No doubt by now, you’ve seen or heard about the explosive video that’s gone viral of Donald Trump and JD Vance tearing that alleged c**ehead, goose-stepping Nazi, Volodymyr Zelensky a new one in the Oval Office – in front of the media and a live broadcast.
If you watch that press briefing from the beginning, there’s a moment in the Q&A session that seems to flag or foreshadow the coming incendiary inciting incident.
It started when a member of the press questioned Zelensky about his attire…
WHY NO SUIT?
About 18 minutes into the meeting, reporter Brian Glenn from Real America’s Voice asked Zelensky, “Why don’t you wear a suit?”
Drowned out by laughter, Zelensky, wearing his usual faux-military, stylised combat fatigues, said, “What?” The reporter continued, “You’re at the highest level of this country’s office, and you refuse to wear a suit. I just want to see…do you own a suit?”
Zelensky looked befuddled and rattled by the question. He turned to the reporter and asked, “You have problems…?” Glenn cut him off, “A lot of Americans have problems with you disrespecting this office”, he snapped.
Meantime, Trump just sat there smirking.
The agitated Ukrainian President quickly jabbed back at Glenn with a sarcastic remark; “I will wear a ‘costume’ after this war will finish”, he said.
(Funny how Zelensky wore a suit for his meeting with Bibi Netanyahu, but not for Trump.)
VANCE INTERJECTS… AND THINGS GO SOUTH
The meeting began to derail after Vice President JD Vance, who had remained mostly silent until then, interjected in defence of Trump’s approach to ending the war through diplomacy with Putin.
Addressing the room (but signalling Zelensky) he suggested, “The path to peace and prosperity is engaging in diplomacy. That’s what President Trump is doing.”
Believe it or not, it was the mere mention of “diplomacy” that sent the meeting into a downward spiral.
DIPLOMACY IS DEPLORABLE, FOR ZELENSKY
Zelensky, clearly incensed by the common-sense suggestion, leaned forward and glared at Vance. “What kind of diplomacy, JD, are you speaking about?” He asked, with a quaver in his voice. “What do you mean?” Gesticulating wildly, he complained that Putin had (allegedly) “broken ceasefires in the past” and “killed Ukrainians.”
Vance’s response was stern and stoney. “I’m talking about the kind of diplomacy that’s going to end the destruction of your country,” he said. Zelensky tried to interrupt but Vance cut him off; “With respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come to the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media”, Vance said sharply. “You should be thanking the President for trying to bring an end to this conflict.”
And then things just went from bad to worse.
TRUMP GETS TRIGGERED
When Zelensky made what some say sounded like a veiled threat, he triggered Trump.
“You have a nice ocean (between us) and don’t feel it now”, Zelensky said, “but you will feel it in the future.”
“You don’t know that”, Trump quickly cut in. “Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel, you’re in no position to dictate that.”
Then Trump proceeded to berate Zelensky like a petulant child.
“You don’t have the cards right now”, Trump said, raising his voice. “You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III”, he bellowed.
To one side, seated among the press was Zelensky’s ambassador to Washington, Oksana Markarova. She was captured on cell cam with her head in her hands as the arguments escalated.
It is an image that sums up where diplomatic relations between Trump and Zelensky are at.
A few minutes later, Trump dismissed the media from the room.
BIG DON BANISHES THE BANDERITES
For Zelensky fans and Ukraine supporters, the dismal scene was a dumpster fire.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz told the press that Trump had ordered the Ukrainians off the White House grounds, and suggested Zelensky return when he’s ready for peace.
One of the agreements they were supposed to sign was a deal on rare-earth minerals that guarantee security from Washington, as Ukraine fights Russia.
That deal didn’t get signed.
MEDIA, ANALYSTS AND POLITICIANS REACT
Of course, media and analysts have had a field day with this diplomatic disaster.
One analyst after another has used just two words to sum up the outcome of the tanked meeting: “Zelensky’s done.”
Watching and commenting on that fiasco, geopolitical analyst, Chay Bowes asserted, “He’s doomed, this guy’s finished! It’s game over for Zelensky.”
In an interview with RT, former CIA analyst John Kiriakou said; “Never in my lifetime have I ever seen anything like what we saw unfold in the Oval Office today. I think that for all intents and purposes, Zelensky is done.”
Russian political analyst Konstantin Kalachev told AFP. “So far it is clear that only Vladimir Putin is winning. He looks like a rock against the background of these squabbles.”
