Trump is a negotiator. Negotiators don’t take sides (as Zelensky wanted him to). Negotiators, if successful, reach conclusions that benefit all and simultaneously piss off everyone.
Putin will never surrender. He would send his grandchildren into battle if he thought it would help. Reference 1,000 years of Russian history.
So the choice is endless carnage or an end that no one likes but stems the bloodshed.
And with a minerals deal that puts American resources (not American military) on the ground, the Administration will have a strong incentive to pushing initiatives that maintain peace.
As a recent Australian subscriber, do Americans realise how many bases you have here - Darwin is rotating your troops with an airstrip not too far away landing your bombers, Perth has your navy rotating including nuclear subs, central Australia has one of your most important secretive communication and intelligence bases ditto the west coast not to mention the various alliances. If Trump imposes tariffs on us public opinion will turn against the US. But then again he if he knew probably would not care. This of course leaves us effectively defenceless!!
Thank you so much Free Press for your heroic efforts to translate “Trumplish” for me. Now I am clear that he did not do what I thought I saw, did not say what I thought he said, and I can be assured that the Trump/Zelensky meeting at the White House was simply an impolite transgression by an inappropriately dressed Ukrainian leader. Keep up the good work and please cite more 1,000 person polls that so exactly reveal what the entire population of the United States thinks.
Bend over, here it comes again. BOHICA. Did she really say: “ And what are the chances of peace with honor for Ukraine?”
Listen, Robert McNamara admitted to being wrong. I hear that peace with honor BS while my friends died in Nam. In the end, we got out with our tails tucked between our legs, and it definitely lacked honor. There was an old, grizzled congressman who was against the war and responded to a question about how we could withdraw our troops. His response: “in ships”.
There will be no honor in Ukraine. The foolishness just has to stop. In Nam, thousands died while people in Paris were negotiating the shape and size of the table at which ‘peace with honor’ would be discussed. I think it took over 6 months just ton decide on the table and where people would sit.
There are about a million dead from this worthless conflict. It needs to stop.
Just look at Israel. They hate the Arab/palestinian terrorists much more than Z hates Putin, but they don’t let that get in the way when making deals for their hostages to be returned. They don’t let it stop them from facing them across the table.
No, talking about peace with honor just demonstrates how removed from reality people on TFP have become.
President Donald Trump ordered a halt on all U.S. military aid to Ukraine after a contentious meeting on Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.
Senior U.S. officials speaking with outlets including the Associated Press and Bloomberg confirmed that the halt in aid would begin immediately. The official speaking with the former said that the U.S. was “pausing and reviewing” its aid to “ensure that it is contributing to a solution.”
A senior Defense Department official speaking with the latter said the halt in aid includes a freezing of equipment currently in transit on aircraft and ships or waiting in transit areas in Poland. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was ordered to carry out the pause.
The official said the pause would remain in place until Trump determines that Zelensky and the country’s leaders have demonstrated a good-faith commitment to peace.
In the European discussions of providing security guaratees to Ukraine, the request for US backstopping and help in several strategic areas comes as a point of derision indicating that Europe cannot manage a regional war at it doorstep without US support. And yet it was US that warned against developing European strategic autonomy and duplicating military capabilities that were provided by USA.
"Twenty-five years ago, then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright warned that the alliance would only remain strong and cohesive if there was no decoupling of European defence structures from NATO, no duplication of NATO capabilities, and no discrimination against non-EU NATO members. This narrative is so well entrenched that U.S., NATO, and even EU officials routinely invoke the “3Ds” in defence policy debates."
So now, when the current administration is more interested in placating Russia and threatning to withdraw crucial help to enable Europe to step in, the 3Ds amount to a veto over European policy.
I was supporting Trump from outside the USA, but this action is a disaster. Fancy handing any kind of credibility to that murderous dictator Putin!! It beggars belief.
I predict Trump will pay and pay dearly for this. I predict that your mid-terms will see a huge swing to the Democrats and Trump will be hog-tied for his remaining 2 years.
I've seen it all in my 75 years on planet Earth and the Dems won't pass a single thing Trump wants, rendering him a well-deserved lame duck Presidency when that happens. It won't be pretty as the Dems are just as bad as the GOP.
I can see why the people voted for Trump, having spent 4 plus years being called deplorables, garbage, fascists, toxic, etc. but the 'cure' can sometimes be worse than the disease.
