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Trump, Putin Look To Leverage Dead Ukrainians For a Deal [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-03-05
The alliance of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his bitch -- our four-time indicted, twice-impeached, sexual assaulter, tax fraudster, insurrection inspirer, wannabe fascist dictator, convicted felon, President Donald Trump, is at it again.
After previously suspending military aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia, the United States has now announced it will pause intelligence sharing with the Ukrainians, the New York Times reported.
And the administration admits that its motive for the pause is to pressure the Ukraine government to cooperate with the Trump administration’s efforts to come up with a peace deal between the two countries.
As the subhead of the Times story reads: “Trump administration officials say the halt in assistance is a warning to the Ukrainians of the consequences of not cooperating with the president.”
Warning? Nice country you have there. It’d be a shame if you lost it.
What the administration doesn’t admit, but we all know, is that Trump is angling for a pro-Russia deal and couldn’t care less about what happens to Ukraine or its President Volodymyr Zelensky, who he hates with a red-hot passion.
Hell, accused drunk/sexual assaulter/incompetent boob Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth let the cat out of the bag when he told a gathering of defense secretaries a while back that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders – before Russia annexed Crimea and parts of other regions – was “unrealistic,” and that the United States will not support NATO membership for Ukraine.
If you’re keeping score at home, those two items are at or near the top of Putin’s wish list. So, the negotiations are rigged before they even start.
Yes, the United States of America, that once-great country, has gone from supporting our ally Ukraine in its fight against a Russian invasion to trying to sabotage its efforts – pretty much insuring more Ukrainian soldiers and citizens will die – to try to force it to give up and give Russia pretty much everything it wants.
Aren’t you proud, America?
CIA Director/political hack John Ratcliffe - noting a statement by Zelensky this week in which he praised Trump (a must in all dealings with the president) and said he would support peace -- said he thought intelligence sharing would eventually resume.
“President Zelensky put out a statement that said, ‘I am ready for peace and I want President Donald Trump’s leadership to bring about that peace,’” Ratcliffe said. “And so, I think on the military front and the intelligence front, the pause that allowed that to happen, I think will go away, and I think we’ll work shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine as we have, to push back on the aggression that’s there.”
Zelensky’s statement was on Tuesday and the intelligence pause was Wednesday. So why stop it in the first place?
The pause stopped all military targeting information from being shared with Ukraine, making strikes on Russian forces more difficult, and it also affected some intelligence warnings of drone and missile strikes that Russia has been carrying out against military and civilian targets (opening the door for more dead Ukrainians), the Times reported.
“Everything that came from the Defense Department has stopped,” said Valeriy Kondratiuk, the former head of HUR, one of Ukraine’s intelligence services. “This mostly concerns the exchange of imagery. This isn’t critical because European companies have their own satellites, but not all these are focused on military dislocation and movements, which is important.”
A senior Trump administration official said the initial plan was to pause military and intelligence sharing for a week or two as part of the campaign to pressure Zelensky.
And don’t forget this is about more than a peace agreement. Trump wants Zelensky to sign a deal giving the United States access to mineral rights in Ukraine. That’s called extortion, by the way. Once a mob boss, always a mob boss.
Naturally, this doesn’t sit well with the Democrats. Probably because their interest is in what’s best for the country and the world order, while Republicans are busy rolling over like trained dogs and giving Trump whatever he wants.
(As the father of two rescue dogs, I must apologize for comparing Republicans to canines. Anyone who’s watched what’s going on in Washington and has any experience with dogs knows dogs are much better than Republicans.)
“The pause on providing matériel to Ukraine against Putin’s aggression is unconscionable on its own, but the idea that we will now withhold lifesaving intelligence from Ukrainians who are fighting and dying is unforgivable,” Representative Jim Himes, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said. “Any pause in intelligence sharing must end immediately.”
Fun fact from the Times story: The Trump administration has steadily increased pressure on Ukraine but not on Russia to halt its attacks. The Russian military has continued to bombard Ukrainian cities daily.
Again, dead Ukrainians, especially women and children, equal more pressure on Zelensky and more leverage for the Putin/Trump dynamic duo.
You can read the Times story here.
***
Could we please put to rest the bullshit that Zelensky doesn’t want peace. Tens of thousands of Ukrainians have died so far. No leader – unless he’s insane or corrupt (see Trump) -- would want that kind of carnage to continue.
Once again, we see the corruption of the Trump administration and its growing allegiance to Putin and other dictators. It’s only a matter of time before Trump tries to pull the United States out of NATO, another big favor for the Russian president.
The news out of the European Union is that it’s preparing for life without the United States, including pledging more support for Ukraine. Good. I’m pulling for them. Screw the United States. We have it coming.
We aren’t the same country we were even a few months ago, but this is who we are now. Those who try to tell you otherwise are kidding themselves.
What we’re doing to Ukraine is a disgrace. Our alienation of our allies and our retreat from leadership on the world stage is humiliating. The corruption of our government and the efforts to destroy the “administrative state” by stripping it down to its bare bones, no matter who suffers or dies in the process, is unconstitutional and unconscionable.
The truth is you aren’t what you say you are, you’re what you actually do.
And right now, we’re nothing but a steaming pile of shit, with no shovel to clean it up in sight.
***
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