Zelensky seeks to mend fences after US halts arms supplies
According to media reports, Donald Trump suspended US military aid to Ukraine on Tuesday - and then announced to Congress on the same day that the Ukrainian president had backed down. Trump's announcement came after Zelensky released a statement on X emphasising Ukraine's desire for peace, thanking the US for the aid it has received so far and agreeing to the minerals deal that collapsed on Friday.
New goal: lasting instead of just
Zelensky has performed a clever diplomatic act by changing his terms, analyses La Stampa:
“Backing down does not mean complete submission. After all, he merely dropped an adjective attached to the word peace: 'just'. ... What did this adjective that blocked every discussion, every nuance, every more or less vague attempt to move on to a phase of negotiations with an invader that unfortunately couldn't be eliminated imply? Nothing less than victory over Russia on the battlefield, or the aggressors' retreat to the borders of 2014. ... Yesterday the Ukrainian president replaced the word 'just' with a realistic adjective: he said that under Trump's patronage the goal was 'lasting' peace.”
Minerals deal as a security guarantee
The Cyprus Mail hopes that Trump will now seek a fair peace:
“The suspension of military aid forced Zelensky to change tune. On Tuesday afternoon he issued a statement, praising Donald Trump's 'strong leadership' and regretting what happened at Friday's meeting. ... It was a climbdown, that may have been assisted by Vance's comment to Fox News, that giving the US an interest in the Ukraine – through the minerals deal – would serve as a security guarantee. The security guarantee was what Zelensky had demanded on Friday but was denied. Hopefully, Trump will sign the deal and then focus on delivering peace, without championing Russia's interests too excessively.”
Quid pro quo at Kyiv's expense
Ukraine's interests are irrelevant for the US in the current geopolitical power struggle, writes European Pravda:
“For the current US administration, the norms of international law are not of fundamental importance. The main goal is to end the war that is taking up so much of their attention. The statements from Washington suggest that the Trump administration would find it quite satisfactory if the only party making concessions in this war were Ukraine. Instead of that the US expects Russia to make compromises in entirely different areas - for example in the confrontation with China. This is a geopolitical trade-off in which Ukraine suffers the biggest losses.”
Ukraine can't be held without the US
It was clear that Zelensky would buckle under the pressure from Trump, economics professor Jože P. Damijan remarks on his blog:
“Without military (weapons, cyber services, etc.) and political support from the US, Ukraine would collapse like a house of cards in a matter of weeks. Zelensky's swift capitulation to Trump is also the clearest answer to the question of how much Europe's 'unwavering support' and pledges to help are worth. Exactly ZERO. European military power is a garden gnome and its military aid (if it still had enough weapons in stock, that is) is completely useless without American intelligence and cyber-assistance (satellite navigation).”