I'm not quite sure who said this, but I believe Trump is a wheeler dealer on the world stage. It seems unlikely that the amount of casualties in the Ukraine-Russia war bothers Trump, but solving an intractable conflict interests him because it increases his (self) importance. For example, Trump doesn't care how many Palestinians died in Gaza or Israelis on October 7. He just wants to be the first to solve the IP conflict - and he's already played a huge role in the current ceasefire.
No matter the motives, Trump's approach to reaching a ceasefire in Ukraine is right on the money. Three years of military pressure on Russia has failed - and continuing to fund Ukraine with military hardware is very unlikely to change the current stalemate. Pressuring Ukraine is Trump's only alternative which means making decisions that don't favor Ukraine - like ceding territory (especially Crimea which Russia strongly believes historically belongs to Russia). Making a minerals deal between America and Ukraine gives the US an important interest in the future of Ukraine - including national security.
Zelensky's White House press conference was a disaster for Ukraine - and it could come back to bite him.
Two things can be true a the same time. Trump being a wheeler-dealer...AND Trump actually caring about lives lost, particularly in Israel. I mean, c'mon. He has Jewish grandchildren. He's not THAT much of a jackass. Whether he cares about Palestinian losses is a different story. I mean, I sure don't. They voted in Hamas as the rulers of "Palestine" and the Palestinian children have been taught Jew-hatred worse than any Hitler Youth. It's going to take a generation of re-propagandizing to "un-screw" the brain "screwing" that country has. And in the mean time, they're taking heavy losses in payment for their actions on Oct 7.
You mean the PRC he's so worried about that he decided to reverse the TikTok ban? Or the PRC that is closely watching how America defends its allies so it can decide on whether or not its going to just annex Taiwan?
You don’t like Trump. So you don’t like the facts. As JD said - time for some fresh ideas. Usa sending billions to Ukraine doesn’t accomplish much besides bogging down Russia and turning its army to chum. Europe can defend its borders. Crooked Hillary tried to hit the Russia reset button too.
"Fresh ideas" does not mean humiliating a well-meaning leader during wartime; one who could have a comfortable life as an entertainer elsewhere in Europe.
I had been thinking like you for the last several days until I read Victor Davis Hanson (VDH) here at/on The Free Press. As a lifelong conservative and avid reader of current events/politics, I have read much of what VDH has written the past 10 years or so. I trust him as I deem him to be intellectually honest. Reading his article on this topic changed my mind because he watched the whole video and not just the combustible 10 minutes. I have no love for Trump nor Vance, nor do I suffer from TDS. Could Trump have handled this better? For sure. Was this disaster his doing? Not according to VDH.
Starmer and Macron.... just those two names together is the punchline of some awful cosmic joke. Sir Starmer may "welcome little Z with open arms", but neither he nor Msr. Macron can do anything more than cobble together some peace offering to the White House and see if Trump bites. All the while believing it's some grand PR move to make Trump look like the global Grinch. Starmer, Macron, et. al. are not Winston Churchill, and could save themselves some self induced egg on the face if they'd just step off.
What’s seems to be lost in the debate is the moral clarity Ronald Reagan had when he called Soviet Union evil empire and his goal as simple as “they lose we win”. Dumping Ukraine in exchange for Russian help or at least neutrality in US conflict with China will poison relationships with allies at this crucial moment when their help is needed most. And for any security guarantees, one needs to recall Budapest and “unconditional security guarantees” US and Great Britain extended to Ukraine in exchange for surrendering nuclear weapons.
Just as there are a few Americans who don’t feel obliged to abide by the constitution, because it is a document written a long time ago by people no longer in charge, there are plenty of people whom argue that the US ( or its president as representative of the people) should not feel bound to provide unconditional security guarantees under an arrangement signed nearly 31 years ago. Was that even a treaty ratified by the senate?? I don’t know.
Our enemies - Russia, China and Iran - almost never honor their”peace” commitments over the long term. We therefore give up strategic advantage when we play by the rules and they don’t. Sure, it feels better certainly for us citizens. But that moral posturing doesn’t lead to peace. And feelings shouldn’t drive decisions of national security. Do I wish for the old days of Reagan and Thatcher? Of course. But that is nostalgia. Times change, leaders change, the mood of the people changes. And so must my expectations. And yours.
