Askold Lozynskyj
The alleged master of deal making has been exposed once again. The purported writer of “The Art of the Deal”, six times bankrupt, has been proven to be inept. KGB Colonel Vladimir Putin whose negotiating skills were honed in the Soviet and Russian secret service as well as by his experience as a dictator and killer for more than twenty years, certainly not a negotiating master, has shown himself far superior to his American pupil and perhaps Soviet underling. Putin accepted none of the terms of the proposed ceasefire, instead proposed his own terms of mutual restraint on the energy infrastructure which benefits only Russia. Ukraine’s main targets are the Russian energy grid extending deep into Russian territory.
After an apparent two and one half hours, the pseudo master walked away characterizing the negotiations as productive. Sure productive to Russia but Ukraine can not agree to these terms. There are Ukrainian children in Russian captivity. Russia will continue to target civilians, women and children, hospitals, maternity wards with one difference. Putin believes that Russia will now be considered the side that offered the olive branch.
Donald Trump is not adept at either deal making or remembering historical events and innumerable personal mistakes. He has stated on many occasions that were he president at the time, the Russian aggression against Ukraine would not have occurred. The only thing that he seems to remember about the war and his first term is that he authorized sending Javelin anti- tank weapons. Naturally he does not accord any appropriation credit to Congress on this account.
He also does not remember such glaring errors of commission and omission which took place during his first term: in July 2018 he met with Putin in Helsinki and proceeded to side with Putin against American intelligence; a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia which was brokered in Paris in December 2019 which Russia breached almost immediately with no reaction from the Trump White House; that the “disastrous” American withdrawal from Afghanistan was negotiated by his administration not with the legitimate government of Afghanistan, but rather with the Taliban. The implementation of that withdrawal could not go smoothly. Afghanistan today is back where it was before the American incursion. Yet Trump considers all of these events as “winning.”
We are roughly at the 60-day point of Trump’s newest term. So far he has been enjoined in his activities more that 80% of the time by the courts, the streets of America are overflowing with demonstrators, his approval rating is well below 50% and the stock market is in shambles. His promise to bring peace to Ukraine is nowhere. Few presidents have had a more depressing beginning.
The reason why Trump goes on even boastfully and arrogantly is because he is deranged. His supporters have attributed a derangement syndrome to his opponents, but there is no doubt that their hero is the one who is deranged.
There is no possibility that Trump will recover or recognize his affliction. He is to be 79 years old this year and his mind is not getting any sharper. Nor are his delusions about to abate. The world knows this.
Ukraine’s behavior in this regard should be to play along, encouraging American military support, intelligence sharing, European enhanced support and building up its own military prowess. There is no point in confronting Trump.
America on the other hand has to work overtime to rid America of this not only affliction, but inherent evil. The more Americans recognize the evil within the more rapidly they will remove the cancer. Donald Trump is both sick and evil. Fortunately, he is not a king. He can be checked by the other two branches of government if they are willing to do their Constitutional duty, the media and most importantly the American people. Democracy relies upon the people to right their own wrongs. Resistance is the remedy. It takes many forms. That process is already in the works. It simply requires more participants.
March 20, 2025