On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. In keeping with established Russian military doctrine, its invasion plans called for the immediate decapitation of the Ukrainian government, including the capture and execution of its President, Volodymyr Zelensky . The U.S. Government, which had confidential sources in the Kremlin, disclosed that Zelensky was a “prime target.” Ukrainian intelligence disclosed that the Russians had marked Zelensky as “target No.1” and his family as “target No.2.”
The U.S. Government offered to evacuate Zelensky and his family from Kyiv to safety.
Zelensky declined the offer, stating: “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.”
It is worth recalling these facts while reviewing the nauseating scene that played out in the Oval Office last Friday. President Trump thought he could browbeat Zelensky, just as he had gelded his Secretary of State, who sat there, silent and ashen. But it simply was not in Zelensky’s DNA to stay quiet while Trump and his Vice Presidential lackey berated him. Instead, Zelensky calmly but forcefully corrected Trump and Vance when they uttered lies about Ukraine’s record of willingness to negotiate, Europe’s level of support for Ukraine, and Putin’s trustworthiness.
He did not immediately correct their lie about not thanking the United States for its support, perhaps because he had thanked America so many times (33 times in English, and an unknown number in Ukrainian, according to one count), it hardly seemed necessary. Nevertheless, immediately after the meeting, he wrote on X: “Thank you America, thank you for your support, thank you for this visit. Thank you POTUS, Congress, and the American people.”
But however disgusting Trump’s performance may have been, Volodymyr Zelensky cannot entirely escape responsibility for the debacle. After all, he knew full well the nature and character of the man he was meeting. Just days before the meeting, Trump had called him a “dictator without elections” and had stated that Ukraine “never should have started” the war. Zelensky should have been prepared to deal with Trump without jeopardizing Ukraine’s supply of American military assistance.
It would have been difficult but Zelensky could have placated Trump without groveling. How? By emulating another leader, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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