The significance of Budapest is that in exchange for guarantees Ukraine gave up nuclear weapons and we all have seen Biden and NATO reluctance to boost Ukraine three years ago when Russian army, in disarray after failed invasion, was vulnerable and Putin gambled by putting his nuclear forces on alert. Experts took it seriously and started to debate NATO possible responses to Russia actually using nukes. But the momentum was lost and Russia got time to rearm. For the rest of the world the message was clear, nukes provide ultimate deterrent.
So now, we are facing possibility that many others, South Korea, Japan, Germany, Poland, etc, may get nuclear weapons to offset unreliable US nuclear umbrella while facing nuclear armed adversaries.
Putin is bad. We all agree. But at this moment why is Europe considered some great partner? Entire continent has been over run by Iran/Hamas. Spain, Ireland, France and UK top of that list. Macron is basically Justin Trudeau. And Merkel wrecked Germany with her globalist agenda.
I agree with everything you've said here, but Trump is a renegade who has pumped up Putin's tyres; the man who killed the opposition leader and countless others. He makes me physically sick. Little Man Syndrome.
I couldn't take any man seriously who is married to his grandmother, either!! I'm looking at you President Macron!
What a wonderful read of all the different views. I'm sure that everyone will be able to find something they agree with and disagree with. My only hope is that everyone asks themselves if they should agree or disagree with any of the ideas/views that were offered.
Matta Taibbi just dropped one of his meticulously researched articles that connects some of the dots as to how our taxpayer money was pissed away in Ukraine and used to censor our own citizens. Taibbi: ...is a perfect metaphor for what this war turned into: a way for European contractors to get paid by Americans to correct Americans.
Trump is a negotiator. Negotiators don’t take sides (as Zelensky wanted him to). Negotiators, if successful, reach conclusions that benefit all and simultaneously piss off everyone.
Putin will never surrender. He would send his grandchildren into battle if he thought it would help. Reference 1,000 years of Russian history.
So the choice is endless carnage or an end that no one likes but stems the bloodshed.
And with a minerals deal that puts American resources (not American military) on the ground, the Administration will have a strong incentive to pushing initiatives that maintain peace.
As a recent Australian subscriber, do Americans realise how many bases you have here - Darwin is rotating your troops with an airstrip not too far away landing your bombers, Perth has your navy rotating including nuclear subs, central Australia has one of your most important secretive communication and intelligence bases ditto the west coast not to mention the various alliances. If Trump imposes tariffs on us public opinion will turn against the US. But then again he if he knew probably would not care. This of course leaves us effectively defenceless!!
Thank you so much Free Press for your heroic efforts to translate “Trumplish” for me. Now I am clear that he did not do what I thought I saw, did not say what I thought he said, and I can be assured that the Trump/Zelensky meeting at the White House was simply an impolite transgression by an inappropriately dressed Ukrainian leader. Keep up the good work and please cite more 1,000 person polls that so exactly reveal what the entire population of the United States thinks.
Bend over, here it comes again. BOHICA. Did she really say: “ And what are the chances of peace with honor for Ukraine?”
Listen, Robert McNamara admitted to being wrong. I hear that peace with honor BS while my friends died in Nam. In the end, we got out with our tails tucked between our legs, and it definitely lacked honor. There was an old, grizzled congressman who was against the war and responded to a question about how we could withdraw our troops. His response: “in ships”.
There will be no honor in Ukraine. The foolishness just has to stop. In Nam, thousands died while people in Paris were negotiating the shape and size of the table at which ‘peace with honor’ would be discussed. I think it took over 6 months just ton decide on the table and where people would sit.
There are about a million dead from this worthless conflict. It needs to stop.
Just look at Israel. They hate the Arab/palestinian terrorists much more than Z hates Putin, but they don’t let that get in the way when making deals for their hostages to be returned. They don’t let it stop them from facing them across the table.
No, talking about peace with honor just demonstrates how removed from reality people on TFP have become.
Come on Bari, remove your head from your rectum.
Trump orders halt on US military aid to Ukraine
Brady Knox
March 3, 2025 8:00 pm
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/foreign-policy/3335918/trump-halt-us-military-aid-ukraine/
President Donald Trump ordered a halt on all U.S. military aid to Ukraine after a contentious meeting on Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.
Senior U.S. officials speaking with outlets including the Associated Press and Bloomberg confirmed that the halt in aid would begin immediately. The official speaking with the former said that the U.S. was “pausing and reviewing” its aid to “ensure that it is contributing to a solution.”
A senior Defense Department official speaking with the latter said the halt in aid includes a freezing of equipment currently in transit on aircraft and ships or waiting in transit areas in Poland. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was ordered to carry out the pause.
