Dem
47
GOP
53
Let us start with a bit of history. In August of 1939, Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov and German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop met to discuss a subject of great interest to both of them: the future of Poland (and some smaller countries). Poland was not invited to the talks. The deal was that Germany would get the western half and the Soviet Union would get the eastern half. Within a month, the plan came to fruition and Poland was (temporarily) no more. Part of the deal was that neither of the signatories to the infamous Molotov-Ribbentrop pact would attack the other one. That didn't work out so well.
Fast forward to 2025, the White House has announced that U.S. officials will soon meet with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia to end the war in Ukraine and determine the future of that nation. Ukraine is not invited. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was not pleased. He told NBC News: "I will never accept any decisions between the United States and Russia about Ukraine, never. This is the war in Ukraine, against us, and it's our human losses." Technically, he is right. Ukraine might never accept whatever deal Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin cook up, but if the U.S. cuts off weapons to Ukraine, it may not last long against what is left of the Russian Army. The E.U. could continue to help for a while, but it has far fewer weapons available than the U.S. does.
Zelenskyy has warned the U.S. and E.U. that Putin will not stop with taking over Ukraine. He said that Putin would go after other European countries, possibly as soon as the summer.
What might a U.S.-Russia deal over Ukraine consist of? It could involve a temporary cease fire followed by Ukraine withdrawing from the parts of Russia it has captured and then Russia absorbing the parts of eastern Ukraine it has captured. In return for the U.S. accepting the partition of its ally, Putin could give Trump permission to build Trump Tower Moscow, the tallest building in Europe, with the top floor being a giant penthouse gifted to Putin. Or something along those lines. (V)