Last man standing – Zelensky is unwilling to bend to Trump’s bullying tactics. He can’t afford to.

https://www.cosmopoliticsbyelise.com/p/last-man-standing

Posted by ricosierra

13 comments

  1. Unlike the entirety of the Republican party who have been completely bullied into submission and fealty.

  2. He can only afford to if Europe steps up in a big way and fills in the vacuum left by the Americans.

  3. Is it really bullying if it’s a take it or leave it deal? Sounds like he has complete control to make his own decision nobody is forcing him either way 

  4. What exactly does Ukraine get from giving up its natural resources to a country with no security guarantees?

  5. What leverage do the Ukrainians have? Absolutely none. Trump is trying to give Z an off ramp that provides a quasi security agreement in form of economic alliance. It’s a no brainer deal for the Ukrainians that the Russians will hate. For him to show up that way yesterday to a photo op is absurd

  6. Welcome to the mafia state of trumplandia. No one dares stand up to the don.

  7. “The truth Trump seems unwilling to acknowledge is that Zelensky is fighting for nothing less than ethnic and national survival.”

  8. bullying? this is realpolitik with real consequences, not some Redditor’s Marvel fantasy superimposed on reality.

    Zelensky forgot his place on the food chain and had a rude awakening, that’s simply all there is to it.

  9. The nuclear war game is a lot more complicated than just having a few missiles. The first play each side must consider is whether to preemptively take the other side out. Dealing with that problem quickly becomes so expensive it will alter the structure of your society.

  10. Scheduled for Friday before unleashing a wave of tariffs the following Tuesday, this was supposed to be a big $500 billion win for Trump and provide political cover for the upcoming pain of tariffs. It didn’t work out that way. Trump was overconfident, unprepared and flubbed the deal like a rookie. Now he has no cover and his ratings have been slipping already. He may be in store for a very bad week. If the markets tank due to his tariffs it will be another in a ever-worsening string of losses for Trump. If he delays the tariffs, it will look like waffling and he will look weak. He really screwed up.

  12. I think the saying goes, “Give me liberty or give me death.”

    Also another good and recent quote for fighting for principals is, “we’ve gotta fight. Fight like hell or we won’t have a country anymore.”

  13. The big question now – what will Europe *do* (not say)?

    European nations have been suffering inflation and high energy costs – will they back up their rhetoric and provide Zelenski with the support Ukraine needs to keep standing?

    *Can* Europe even do anything – assuming even further burden to civilian economy and also that it takes many years to develop self-sufficient defense industries?

    If words fade into silence as time goes by Zelenski may run out of choices, whether Ukraine can afford it or not.

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