Now We Need Ukraine's Help

Not long ago, President Donald Trump, joined by VP JD Vance, bullied Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskyy during a White House sit-down in which the latter was being bullied into caving on Russian demands. "You don't have the cards," roared Trump while a Trump-allied reporter made fun of Zelenskyy's military attire. 

It turns out that Trump was wrong. Zelenskyy does have the cards and has been playing them with great effectiveness. His drones have wreaked havoc on maritime shipping in the Caspian Sea and at Russian Wildberries outlets, which is their Amazon equivalent. This hurts both Russia's military and its economy. 

That's only part of the story. In addition to ramping up its offensive use of drones, Ukraine has been manufacturing cheap and very effective drone interceptors at costs of between $2,000-10,000 per unit, depending on whether the drone being intercepted is powered by a jet engine. 

Gulf states are quickly turning to Ukraine to acquire both interceptors and drone defense technology. This makes sense. Drones can be intercepted by SAMs or our own drones, but at a much higher cost than the drones themselves. I would hope that we are seeking some help from Ukraine as well. 

I know that one or two Navy warships are equipped with lasers than could take down a drone at a cost of about a nickel. But we've been far too slow in adjusting to a changing battlefield landscape. 

Munich Security Conference: Hillary Clinton Blasts Trump's Chaotic Ukraine Policy

At a panel discussion during this year's Munich Security Conference, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton blasted President Trump's Ukraine policy: "I think the Trump administration's position toward Ukraine is disgraceful. I think the effort to force Ukraine into a surrender deal with Putin is shameful. I think the effort that Putin and Trump are making to profit off the misery and death of the Ukrainian people is a historic error and corrupt to the nth degree. I believe Ukraine is fighting for our democracy and our values of freedom and civilization on the front lines, losing thousands of people and having their country destroyed by one man's mania to control them. And I think Trump either doesn't understand or could[n't] care less about that suffering. So that's what I think."

When asked whether Trump has destroyed the West, Clinton responded, "He has betrayed the West. He's betrayed human values. He's betrayed the NATO Charter, the Atlantic Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A lot of what has been done before to try to make sense of how difficult it is to restrain people who want unaccountable power. And none of us in this room, including all of us on this panel, would choose to live under a regime that was so unaccountable that it could act with impunity the way that Putin does. Except that's who Trump is modeling himself after."

A pro-Trump Czech participant joked, "I think you really don't like him."

"You know, that is absolutely true," responded Clinton. "I don't like him because of what he's doing to the United States and the world. And I think you should take a hard look at it if you think that there is something good that will come out of it."

Trump Should Be Commended For Efforts to End War in Ukraine

On Friday, President Donald Trump both figuratively and literally rolled out the red carpet when he met with President Vladimir Putin in Alaska in an effort to end the war in Ukraine. He even applauded the former KGB agent, who kept his right arm straight as he made his way to the waiting Beast. Yesterday, Trump hosted Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accompanied by a host of European leaders. Nothing concrete has been resolved. People still die. In an era where we expect things to happen in 30-second sound bites, news accounts of both meetings sound typically pessimistic. But I come away with one reaction - hope. And as much as I criticize Trump, I do believe he is trying his best to end this conflict. 

Trump was just as gracious with Zelenskyy as he was with Putin. The Ukrainian said his meeting with Trump was the best yet. He also called on European leaders to offer their own views He noted that this was the first time that so many heads of state convened together at the White House to discuss ending a war. At one point, he said he was "very honored" by their presence, which is the last thing I expected from a president who has often sounded isolationist tones. 

When the group met outside the eyes of the press, Trump even conducted a 40-minute call with Putin to relay the concerns of Russia's neighbors and lay the groundwork for a bilateral meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy. 

Russia wants Ukraine to cede territory, which Zelenskyy lacks the power to do on his own. Ukraine wants security guarantees, and Trump hinted the US might get involved. 

JD Vance kept his mouth shut this time. 

The Trump-Vance-Zelensky Shouting Match - My Take

I prefer sticking to local topics but occasionally will ramble into other areas. Friday's shouting match involving Donald Trump, JD Vance and Volodymyr Zelenskyy is something I've thought about all weekend. I actually watched the entire blow-up in its entirety three times. I thought I'd give you my own analysis. for what it's worth. 

