The battle in the Oval Office and its consequences: Zelensky did not kiss the villain’s hand but fought back against two fascist boors

[In his meeting with US president Trump and vice-president Vance in the White House]Ukraine and President Zelensky did not have a single chance—I repeat, not a single chance—of receiving real support.

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Because it is absolutely clear—crystal clear—that in this war, Trump has firmly, unequivocally, and completely taken Putin’s side. I emphasize: firmly, unequivocally, and completely. And now, this has simply become evident. Now, there is a certain clarity.

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Since Zelensky had arrived, the goal was to ensure that the meeting ended in a grand scandal. And this scandal was skillfully orchestrated.

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It was obvious that the nature of this pre-negotiation negotiation [which was done publicly in front of the press] was designed to publicly corner Zelensky—humiliating him in front of the press, forcing him into a situation where he had only two choices: either figuratively kneel or respond in a way that would immediately escalate tensions. And as soon as that happened—boom—the scandal would erupt, and Zelensky would be blamed for ruining the negotiations

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Vance’s role was clear—he was the designated provocateur. From the very start, he threw out baseless accusations against Zelensky, claiming that he had campaigned against Trump in Pennsylvania—complete nonsense, a blatant lie. This was a long-circulating narrative meant to discredit Zelensky, even though his visits to various U.S. states were solely to secure support and persuade lawmakers to back Ukraine […] first, Vance provoked Zelensky, then Trump jumped in. And what they were saying.

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The most famous exchange […] was when Trump mocked Zelensky, saying he had no cards to play, to which Zelensky shot back: I didn’t come here to play cards. That remark hit a nerve, triggering visible outrage. From there, things spiraled out of control. After the heated argument, both sides retreated to separate rooms. Then Trump made his final move—he ordered the Ukrainian delegation to leave the White House.

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He [Trump] blamed Ukraine for everything that had happened. His logic? You allowed yourselves to be in a bad position—as if Ukraine was at fault when Putin invaded on February 24, 2022 […] This is a textbook example of victim-blaming—a classic rhetorical trick. The victim is made out to be responsible for their own suffering. And Trump took it a step further, even reviving his old narrative that Ukraine itself started this war and was therefore to blame […] Next came another familiar tactic—accusing Ukraine of ingratitude. Over and over again: We helped you, and you should be grateful. But you’re not. You don’t show enough appreciation.

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When Trump and his team openly humiliated Ukraine, Zelensky had to respond. This was all part of a calculated strategy—to push the narrative that without the U.S., Ukraine would have collapsed in days, as if Ukrainian resistance were meaningless. The claim of one million dead, the insistence that Ukraine has no more soldiers left, all of it was designed to strip Ukraine of its dignity and portray it as a helpless beggar. But if Zelensky had simply accepted this humiliation and stayed quiet, he wouldn’t just have lost the war—he would have lost the trust of the Ukrainian people.

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It’s clear now that Ukraine must win its own peace—with real allies.

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The most important outcome of yesterday’s events is the clarity that has emerged—now that the rare-earth fog has lifted. Clarity is always better than uncertainty […] And that […] is the one positive takeaway from this situation.

The free world needs more direct democracy much more than a leader.

The only person who did something wrong was Trump, supported by his deputy. They did not only verbally attack Ukraine (and, by doing so, Europe), Trump and Vance didn’t even pretend to make a case for American interests, given Vance’s complaint about Zelensky who thanked U.S. ammunition workers in Pennsylvania when he travelled there, because, in the new U.S. administration’s view, this is seen as a support for the Democratic party.

The only positive thing is that the meeting was held in front of TV cameras so the world could witness the self-sabotage of the United States of America. A ‘behind the scene’ treachery would supposedly be much more harmful to Ukraine. The picture becomes more complete if we look that earlier this week, the U.S. had already voted at the United Nations against Ukraine, siding with Russia and China.

