Friday February 28, 2025 | GLOBAL NEWS | from VICTORIA, BC [Posted at 12:54 pm Pacific | Updated 4 pm]
Political analysis by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The world of leadership and news reporting is at high-alert today following a dramatic display of ‘dressing down’ of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by US President Donald Trump and Vice-President JD Vance.
The Trump-Vance momentum in the televised chat was a perfect example of ‘good cop, bad cop’ that fast became a swarm of attack on Ukraine’s president.
They expected and demanded that Zelenskyy behave in a subservient way.
Even before the meeting, Trump reportedly taunted Zelenskyy for what he was wearing. Zelenskyy has dressed in army fatigues throughout the three-year war, as a way of standing with his people who are at war.
After the shocking interaction there was to be a press conference with Trump and Zelenskyy at which an agreement of some kind was to be signed. Perhaps this was an intentional strategy by Trump to get out of signing any deal between the US and Ukraine at this time. Trump still wants to gain traction with Russia.
“Trump’s treatment of President Zelenskyy was one of the most disgraceful things we have ever seen,” said Ukraine’s ambassador to Canada (as heard on CBC).
Quite the put down: “We know that you’re wrong,” said JD Vance to Zelenskyy.
US Senator:
The Maga view echoed in live media by US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, about Zelenskyy: “The way he confronted the president is just over the top.”
Graham also said Zelenskyy needs to show that “he is a good investment”, to be someone the US “can do business with”. The US wants to make a deal around access to rare earth minerals that are evidently abundant in Ukraine.
Graham is a big ally and supporter of Ukraine and supports peace in Ukraine but not how Zelenskyy handled things today.
For Zelenskyy the potential guarantees are about existential protection for Ukraine’s sovereignty, not so much the ‘business deal’ approach that the US is taking under Trump’s leadership.
Trump’s comments:
“If you could get a cease fire you’d take it right now”, said Trump to Zelenskyy, “to stop the bullets flying”.
Trump accused Zelenskyy of instigating what could become World War III. “You’re gambling with World War Three,” said Trump.
“I’ve empowered you to be a tough guy, I don’t think you’d be a tough guy without the United States,” said Trump to Zelenskyy, sitting right next to him.
“You’re not very thankful,” said Trump, a tack that Vice President Vance started, when in fact over the past three years Zelenskyy has been articulating his thanks and gratitude to numerous democratic countries.
“You have a damn good chance of coming out okay because of us,” said Trump. “With us you have the cards.”
Toward the end of the heated exchange: “It’s going to be a very hard thing to do business like this,” said Trump.
“We know that you’re wrong,” said Vance.
Trump admitted on camera that he kept the exchange going for so long to essentially make Zelenskyy look bad.
“He can come back when he is ready for peace,” wrote Trump on Truth Social after the meeting.
Russia started the war:
In the past week or so, Trump has said that Ukraine started the war, when the facts show that Russia invaded Ukraine (which started on February 22, 2022).
After today’s encounter, Zelenskyy has said in social media: “Ukraine needs just and lasting peace, and we are working exactly for that.”
Comments from elected leaders:
The President of France, Emmanuel Macro, has spoken with Zelenskyy today by phone following the heated exchange, saying: “There is an aggressor which is Russian. There is an aggressed people which is Ukraine. I think we were all right to help Ukraine and sanction Russia three years ago and to continue to do so.”
“Ukraine, Spain stands with you,” posted the Prime Minister of Spain in social media.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says: “This is what it is to resist Donald Trump. He has no place as part of the next G7 meeting in Canada.”
Canada’s response:
Joly is in Vancouver to have a meeting with BC Premier David Eby this afternoon after tariffs.
“Everything is on the table,” she said regarding tariffs.
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly addressed this from where she is today, in Vancouver.
“President Putin has no red lines. If we’re not supporting Ukraine there’s a real risk Russia will re-arm and attack Ukraine again. She said that Russia is “noting the interaction that happened today”. She feels there can still be “strong G7 unity”.
“No country in the world will be able to divide Canada and the UK,” she said about Britain. “It’s just in our DNA to be close to the UK,” said Joly, saying that Canada needs to work with the United Kingdom on various things including “strong security alliances including intelligence sharing”.
“We will definitely continue to support Ukraine and we’re having conversations with Europeans about that. It’s essential that Ukraine get a good deal out of the ceasefire,” said Joly.
“China is looking and the US must be able to get a good deal with China. A bad deal would be bad for many countries and particularly for Putin to take advantage of the US,” she said.
“We need security guarantees for Ukraine. How we’ll find those guarantees is at the core for the diplomatic conversation that we’re having.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is heading to London England for a meeting tomorrow with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer about Ukraine and European security.
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NEWS SECTIONS: UKRAINE | TARIFFS & TRADE