1) The meeting started pleasantly, with Trump saying he worked well with Zelenskyy and has known him a long time and that it was "an honor.". He said the minerals deal, which will allow American companies to harvest Ukraine's rare earths, is a "big commitment" by the US. - I'd disagree because the US has frozen Russian assets and could use those to recoup the money spent to finance Ukraine. The minerals deal smacks as colonialism and, quite frankly, would take many years before any profit was realized. Nevertheless, Zelenskyy went along with it. 

2) "If I were President, this war would never have happened." Trump made this statement during the get-together and made it many times on the campaign trail as well. He may be right. When Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014 and seized both Crimea and portions of the country, former President Obama did very little. Moreover, Biden botched a withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. This undoubtedly emboldened Putin. Trump failed to mention that he is the one who negotiated that deal with the Taliban. He failed to bring in the Afghan government, just as he has failed to bring in Ukraine or Europe in talks with Russians. 

3) Trump complimented Ukraine's military as "unbelievably brave." He complimented Zelenskyy as well for his stiff resistance to Russia's invasion. 

4) When Trump invited Zelenskyy to speak, the very first thing he did was thank him. He made clear at the onset that he viewed the minerals deal as the first real step to security agreements for Ukraine. (We'll come back to that). Zelensky said they are fighting to "save our country, our values. our freedom, our democracy and, of course, no compromises with a killer about our territories. ... ." He added that Russians have kidnapped 20,000 children, changed their names and even changed their families. He also showed photos of what Russians have done to Ukrainian POWS and clerics, which Trump acknowledged is "tough stuff." He even had photos of children. "We want to get that ended," said Trump. 

6) Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine has the best drone production in the world and is willing to share its licenses with the US but needs air defense, at which the US excels.

7) The assembled press bothered me. Trump, who has become increasingly authoritarian in his first few weeks as President, banned both Reuters and AP, which are highly respected media outlets. He replaced them with fawning correspondents like Marjorie Taylor Greene's boyfriend, who wondered whether Trump will go down in history as the Peacemaker. He also dismissively asked Zelenskyy why he does not wear a suit and whether he can afford one (Zelensky dresses as his soldiers dress) Another reporter fawned about whether Trump should be compared to famous historical figures. After joking about it, Trump to his credit said he doesn't compare himself to anyone and is just "here to do a job." A third reporter asked Trump what gave him his "moral courage and conviction."

8) Trump said the US would continue to provide military support. "Hopefully, I won't have to send very much." Zelenskyy said the US has been on Ukraine's side from the beginning. Trump would later say he is on nobody's side and just wants to solve the problem. In response to a question, he said he remains committed to Poland and to NATO.

9) Trump said that any peace arrangement will require compromise.

10) The mineral agreement provides for Liquid Gas terminals for Ukraine, which Zelenskyy said would enable Ukraine to provide heat to Europe.

11) About halfway into the news conference, the topic of security agreements was brought up again. Zelenskyy claimed they are essential because Putin has a history of ignoring agreements. He broke ceasefire agreements 25 times. As they were speaking at the White House about peace, Zelenskyy noted that Putin was firing ballistic missiles into Ukraine. He said that without security agreements, "Putin will never stop." Trump said security agreements are only about 2% of the overall deal.

12) Zelenskyy insisted that Ukraine would have to be involved in any peace talks. "This is not a war between Russia and the United States This is a war of Russia against Ukraine and Ukrainian people." 

13) Zelenskyy corrected Trump when he said much of Ukraine has been destroyed. "You have to come and to look," said Zelenskyy. He said most cities are very much alive with people working and children going to school. "Ukraine is fighting and Ukraine lives."

14) A reporter suggested Europe is arresting Americans for exercising free speech and thought crimes. 

15) After 40 minutes, VP JD Vance decided to blow things up. He asserted that diplomacy would solve this dispute. Zelensky countered that he signed a ceasefire agreement with Putin in 2019. He broke the ceasefire and refused to exchange prisoners despite promising to do so. "What kind of diplomacy are you talking about, JD, what do you mean?" Vance responded that diplomacy would end the destruction of Ukraine and then accused Zelensky of being disrespectful. He added that Ukraine is using conscripts. Zelensky asked if Vance has ever been to Ukraine, and Vance responded that he has watched what is happening. 

16) Vance then accused Zelensky of attacking the administration that is trying to help his country. This is absurd. There was no attack by Zelensky. The conversation up to this point was frank, bbut polite and respectful. 

From this point on, we all know what followed. 

My view is that until Vance's attack, Trump was actually enjoying the exchange. I also think he ws sincerely interested in negotiating an end to the war, but Vance has a bug up his ass about Ukraine and Europe and would prefer to just let them all rot away. 