The official said the pause would remain in place until Trump determines that Zelensky and the country’s leaders have demonstrated a good-faith commitment to peace.
(Snip)
Few will remember Friday. Everyone will remember DJT. #USA
The last few decades in politics seems to have taken both "Wag the Dog" and Orwell far too literally.
In the European discussions of providing security guaratees to Ukraine, the request for US backstopping and help in several strategic areas comes as a point of derision indicating that Europe cannot manage a regional war at it doorstep without US support. And yet it was US that warned against developing European strategic autonomy and duplicating military capabilities that were provided by USA.
"Twenty-five years ago, then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright warned that the alliance would only remain strong and cohesive if there was no decoupling of European defence structures from NATO, no duplication of NATO capabilities, and no discrimination against non-EU NATO members. This narrative is so well entrenched that U.S., NATO, and even EU officials routinely invoke the “3Ds” in defence policy debates."
So now, when the current administration is more interested in placating Russia and threatning to withdraw crucial help to enable Europe to step in, the 3Ds amount to a veto over European policy.
Trump could very easily usher in WW3: he's showing that level of 'diplomacy'!
You have TDS. Trump saved us from Kamela and the head of lettuce.
I was supporting Trump from outside the USA, but this action is a disaster. Fancy handing any kind of credibility to that murderous dictator Putin!! It beggars belief.
I predict Trump will pay and pay dearly for this. I predict that your mid-terms will see a huge swing to the Democrats and Trump will be hog-tied for his remaining 2 years.
Mid terms always swing to the party not making actual decisions.
I've seen it all in my 75 years on planet Earth and the Dems won't pass a single thing Trump wants, rendering him a well-deserved lame duck Presidency when that happens. It won't be pretty as the Dems are just as bad as the GOP.
I can see why the people voted for Trump, having spent 4 plus years being called deplorables, garbage, fascists, toxic, etc. but the 'cure' can sometimes be worse than the disease.
I'm not quite sure who said this, but I believe Trump is a wheeler dealer on the world stage. It seems unlikely that the amount of casualties in the Ukraine-Russia war bothers Trump, but solving an intractable conflict interests him because it increases his (self) importance. For example, Trump doesn't care how many Palestinians died in Gaza or Israelis on October 7. He just wants to be the first to solve the IP conflict - and he's already played a huge role in the current ceasefire.
No matter the motives, Trump's approach to reaching a ceasefire in Ukraine is right on the money. Three years of military pressure on Russia has failed - and continuing to fund Ukraine with military hardware is very unlikely to change the current stalemate. Pressuring Ukraine is Trump's only alternative which means making decisions that don't favor Ukraine - like ceding territory (especially Crimea which Russia strongly believes historically belongs to Russia). Making a minerals deal between America and Ukraine gives the US an important interest in the future of Ukraine - including national security.
Zelensky's White House press conference was a disaster for Ukraine - and it could come back to bite him.
Two things can be true a the same time. Trump being a wheeler-dealer...AND Trump actually caring about lives lost, particularly in Israel. I mean, c'mon. He has Jewish grandchildren. He's not THAT much of a jackass. Whether he cares about Palestinian losses is a different story. I mean, I sure don't. They voted in Hamas as the rulers of "Palestine" and the Palestinian children have been taught Jew-hatred worse than any Hitler Youth. It's going to take a generation of re-propagandizing to "un-screw" the brain "screwing" that country has. And in the mean time, they're taking heavy losses in payment for their actions on Oct 7.
The rest of your comment is pretty accurate.
You nailed it, Jakey.
Also winding down the Ukrainian-Russian war so we can focus on Pooh Bear and the PRC and possibly the tire fire that is the Middle East.
You mean the PRC he's so worried about that he decided to reverse the TikTok ban? Or the PRC that is closely watching how America defends its allies so it can decide on whether or not its going to just annex Taiwan?
FP I cannot thank you enough for collecting these various viewpoints/analyses. Really really good.
WW3 is coming. Take it to the bank. Good one, Trump.
lol. Russia started the war under Biden/Obama. Hamas/Iran started their war under Biden/Obama. Turn off CNN.
That isn't a satisfactory argument. The person who sidled up to Putin will be the one who pays.
You don’t like Trump. So you don’t like the facts. As JD said - time for some fresh ideas. Usa sending billions to Ukraine doesn’t accomplish much besides bogging down Russia and turning its army to chum. Europe can defend its borders. Crooked Hillary tried to hit the Russia reset button too.
