Trump now demands a public apology from Zelenskyy after cruelly stripping Ukrainian military aid
Following President Donald Trump’s heated meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the United States has frozen shipments of weapons to Ukraine. After restricting military aid, the Trump administration expects an apology from Zelenskyy.
“The president has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well,” a White House official told CNN. Only weapons that hadn’t reached Ukraine will be affected by this policy change. A senior intelligence official from Ukraine estimated that American military supplies will run out in two to three months.
“Either he needs to come to his senses and come back to the table in gratitude, or someone else leads the country to do that,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said about Zelenskyy. He added, “We are exerting peace through strength.” Other Trump officials echoed similar sentiments. Senator Eric Schmitt said, “The age of America Last foreign policy is over. From this day forward, it’s going to be only America First.” Zelenskyy, on the other hand, is backed into a corner. The Ukrainian president is now considering signing the controversial mineral deal proposed by the Trump administration in exchange for military aid.
Nevertheless, Trump remains stubborn. Peter Doocy from Fox News reported, “It just doesn’t seem like anything is going to happen unless President Trump changes his mind and doesn’t want a public apology—nothing is going to happen here. They’re not going to get this deal.” At the end of the day, Trump can bully United States allies and still be praised for it by his pundits. They don’t seem to mind how allies are perceiving Trump’s decisions.
A painful lesson for U.S. allies
Not only is the Trump administration subjugating Ukraine over military aid. Trump hit Canada with a 25% blanket tariff. In a press conference, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sharply criticized Trump. The outgoing prime minister spoke directly to Trump in his speech. “Now, it’s not in my habit to agree with the Wall Street Journal. But Donald, they point out that even though you’re a very smart guy, this is a very dumb thing to do.” Trudeau warned that only the United States’ adversaries benefit from its feud with Canada.
Of course, the Canadian Prime Minister was referring to his country. Nevertheless, the same lesson applies for other United States allies. The country could be seen as an increasingly unreliable military and economic partner. Ukraine, which has been dependent on the United States for military aid, is now nearly forced to sign an unfair minerals deal. It demands Ukraine hand $500 billion in mineral wealth to the United States in exchange for continued support. If the deal goes through, it may not be fair to call United States support ‘aid,’ given that Ukrainians will be paying the price for those weapons long-term.
Simply put, some could claim that dependency on the United States hurts more than it helps. Its closest allies are burned and coerced for a quick buck—and not even enduring, historic ties are given weight. But the “leader of the free world” isn’t the only option for an alliance.
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