Of course he would want to get Ukraine to "pay up". In Trumpworld, it's always a zero sum game. There's no consideration that it might be bad for the whole world (which incidentally, includes us) if we allow Russia to conquer Ukraine. That it would be in our own national interest, even if we don't commit our own troops, to support Ukraine's resistance to this invasion. No, Trump looks at it like Zelenskyy is a tenant behind on his rent. Let's not overlook the fact that the agreement that didn't happen required Ukraine to sign over 50% of the revenue from the extraction of some minerals with nothing in return....forever!
Trump's ego was a variable that I shouldn't have overlooked. The Nobel Peace Prize has been something that he has lusted after since President Obama was awarded his. He really, really thought he would receive the honor after the so-called Abraham Accords in his first term -- reciprocal recognition by Israel and several Arab nations who were not at war with each other. He made much of the fact that no new wars were started during his first term, as if that was a unique achievement and as if we weren't still at war in Afghanistan during his whole term and fighting against ISIS during much of it. Or that the military, under his orders, hadn't been engaged in multiple actions and assassinated a high ranking general from a nation with which we were not at war. Despite all that, he wanted to be thought of as a peacemaker. Aside from his position that we shouldn't even be involved with the Russia-Ukraine war, he wanted to be able to take credit for ending it -- cementing his self image as one who ends wars, not starts them. During the campaign Trump boasted that he could end the war in 24 hours, even before he took office. That didn't happen. But the bragging telegraphed that this non-economic issue was important to him. A problem, if not the problem, was that he had no idea what he was doing or what it would take to bring the two sides together.
So he decided to not get the two sides together.
He has sided with the aggressor, who not only launched a major invasion three years ago, but had annexed Crimea in 2014 and had been engaged in a barely below the radar war in eastern Ukraine, ostensibly supporting Russian speakers there. He has started "negotiations" that has excluded Ukraine, claiming that Ukraine should be "thankful" for whatever "deal" Trump extracts from Putin. Not only has he sided with the aggressor, he has publicly stated that Ukraine started the war! Then, Trump "welcomes" Zelenskyy to the Oval Office, mocks his attire, and expects him to grovel before the mighty Americans, thankful for whatever crumbs we can throw him, and acquiesce to Putin's dismembering of his country. Zelenskyy was in no mood to be lectured to, or listen to Putin's talking points from the mouths of Trump and Vance, after presiding over a fight for the life of his country.
Trump and Putin want Ukraine to simply give up. Much is made of how Ukraine would have collapsed long ago if not for American and European assistance. (Although Trump would have you believe it was virtually all American) This may be true, but much should be made of how a small nation like Ukraine has held off Russia, a huge and powerful nation, for three years of full-on war, and over ten years before that of small scale attacks. Russia is being bled of resources. Vice President Vance (or whatever his real name is) snidely suggested that Zelenskyy was having problems staffing his army, yet Russia has resorted to using North Koreans as cannon fodder.
Trump and Vance behaved disgracefully, but totally within character.
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