I Stand With Ukraine

Trump: The Neville Chamberlain of the US

Although he ducked questions about continued support for Ukraine in his debate with VP Kamala Harris, Trump has finally made clear where he stands. He stands with Neville Chamblerlain as an appeaser. Chamberlain allowed Hitler to absorb Austria and then Czechoslovaki. Only when der Fuhrer's Blitzkrieg stormed across Poland did Chamberlain realize how wrong he had been. As President, Trump would repeat that error with another dictator, Vladimir Putin.

On Tuesday, Trump painted Russia as a powerful military that routinely fights wars. And yesterday, from North Carolina, he declared that Ukraine's people are "dead," and, aside from Kyiv, the country has been destroyed. 

Ukraine has actually resisted Russian aggression for over two years. But Trump basically suggested that Ukraine is now in no position to negotiate. 

As noted at Fox, there are five reasons why we support Ukraine: (1) Supporting Ukraine prevents a larger conflict; (2) Ukraine is degrading a hostile Russia and diminishing its resources; (3) Supporting Ukraine prevents Russia from holding the world hostage to higher food and fuel prices; (4) Supporting Ukraine will make China think twice before invading Taiwan; (5) Supporting Ukraine supports the American values of democracy and freedom. 

I'll agree that, historically, the US has been isolationist. But in an age of hypersonic missiles, we can no longer rely on two oceans to keep us safe. Trump's foreign policy of isolationism actually endangers our own national security. 

Dent: Downed Malaysia Flight "Horrific Crime"

Lehigh Valley Congressman Charlie Dent has released a statement concerning the Malaysia Airlines flight shot down by pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine, a matter that President Obama has called "an outrage of unspeakable proportions".

Dent: "The entire world is reeling in shock and sadness at the sight of a civilian airliner reduced to a field of smoking debris because it had been downed by a missile, likely fired by Russian-backed separatists.

"Citizens from at least nine countries lost their lives in this tragedy, making this attack a horrific crime not against any one country or people, but against the World.

"Americans join the people of the nations affected by this crime in mourning the loss of their citizens. Our hearts reach out to the family members and friends of those who perished.

"This attack should open the World’s eyes to the dangers posed by President Putin’s territorial ambitions and unwanted adventurism. America and Europe should speak with one voice and sanction Putin’s Russia for the role it has played in this attack."

Dent on Putin's Aggression

From LV Congressman Charlie Dent:

I was proud to be part of the bipartisan House effort today aiding the people of the Ukraine who are yearning for freedom. The House passed H.R. 4152 by a vote of 385 to 23.

President Vladimir Putin must be checked. His unlawful incursion and impending annexation of Crimea to satisfy Russian territorial ambitions represent an unacceptable escalation of tensions in Europe and undermine many years of peaceful European cooperation.

Today’s effort is an important first step. Until such time as Putin de-escalates his efforts, America should take the following actions:

1.) Freeze Russian assets currently held in the United States and work with like-minded nations around the globe to do the same;

2.) Restrict the foreign travel of Russian leaders and oligarchs;

3.) Impose staunch economic sanctions on Russia;

4.) License the export of Liquefied National Gas which will relieve European and Ukrainian dependence on Russian energy sources;

5.) Provide economic assistance to the Ukrainian people;

6.) Expel Russian from the G-8 and cancel participation in G-8 summit in Sochi.

President Obama and Congress must continue work together to contain Putin’s aggression.

President Jello

While President Obama skips out on a National Security Team meeting on the Ukraine, and tells fellow Democrats it's "Happy Hour," at the very moment that Russians are invading Crimea, can anyone really doubt he's the Neville Chamberlain of the United States? Yes, the very man who ridiculed Mitt Romney for calling Russia our greatest geopolitical foe, has allowed a former KGB to make a fool out of us time and again. Putin's Crimean gambit is just the latest example.  

Whether it is Afghanistan, Iran, Syria or Israel, Obama has forged a new image of the United States as a weak and undependable ally.

We all should have known. After all, before his re-election, he was overheard telling a Russian President that, after the election, he'd have "more flexibility" to discuss Europe' missile defense.Then he went to cancel every part of the deal that bothered Russia. So basically, he's already thrown Eastern Europe under the bus. What's one more state? Given Obama's weakness, the only question I'd ask the Kremlin spy is, what took you so long?

At least Obama is not talking about crossing a red line again.