Andrew Bolt: Vain Trump also needs this deal done with Ukraine
Letting Russia destroy Ukraine would kill US prestige. Allies would vanish. China would flex. That’s why Donald Trump already walked back his lies that Zelensky was a “dictator”.
Andrew Bolt
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Anthony Albanese said the right thing after Donald Trump kicked Ukraine’s president out of the White House on Friday.
But he also showed why President Volodymyr Zelensky blundered in getting into a disastrous shouting match with the US president.
“Australia stands with Ukraine,” Albanese posted after Trump abused Zelensky for not showing him “respect” and having “tremendous hatred” for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, making it “very tough for me” to make a peace deal to end Russia’s invasion.
Great response. But this same Albanese literally buried an unwanted 45 Taipan helicopters rather than donate them to Ukraine.
Likewise with Britain, France, Germany, Poland and the European Union, whose leaders also posted support for Zelensky. Touching, but Europe has freeloaded for decades on the US military.
It has twice America’s population, yet has given Ukraine little more aid in this European war than the US, an ocean away.
That should have been top of Zelensky’s mind when he met Trump to supposedly sign a deal over Ukraine’s rare earths which Trump demanded as a price for his support.
Trump doesn’t just resent paying for a European war, but can’t afford the distraction when China, far more dangerous, is preparing for its own war over Taiwan.
But who else could defend Ukraine? Without the US guaranteeing Ukraine’s security, Europe must find another 1400 tanks, 2000 infantry fighting vehicles and 700 artillery pieces, says the Bruegel think tank.
That’s “more combat power than currently exists in the French, German, Italian and British land forces combined”.
So Zelensky made a mistake after 38 minutes of pleasant chat with Trump in front of the media to rebuke Vice President JD Vance for falsely claiming diplomacy with Putin had never been tried, and Zelensky had never thanked the US. Touchy Trump inevitably joined in the brawl, and Zelensky was booted.
Putin and his Chinese allies would have cheered. America’s allies will tremble. Can Australia now rely on Trump for our nuclear submarines?
Still, Trump also needed this deal with Ukraine. Letting Russia destroy Ukraine would kill US prestige. Allies would vanish. China would flex.
That’s why he’d already walked back his lies that Zelensky was a “dictator” who “started” this war, and promised to try to return territory Russia stole.
But then this vain man met a proud one in front of cameras. Is that really why Ukraine falls to Putin’s criminal regime?
Even Trump must realise this deal must be done.
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Originally published as Andrew Bolt: Vain Trump also needs this deal done with Ukraine
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