Trump and Ukraine: Thinly Veiled Blackmail
The U.S. president is threatening Ukraine with the loss of security guarantees if the country doesn’t hold presidential elections soon. This is madness.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is often characterized by many attributes — corrupt, power-hungry and authoritarian. Or, as the Kremlin constantly hammers into the minds of Russians and others, fascist. But one thing he certainly is not is out of touch with reality, nor is he politically suicidal. For almost four years, Zelenskyy has steered his country through a brutal war in which Ukrainians are being killed by Russian missiles and drones and systematically bombed to death by freezing conditions. And it’s precisely at this moment, President Donald Trump is once again playing his cards, cards that Trump says Zelenskyy simply doesn’t have.
The issue at the moment is holding presidential elections in Ukraine and a referendum on a peace deal. While Trump previously floated June as a possible date, May is now under discussion. This would require lengthy consultation and a parliamentary vote to establish new legal frameworks. This is simply impossible to do in such a short time. And it fails to recognize that only 10% of Ukrainians support holding an election right now.
What's more absurd is that Trump is threatening to cut Kyiv's U.S. security guarantees if Ukraine doesn't comply with his demands. What is this man talking about? There are no concrete, reliable commitments from Washington regarding peace and security — nor are there any signs that an agreement on a peace deal might be reached any time soon. No one who is in their right mind can seriously believe that Moscow is ready to back down from its maximalist demands.
What does that mean going forward? It means taking Zelenskyy seriously when he pushes back against Trump's proposal and calling Trump’s statement for what it is: a thinly veiled attempt to blackmail Ukraine — the country under attack in this war. What conclusions does Europe draw from this? Presumably none. That in itself is a problem — and by no means a minor one.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is often characterized by many attributes — corrupt, power-hungry and authoritarian. Or, as the Kremlin constantly hammers into the minds of Russians and others, fascist. But one thing he certainly is not is out of touch with reality, nor is he politically suicidal. For almost four years, Zelenskyy has steered his country through a brutal war in which Ukrainians are being killed by Russian missiles and drones and systematically bombed to death by freezing conditions. And it’s precisely at this moment, President Donald Trump is once again playing his cards, cards that Trump says Zelenskyy simply doesn’t have.
The issue at the moment is holding presidential elections in Ukraine and a referendum on a peace deal. While Trump previously floated June as a possible date, May is now under discussion. This would require lengthy consultation and a parliamentary vote to establish new legal frameworks. This is simply impossible to do in such a short time. And it fails to recognize that only 10% of Ukrainians support holding an election right now.
What's more absurd is that Trump is threatening to cut Kyiv's U.S. security guarantees if Ukraine doesn't comply with his demands. What is this man talking about? There are no concrete, reliable commitments from Washington regarding peace and security — nor are there any signs that an agreement on a peace deal might be reached any time soon. No one who is in their right mind can seriously believe that Moscow is ready to back down from its maximalist demands.
What does that mean going forward? It means taking Zelenskyy seriously when he pushes back against Trump's proposal and calling Trump’s statement for what it is: a thinly veiled attempt to blackmail Ukraine — the country under attack in this war. What conclusions does Europe draw from this? Presumably none. That in itself is a problem — and by no means a minor one.
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