But now, the truth is out: The two men now holding the highest office in the White House are ready to sell the U.S. and its allies to the worst dictators on the globe, as Trump literally admires bad persons as he has been saying over and again. This is a signal the world has finally received. In Ukraine and Europe, but also in Taiwan, and the rest of the Asia-Pacific region, in Africa, in Latin America. It’s a tough issue for Ukraine and the democratic world that must now reorganize.

But the toughest long-term challenge is already out for the U.S. Its allies’ lost trust won’t recover, and the world’s dictators will pursue their own goals (maybe even more than ever). The United States are alone in a connected, globalized world. And this means that, with or without Trump at the helm, it’ll become increasingly difficult to make America great again.

I am convinced that this is not what the majority of U.S. people want for their country.

[Edit typo.]

With regard to forced labour accusations, a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) published a couple of days ago criticizes - again - 'China’s system of transferring “surplus” rural workers […] into industries such as the processing of raw materials for the production of solar panels, batteries and other vehicle parts.’

European Reactions to the U.S. Retreat From Democracy

[…] Three levels of concern are emerging.

First, and of most immediate importance, is the issue of international democracy funding. With nearly all U.S. democracy aid dramatically frozen, European donors are already receiving hundreds of requests to provide emergency support to the affected civil society recipients. […] European funding for democratic governance is around €4 billion ($4.2 billion) a year, compared with U.S. funding of around $3 billion, meaning European donors would need to increase funding levels by around 75 percent to cover the shortfall entirely […]

A second concern is more self-protective [as] many in the EU and European governments fear they face a more crucial task of defending European democracy itself from brazen and truculent U.S. assaults. Far from filling the gap left by suspended U.S. funding, the EU seems to be on a trend toward diverting more resources internally—that is, into protecting European democracy from harmful U.S. interventions. The Trump administration has supported the far-right figures who are unsettling European democracy, while U.S. big tech is now seen as a major threat to political pluralism in Europe […]

A third level of putative adjustment relates to the broader shape of global democratic alliances. Beyond the EU’s own funding choices, the question arises of how far international cooperation on democracy can now be built without the United States […] Non-Western democracies have often complained about heavy-handed U.S. leadership of the democracy agenda […] A key question is whether these democracies will want to invest large amounts of resources in a post-U.S. democracy agenda. They will now face a crucial test of whether they are willing to adopt such proactive agency […]

I don’t think so.

The EU should have an own policy without the US (or anyone else) on any issue. It seems clear that the US isn’t a reliable partner anymore with the new Trump administration’s tariff threats and its backtracking on democratic values, the latter being more and more aligned with China than with Western democracies.

I am sure Mr. Albares is focused on both, the Chinese investments Spain has been receiving in recent years and the protection of universal human rights that are increasingly under threat in China.

Portrait of a Nation: How Ordinary Russians’ Lives Have Changed in 3 Years of War

… “Since the special military operation began, I no longer live my life but merely exist in this world. I lost my only son [in the war]. I have my daughters to care for, so I have to keep living and go to work,” said a middle-aged woman from the Mongolia-bordering republic of Tyva.

“My husband started drinking heavily after our son’s death, but he stopped after I once tried to take my own life. Of course, I haven’t told any of this to people around me — I just often cry quietly when no one is around,” she told The Moscow Times on condition of anonymity … “There are many funerals here, and there is much more drinking and aggressive behavior [from men] — that’s how people choose to express their pain and dissatisfaction,” said the Tyvan woman ,

“There is a deep and growing resentment toward the authorities,” a woman from the [Russian] Kursk region whose parents are missing in Kyiv-occupied territory told The Moscow Times. “We are asking for our loved ones to be evacuated from there. But we don’t understand why no one is making any effort to get them out,” she said ,

… “At tea gatherings [a social tradition among Indigenous Bashkirs], people discuss how many buses with coffins they saw arrive, whose sons were killed or taken to the front, recall how soldiers who came back for a short-term leave raped women in villages…There are many of these stories,” Altynay [a native of a village in Bashkortostan’s southeastern Baymak district who asked to be identified by a pseudonym] told The Moscow Times …

