A Carve-Up That Leaves Ukraine Sidelined
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By Flavia Krause-Jackson, bloomberg.com
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Even before President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrives at the Munich Security Conference tomorrow to renew his case with the US for defending Ukraine’s independence, his country’s fate looks to have been sealed.
A sense of foreboding had been building. The day before Donald Trump got on the phone with Vladimir Putin, the US leader observed matter of factly that “Ukraine may be Russian some day.”
The full extent of what he meant became clear as the two presidents extended summit invitations to each other during yesterday’s 90-minute conversation. Forget about joining NATO or US boots on the ground. Ukraine would have to concede territory that Russia began seizing back in 2014.
Zelenskiy was notified almost as an FYI. His worst fear — that terms and conditions of a peace settlement were being agreed behind his back — was coming to pass.
His offerings of Ukraine’s critical minerals in return for protection carried little weight. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent brought an economic-cooperation agreement to Kyiv for Ukraine to sign “in exchange” for continued support.
While Trump was making major concessions before negotiations had even begun, stunned European allies face a $3 trillion bill to bulk up their defenses and rebuild postwar Ukraine.
Some see echoes of that failed policy of appeasement at play now and predict Putin will keep testing NATO’s eastern flank. Critics say Europe has only itself to blame for expecting the US to defend it indefinitely.
Ukraine has been under martial law since Russia’s 2022 invasion but the future of its wartime leader is in doubt. Trump highlighted Zelenskiy’s “not great” polling numbers and the need for elections, a not-so-subtle hint that he wants him out.
That’s one more thing that would delight Putin.
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