"Fresh ideas" does not mean humiliating a well-meaning leader during wartime; one who could have a comfortable life as an entertainer elsewhere in Europe.
I had been thinking like you for the last several days until I read Victor Davis Hanson (VDH) here at/on The Free Press. As a lifelong conservative and avid reader of current events/politics, I have read much of what VDH has written the past 10 years or so. I trust him as I deem him to be intellectually honest. Reading his article on this topic changed my mind because he watched the whole video and not just the combustible 10 minutes. I have no love for Trump nor Vance, nor do I suffer from TDS. Could Trump have handled this better? For sure. Was this disaster his doing? Not according to VDH.
Starmer and Macron.... just those two names together is the punchline of some awful cosmic joke. Sir Starmer may "welcome little Z with open arms", but neither he nor Msr. Macron can do anything more than cobble together some peace offering to the White House and see if Trump bites. All the while believing it's some grand PR move to make Trump look like the global Grinch. Starmer, Macron, et. al. are not Winston Churchill, and could save themselves some self induced egg on the face if they'd just step off.
Remember the book of French heroes from WWII is all blank pages.
lol. Thus, the French Foreign Legion. Pay mercenaries to do the dirty work.
Kier will take away all of Ukraine's pain.
How can a lump of tinned ham do that??!!
That was an attempt at a Severance joke.
What’s seems to be lost in the debate is the moral clarity Ronald Reagan had when he called Soviet Union evil empire and his goal as simple as “they lose we win”. Dumping Ukraine in exchange for Russian help or at least neutrality in US conflict with China will poison relationships with allies at this crucial moment when their help is needed most. And for any security guarantees, one needs to recall Budapest and “unconditional security guarantees” US and Great Britain extended to Ukraine in exchange for surrendering nuclear weapons.
Just as there are a few Americans who don’t feel obliged to abide by the constitution, because it is a document written a long time ago by people no longer in charge, there are plenty of people whom argue that the US ( or its president as representative of the people) should not feel bound to provide unconditional security guarantees under an arrangement signed nearly 31 years ago. Was that even a treaty ratified by the senate?? I don’t know.
Our enemies - Russia, China and Iran - almost never honor their”peace” commitments over the long term. We therefore give up strategic advantage when we play by the rules and they don’t. Sure, it feels better certainly for us citizens. But that moral posturing doesn’t lead to peace. And feelings shouldn’t drive decisions of national security. Do I wish for the old days of Reagan and Thatcher? Of course. But that is nostalgia. Times change, leaders change, the mood of the people changes. And so must my expectations. And yours.
The significance of Budapest is that in exchange for guarantees Ukraine gave up nuclear weapons and we all have seen Biden and NATO reluctance to boost Ukraine three years ago when Russian army, in disarray after failed invasion, was vulnerable and Putin gambled by putting his nuclear forces on alert. Experts took it seriously and started to debate NATO possible responses to Russia actually using nukes. But the momentum was lost and Russia got time to rearm. For the rest of the world the message was clear, nukes provide ultimate deterrent.
So now, we are facing possibility that many others, South Korea, Japan, Germany, Poland, etc, may get nuclear weapons to offset unreliable US nuclear umbrella while facing nuclear armed adversaries.
Putin is bad. We all agree. But at this moment why is Europe considered some great partner? Entire continent has been over run by Iran/Hamas. Spain, Ireland, France and UK top of that list. Macron is basically Justin Trudeau. And Merkel wrecked Germany with her globalist agenda.
I agree with everything you've said here, but Trump is a renegade who has pumped up Putin's tyres; the man who killed the opposition leader and countless others. He makes me physically sick. Little Man Syndrome.
I couldn't take any man seriously who is married to his grandmother, either!! I'm looking at you President Macron!
What a wonderful read of all the different views. I'm sure that everyone will be able to find something they agree with and disagree with. My only hope is that everyone asks themselves if they should agree or disagree with any of the ideas/views that were offered.
Matta Taibbi just dropped one of his meticulously researched articles that connects some of the dots as to how our taxpayer money was pissed away in Ukraine and used to censor our own citizens. Taibbi: ...is a perfect metaphor for what this war turned into: a way for European contractors to get paid by Americans to correct Americans.
The situation is simple: the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Pro.... BRAVO!
Where is this Matt Taibbi article you are referencing?
Racket News in Substack.