WHAT WAS ZELENSKY THINKING? (OR SNORTING?)
The duo at Due Dissidence also weighed in. Referring to the part of the meeting where Zelensky went off the reservation, Keaton Weiss said; “Why would you open your mouth at that point? Why wouldn’t you go behind closed doors where they’re more likely to negotiate with you?”
To which Russ Dobular responded, “And if you understand Donald Trump at all, what the f**k were you thinking?”
Perhaps Jimmy Dore put it best, “Out of everything that Zelensky has blown in his life, he should have never blown this.”
WARMONGER SENATOR CALLS FOR ZELENSKY TO STEP DOWN
Even the mass-murdering, neocon warmonger, Republican Senator Lindsay Grahame seems to have washed his hands of Ukraine. Remember when, back in May 2023, Lindsay Grahame visited Kyiv? He sat at a table with Zelensky and his henchmen and said, “Russians are dying, this is the best money we (the US) ever spent.”
Well, after Zelensky’s whacko wildcard in the White House, Grahame immediately came out against Volodymyr calling the WH meeting a “complete, utter disaster”. He told reporters, “What I saw in the Oval Office was disrespectful…and I don’t know if we can ever do business with Zelensky again.” He then suggested Zelensky should resign.
MEANWHILE IN MOSCOW, PUTIN MARCHES TO VICTORY
Back at the Kremlin, Putin is putting the finishing touches to his imminent victory.
From the outset of the SMO, Putin described three goals for Ukraine: denazification, demilitarisation and neutral status (no NATO base or membership).
The West said Russia would lose, sanctions would strangle its economy, and NATO support of Ukraine would push Russia back. They also said the “war” would isolate Putin and make him a pariah on the world stage.
None of that has happened. Instead, it’s Ukraine that is on the verge of defeat.
So…how did Putin do it?
HOW DID PUTIN PULL IT OFF?
If we had to sum it up in one word? Patience. Strategic…patience.
In a comprehensive revision video, Palki Sharma of Firstpost highlighted three things Putin did right that ultimately secured his victory:
MINIMISING WESTERN SUPPORT TO UKRAINE
Putin made sure that Ukraine and the West had no military path to success on the battlefield. He would occasionally “sabre rattle” by holding nuclear readiness drills and putting his responses on alert to spook Western powers into backing off.
It worked.
The West held off on giving Zelensky long-range weapons until late 2024 when they finally worked up the nerve to allow Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia.
By then it was too late, Russia were firmly dug in on the Eastern front.
NEGOTIATING THE ECONOMY AND WESTERN SANCTIONS
Putin’s handling of the economy and negotiating the more than 24 000 sanctions the West placed on Russia played a big part in his successful campaign. After Russia was cut out by the West, Putin merely turned East…and began selling oil to India and China. He then channelled Russian weapons to the global South.
Of course, he also invested in expanding BRICS+, from five to ten members.
LEAVING THE DOOR OPEN FOR NEGOTIATION
Finally, the third thing Putin did right was to not frame this war as some oversimplified struggle of good versus evil. He was clear from day one that this was strategic. He had demands and concerns, but repeatedly said he was ready to negotiate an end to the war – if the West agreed to his terms.
Of course, the West, particularly Biden, categorically rejected diplomacy with Putin. Despite that, Putin never ruled it out, he always kept the door open for talks – as if he was betting on some party coming along with common sense and willingness to compromise.
And that party was Donald Trump.
PUTIN PLAYED THE LONG, PATIENT GAME
As Sharma explained, “Simply put, Putin played the long game.” All he had to do was sit back, be patient, wait and watch.
“Wait and watch as energy prices spiral out of control, as wheat and fertilizer supplies shrink, as inflation skyrockets, as political opposition builds in the West, as Donald Trump launches his campaign, as incumbent Western leaders faced plummeting approvals, as the far right surged in Europe…and as Trump took the White House.”
Sharma described it as “a master class in strategic patience.”
As for Zelensky…he just joined the ranks of several other “friends” of America who were eventually repackaged as enemies. Like Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi and Bashar al-Assad – to name a few.
Like Professor Jeffrey Sachs recently said, quoting Henry Kissinger, “To be America’s enemy may be dangerous, but to be America’s friend is fatal.”
WHAT SAY YOU, SA? DO YOU THINK ZELENSKY IS FINISHED, AND PUTIN HAS WON?
Let us know by leaving a comment below or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1.
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