as Western leaders generally shied away from explicitly criticizing Mr. Trump, who angrily threatened to pull Washington’s support for Kyiv unless Mr. Zelensky agreed to a cease-fire deal with Russia, many in Europe addressed their statements of encouragement directly to Mr. Zelensky.
“Your dignity honors the bravery of the Ukrainian people,” Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, told Mr. Zelensky on social media. “You are never alone, dear President.”
It’s been noted here and elsewhere that Trump has spoken harshly, childishly, about our European allies, while lauding Russia and its genius Putin. This has not gone unnoticed. Vance, an individual with no international credibility whatsoever, was critical of Europe at the Munich Security Conference, while supporting the radical right AfD party in Germany. That did not go unnoticed.
Now Trump, who would surely have been a manly warrior but for his bone spurs, spoke down to Zelensky, who is not only the president of a sovereign nation, but a nation at war, as if Zelesnky was supposed to say on television that his country, his people, are failures without the succor of Trump (and not Biden or Obama, those scum), and how Trump is his personal savior for which he will kiss his feet. Humiliate himself. Demean himself. Show gratitude to the Great and Powerful Trump, without whom you would be dead.
This, too, did not to unnoticed. Was becoming an international pariah worth bringing down the price of eggs? Oh wait.
If Trump were Putin’s sock puppet, operating under the Kremlin’s complete control, how would his actions/ behavior be any different from what it’s been?
Hillbilly elegy indeed.
Well, we’re still post-WWII, so the post-WWII structure is not coming to an end. It is only mutating. Perhaps even reverting. After all, Russia and the Soviet Union were allies in each of the previous wars. Moreover, in the previous aggressions against Ukraine, including the Holodomor mass genocide, and in the aggressions against Poland and Finnland, Europe and the United States showed little concern. Trump appears to be blending the 20th century isolationist themes with the 20th century mercenary themes (e.g., U.S./ Saudi relations) but omitting any pretense of morality or subtlety. It is really only this last aspect that is actually new.
Trump’s MO is to tell lies, create chaos, bully his opponents, disrespect everyone while demanding “respect” from them and now, with his nipping little toadie Vance at heel the berating is compounded. After calling Zelenskyy a dictator and blatantly lying about who invaded whom at the start of the war, it is the height of narcissism for Trump and Vance to demand a “Thank You” from the head of state they just maligned. To get respect, show respect but that’s far beyond the capabilities of the Orange Buffoon and his backing dog Vance.
Move over 3 Stooges! Trump, Vance and Zelensky are the greatest comedy trio of all time. In this pilot episode, Moe is the President. Curly shows up in the oval office in his pajamas folds his arms like a petulant child, and talks over Larry and Moe until they start slapping his head and chase him out of the room. Straight man Thomas Friedman plays into the skit by pretending to take it seriously.
“You really are a poisonous little toad [J.D., or Donald, or both]. Why don’t you go fuck off to his majesty, and quit trying to involve me in your little cabal.”
[Ed. Note: Wasn’t it dwarf rather than toad?]
You’re right. And apparently it was cabaret, not cabal.
Zelensky met with Keir Starmer today. They hugged. They kissed. Zelensky has the confidence and support of Europe. If they have to back up Ukraine without American help, it appears they are prepared to do so. While they no doubt want America to remain within the sphere of influence, they will not surrender their sovereignty to Trump to get it.
With the confidence and support of Europe, and six dollars, he can buy a nice Frappuccino.
Eroupean states can find the couple hundred billion needed to replace US aid if they genuinely feel scared enough to pay up, which Trump seems to be doing a fine job of encouraging. Ukraine isn’t going to surrender, either to Putin or to Trump. Zelensky is the same guy who took to the steets with a cellphone camera when Putin tried to take his capital city, hes not going to roll over when Trump’s pet barks at him.
Trump’s conduct reminds me of that of Teddy Roosevelt in taking control of Panama and the future Canal Zone. Colombia, an ally, chose not to surrender valuable assets in its Panamanian province to the US; Teddy’s “diplomats” threatened Colombia; Colombia was proudly sovereign and would not cave. So Teddy simply took Panama away from Colombia and built his canal.
It’s a little different today. The threats were delivered in a double team of bullies in an intimidating atmosphere, and indeed in the White House on American TV. Zelensky would not cave. But it will be harder in this era for an imperial move to remain unforgiven. We’ll see if Trump nonetheless finds a way to steal Ukraine’s valuables.
But then again, Trump just hopes to be a new Teddy. I don’t think he’ll get there.