… In the Kremlin’s quest to promote “traditional values,” Russian authorities have intensified their crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community, outlawing it as “extremist” and pushing many queer spaces further underground or forcing them to shut down entirely. “A lot has changed since the war began,” a member of Moscow’s LGBTQ+ community told The Moscow Times. “Many clubs, especially gay clubs and sex parties, have either gone deeper into hiding — or disappeared altogether.” …

… The rising food prices might be the one impact of the war that almost every Russian has felt. “Food and fuel prices in our republic have always been higher than in neighboring regions, so I didn’t feel how much the prices have increased right away,” said the man from Tyva. “Six months into the war, I noticed the first sign [of inflation] — car parts became more expensive. Now the cost of everything…is five times more than pre-war,” he told The Moscow Times …

[Edit typo.]

Yeah, it’s sort of a Neville Chamberlain moment.

Nato without US, but with Australia, New Zealand, Japan: the three countries reaffirmed and announced new sanctions at the start of this week.

Yeah, and don’t forget that the UK announces largest sanctions package against Russia since 2022

Addition: Australia, New Zealand, Japan also just announced new sanctions.

UK announces largest sanctions package against Russia since 2022

The sanctions will also target Russia’s military machine, entities in third countries who support it and the fragile supply networks that it relies on.

Targets include:

• producers and suppliers of machine tools, electronics and dual-use goods for Russia’s military, including microprocessors used in weapons systems. These are based in a range of third countries including Central Asian states, Turkey, Thailand, India and China, which is the largest supplier of critical goods for Russia’s military
• North Korean Defence Minister No Kwang Chol and other North Korean generals and senior officials complicit in deploying over 11,000 DPRK forces to Russia. Putin is using DPRK forces as cannon fodder; DPRK has suffered over 4,000 casualties
• 13 Russian targets, including LLC Grant-Trade, its owner Marat Mustafaev and his sister Dinara Mustafaeva, who have used the company to funnel advanced European technology into Russia to support its illegal war

China (and Russia) have actively been sabotaging European infrastructure as we have seen in the recent couple of years. It would be a bad idea, therefore, to become dependent on foreign tech that can be controlled by one these countries.

This is not rumors. Weidel admitted to have met the Chinese ambassador, she was on China’s payroll, and her close ties with China have long been known. All these ate facts. Just read the article (and other sources across the web).

Europe’s -or any European country’s- dependence on Chinese renewable energy technology is evident. Literally all experts agree on that, even if there ate first steps to reduce this dependency.

They also agree on the threat this poses to the EU and democracy. Of course, tbere should be rules and norms for profit-oriented firms operating in Europe. These rules are never perfect and may need to be adjusted in Ireland and elsewhere.

The enemy does not come from within, though.

Europe should avoid relying on China for renewable technology, says EU minister – (October 2024)

Europe should avoid relying on Chinese technologies in building wind and solar power infrastructure across the Continent to prevent a repeat of its dependence on Russia for oil and gas, an EU energy minister has said.

Speaking in Brussels, Belgian energy minister Tinne Van der Straeten said the European Union had learned the dangers of relying on one country for energy “the hard way” after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. “We cannot make this mistake twice. If all our [renewable] technologies are in the hands of China, delivered by China, it will have a big security impact,” she said.

I don’t ‘toss out’ the AfD and the CCP. This article is about Germany and China, and I don’t see why I woukd engage in whataboutery.

How is this bad?

I would be more concerned about the technology that often comes from non-European, autocratic countries. Europe risks to replace its dependence from Russian fossil fuel with dependence from Chinese renewable energy tech.

The problem with fascist parties like the AfD, CCP, and all the others is that they don’t care about democracy and human rights.

But if she’s working with Chinese bureaucrats on an economic plan …

You have again (maybe intentionally?) misunderstood the issue. China is working to undermine democracy in Germany (as well as it does elsewhere, btw). What the AfD and China have in mind has nothing to do with an ‘economic plan.’ The China-related scandals of AfD politicians and arrests of their AfD staff last year are only a faint spark of the ‘plan’ they pursue.

This is not for, but against Germany and its democratic institutions what they are doing.