VICTOR DAVIS HANSON: 10 bad takeaways from the Zelenskyy blow-up

Friday's bonzer Oval Office gathering betwixt President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy went disconnected the rails, leaving hopes for a U.S.-brokered bid woody betwixt Russia and Ukraine successful question. Here are immoderate reasons wherefore things went wrong, and wherever it leaves efforts to extremity the war.

1. Zelenskyy does not grasp—or deliberately ignores—the bitter truth: Those with whom helium feels astir affinity (Western globalists, the American Left, the Europeans) person small powerfulness successful 2025 to assistance him. And those whom helium evidently does not similar oregon seeks to embarrass (as with his Scranton, Penn. campaign-like visit successful September 2024) unsocial person the powerfulness to prevention him. For his ain sake, I anticipation helium is not being "briefed" by the Obama-Clinton-Biden pack to face Trump, fixed their interests are not truly Ukraine’s arsenic they feign.

2. Zelenskyy acts arsenic if his docket and ours are identical. So, helium keeps insisting that helium is warring for america contempt our two-ocean-distance that helium mocks. We bash person galore shared interests with Ukraine, but not each by immoderate means: Trump wants to "reset" with Russia and triangulate it against China. He seeks to debar a 1962 DEFCON 2-like situation implicit a proxy showdown successful proximity to a atomic rival. And helium sincerely wants to extremity the deadlocked Stalingrad slaughterhouse for everyone’s sake.

Trump and Zelensky were progressive successful an Oval Office shouting lucifer connected Friday (Fox News )

3. The Europeans (and Canada) are present talking loudly of a caller muscular antithesis, autarkic of the U.S. Promises, promises—given that would necessitate Europeans to prune backmost their societal payment state, frack, usage nuclear, halt the greenish obsession, and walk 3-5% of their GDP connected defense. The U.S. does not conscionable wage 16% of NATO’s budget, but besides puts up with asymmetrical tariffs that effect successful a European Union commercialized surplus of $160 billion, plays the satellite cop, patrolling sea-lanes and deterring terrorists and rogue states that different mightiness interrupt Europe’s commercialized networks abroad, arsenic good arsenic de facto including Europe nether a atomic umbrella of 6,500 nukes.

4. Zelenskyy indispensable cognize that each of the once-deal-breaking impediments to bid person been settled. Ukraine is present amended equipped than astir NATO nations, but volition not beryllium successful NATO, and nary president has oregon volition ever proviso Ukraine with the equipped wherewithal to instrumentality backmost the Donbass and Crimea. So, the lone 2 issues are a) however acold volition Putin beryllium consenting to retreat to his 2022 borders and b) however volition helium beryllium deterred? The archetypal is answered by a commercialized sector/tripwire, associated Ukrainian-US-Europe assets improvement corridor successful Eastern Ukraine, coupled with a Korea-like DMZ; the 2nd by the information that Putin, dissimilar his 2008 and 2014 invasions, has present incurred a cardinal dormant and wounded to a Ukraine that volition stay thusly armed. 

5. What are Zelenskyy’s alternatives without overmuch U.S. help—wait for a instrumentality of the Democrats to the White House successful 4 years? Hope for a rearmed Europe? Pray for a Democratic House and a 3rd Vindman-like engineered Trump impeachment? Or swallow his pride, instrumentality to the White House, motion the rare-earth minerals deal, invitation successful the Euros (are they earnestly consenting to patrol a DMZ?), and anticipation Trump tin pass Putin, arsenic helium did successfully betwixt 2017-21, not to situation effort it again?

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a gathering connected the draught of 2024 national fund and the readying play of 2025 and 2026, via video nexus astatine the Kremlin successful Moscow, Russia September 18, 2023 (Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/Pool)

6. If determination is simply a cease-fire, a commercialized deal, a Euro crushed presence, and influx of Western companies into Ukraine, would determination beryllium elections? And if so, would Zelenskyy and his enactment win? And if not, would determination beryllium a successor transparent authorities that would uncover precisely wherever each the Western fiscal assistance wealth went? 

7. Zelenskyy mightiness spot a exemplary successful Netanyahu. The Biden Administration was acold harder connected him than Trump is connected Ukraine, suspending arms shipments, demanding cease-fires, prodding for a wartime, bipartisan cabinet, hammering Israel connected collateral damage—none of which Westerners person demanded of Zelenskyy. Yet Netanyahu managed a hostile President Biden, kept Israel adjacent to its patron, and, erstwhile visiting, was gracious to his host. Netanyahu surely would ne'er earlier the planetary media person interrupted and berated a big and patron president successful the White House. 

8. If Ukraine has alienated the U.S., what past is its strategical triumph plan? Wait astir for much Euros? Hold disconnected an progressively invigorated Russian military? Cede much territory? What, then, precisely are Zelenskyy’s cards helium seems to deliberation signifier a winning hand? 

9. If 1 views cautiously each the 50-minute tape, astir of it was going rather well—until Zelenskyy started correcting Vance firstly, and Trump secondly. By Ukraine-splaining to his hosts, and by his gestures, tone, and interruptions, helium made it wide that helium assumed that Trump was conscionable much of the aforesaid compliant, clueless moneybags Biden waxen effigy. And that was naïve for specified a supposedly worldly leader. 

10. March 2025 is not March 2022, aft the heroic redeeming of Kyiv—but 3 years and 1.5 cardinal dormant and wounded later. Zelenskyy is nary longer the planetary heartthrob with the glamorous entourage. He has postponed elections, outlawed absorption media and parties, suspended habeas corpus and walked retired of negotiations erstwhile helium had an adjacent manus successful outpouring 2022 and seemingly adjacent present erstwhile helium does not successful outpouring 2025.

Quo vadis, Volodymyr?