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Zelensky’s transformation from affable populist to Anne Applebaum’s idea of a sex symbol was off-putting even before he started appearing before swooning legislators around the world wearing his trademark wan face and “I Saved The World From Putin and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt” costume. We just spent three years turning a fixable local issue into a test case for a new ethos of imperial intransigence, one that apparently requires constant weeding of unbelievers and full control of media to preserve “democracy.” Zelensky may not have started as a hawk for this global Misinformation is Murder movement, but once he realized selling the idea was a requirement for NATO’s billions, he threw himself into the role with gusto. Now, he’s refusing to give up the part.
Many readers were offended last week by my irreligious attitude toward Ukraine’s president. Those of us who won’t salute this NATO-crafted character actor are apparently “careening into full-on MAGA paranoia,” no better than “comrades” and “fellow travelers” in Vladimir Putin’s figurative if not literal employ. The former comedian is now reprising Ben Kingsley’s Marvin role as the Mandarin, playing tough-guy mascot for transnational bureaucrats whose idea of a good joke is getting Americans to pay to correct their own wrong opinions. Maybe he’s doing what he has to do for his country, but seriously, fuck him. And fuck Starmer, for that matter.
If you’re not offended by the whole affair, you should be.
Ed: Matt Taibbi is on righteous fire over the attempt to cast Zelensky as some kind of warrior-poet above reproach. Even for those who have admiration for Zelensky, this hero-worship is absurd, and entirely counterproductive as well.
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A little bit of a reality check for some:
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) March 3, 2025
-Trump's net approval on Russia/Ukraine (+2) is far more positive than Biden's was by the end (-22).
-The share (31% to 50%) who want a compromise in the war is way up
-The share who say Russia is an enemy is way down (64% to 34%). pic.twitter.com/z6k0x6A1yn
Ed: That is the product of war-by-proxy fatigue. America has footed most of the financial bill for this war, and it will continue to cost us in readiness for quite a while ahead. And none of it has made a dent in the stalemate over the Donbas and Crimea.
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Zelensky should not have litigated any disagreements with Trump in front of the media. As retired Gen. Jack Keane noted on Fox News, “He should have understood going into the Oval Office today that when the cameras are on … the only answer to the questions should be, from Zelesnky’s point, ‘Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, America. I’m going to work with you to achieve a peaceful end to this war.’ Period.”
Keane is right. This should have been a backslapping, feel-good meeting celebrating the minerals deal. Instead, Zelensky hijacked the meeting, jumping in when he was not asked a question, looking for opportunities to interrupt and make his points. If he had kept quiet, the minerals deal would be signed, the United States would be financially invested in Ukraine’s independence, and he would be strategizing with Trump on how to get his territory back during negotiations. Instead, he has alienated the man on whom the fate of his country depends, a man who had just moments earlier been talking about the possibility of sending U.S. peacekeepers to Ukraine.
Even worse was Zelensky’s stubborn refusal to apologize and to fix the breach.
Ed: Again, there's room for criticism of the way everyone handled this. The meeting should never have taken place in public, and likely never should have been held at all without a firm commitment on next steps. But the US isn't begging for Ukrainian intervention -- it's the other way around. It was unbelievably arrogant for Zelensky to invite himself to the White House and then try to litigate for American military intervention in front of the media.
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These charts are the most concise explanation of Europe I’ve ever seen. pic.twitter.com/WddPyqTVac
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) March 3, 2025
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Ukraine is unlikely to accept separate peace provisions because they know what much of the rest of the world seems willfully blind to: Russia is on its knees. With casualties approaching three-quarters of a million—with some 1,400 casualties added daily—the Russian behemoth is staggering and nearing collapse. It has lost over 10,000 main battle tanks, six times the combined number possessed by the UK, Spain, France, Italy, and Poland. Its economy is teetering, its disparate regions restless, and its federation is fractured. A rapid dissolution is not only possible, it grows increasingly likely.
Yes, Ukraine has suffered substantially, and its people are tired, but the country is far from desperate. Most cities operate entirely normally: café life is vigorous, and families go about their business as if war was a distant thought. It is common now for soldiers to blast away at Russian advances in the morning, then calmly nosh pizza in a quiet street that afternoon. Internal supply lines are a very powerful advantage. The pressure on Ukrainians to accept an imposed "peace" simply isn't there. Like the early days, when the Ukrainian government opened armories to "allow the Ukrainian people to take whatever they need to defend themselves and their families," the idea of national resistance remains firm.
Ed: Even if this is an accurate depiction of life in Ukraine, Russia is not "on its knees." It is blowing big holes in its economy and its military readiness, but we have been hearing that Russia is "on its knees" for almost as long as the attempt to seize Kyiv failed. It's just not true, and Ukraine isn't on its knees either -- yet. But by alienating the one Western power that can not just produce the necessary armaments but also the only power that can provide the necessary logistics for that war effort, it won't be long before Ukraine finds itself in that position.
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President Trump: "President Zelensky supposedly made a statement...He thinks the war's gonna go on for a long time. He better not be right about that." pic.twitter.com/lKH2F79kXi
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 3, 2025
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The Trump administration has stopped financing new weapons sales to Ukraine and is considering freezing weapons shipments from U.S. stockpiles, moves that threaten Kyiv’s ability to fight at a critical time in its battle against Russian forces, current and former U.S. officials said.
The financing was halted in recent weeks amid the administration’s freeze on foreign aid. But the move to potentially shut down the main pipeline for arms transfers to Ukraine comes days after a contentious meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House. The tense exchange Friday raised fears across Europe that the U.S. could be moving away from the wider Western alliance.
Ed: If the wider Western alliance wants to rope us into a war with no end in sight, that is their decision, and the consequences will rest on them. Bear in mind that the "wider Western alliance" consists militarily of the US and the UK (maybe!), as the only entities with any real offensive capability or logistics. Without the US, there is no military counterweight, so perhaps our European partners should pay attention to eating on our tab.
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