Zelensky, Trump, and A New World Order

Written By Leeja Miller

Sources:

Transcript:

The altercation on Friday between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump, and JD Vance, leaders of two countries that are supposed to be longstanding allies, was a boiling over of rising tensions between not only the US and Ukraine, but also between the United States and the long established world order that has the US allied with Europe in an existential struggle to prevent the spread of Russia’s influence in Europe and around the world. After the pivotal, potentially historical stand-off at the White House last week, that long standing world order may be dramatically shifting. How did we get here, and what does this all mean for the world going forward? Let’s get into it. FIRST however a MAJOR palate cleanser….

In These Trying Times I am ALL about self care and taking time to RELAX. And while that means I’ve unplugged by turning my phone on do not disturb and deleting all my social media apps, it also means, sometimes, plugging in. Turning on, if you will. Which is why I’m thrilled to be partnering with Bellesa on today’s video. And my friends at Bellesa and I are literally sending out free vibrators or gift cards for vibrators to EVERYONE who signs up for my giveaway. 


Bellesa is a woman owned company for all things sexual wellness, we’re talkin toys but also erotica, education, and more. Bellesa’s mission is to empower everyone to embrace, explore, and celebrate their sexuality, and I love that for me AND for you. And, my friends, when it comes to toys, they are INNOVATING over there. Let me show you their flutterwand. You guys this thing is dual sided, each end can be independently controlled, and this toy frankly has it all. Vibration, suction, stimulation, I mean it literally simulations a tongue, it’s rechargeable and waterproof I mean the world of possibilities this thing could open for you are endless. There’s also the tiktok cult sensation The Rose, a cute little toy that fits in the palm of your hand, provides powerful suction, and has 10 different modes. Or there’s the Whisper Rabbit–the world’s first SILENT rabbit vibrator with silky soft silicone and 6 different vibration speeds. There’s truly something for everyone. So if you want to get free toys or gift cards for toys, YOU’RE IN LUCK. Bellesa and I are giving away free toys or gift cards to everyone who signs up using my link in the description. Take a moment to unwind and take care of yourself for a change! At the link in the description. Something tells me you won’t regret it! Thanks Bellesa!


Okay listen I usually don’t tackle many international issues on this show because we got enough problems in the US to talk about, and my degrees are in US law and politics, but this meeting on Friday was so pivotal to the future of the US internationally and internally that I would be remiss not to discuss it. So this is not a treatise on US international relations, nor is it a philosophical discussion on the merits of the current world order, okay?? We’re talkin’ brass tax today. 


First, some background so we know how we got here. So Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014, annexing the region called Crimea. It was an act of aggression with Putin claiming that the land rightfully belongs to Russia and the Democratic world condemning the act because it is an invasion of a sovereign democratic nation and ever since World War 2 those acts have been FROWNED UPON given the whole outcome of that war once Hitler started doing that. Saying “never again” meant building up an international relations apparatus that condemns acts of aggression, creates strong alliances among democratic nations, and places a huge importance on diplomacy and moving very carefully. Move fast, break things is a REALLY REALLY bad idea where nuclear warheads and mutually assured destruction are involved, ya know. And the US has been a leader in making sure that the authoritarian activity in Russia and China doesn’t spread to more countries. And LISTEN this video is not a treatise on US foreign relations and there are so many heinous things the US has done in other countries under the pretext of “democracy” and “stopping the commies” so I am in no way saying AMERICA IS THE ULTIMATE DEFENDER OF DEMOCRACY in actuality, but I AM saying our official stance for DECADES literally since the second world war is that Russia bad, democracy good. And we’ve done everything we can to maintain alliances in Europe so that our current global order isn’t turned on its head through another horrific bloody conflict, this time involving multiple countries with nuclear weapons capabilities. That’s the criminally simplified version of it.


Then, enter Trump. Taking his protectionist, America first policy ideals combined with his obsession with Hunter Biden’s laptop and the Biden family involvement with Ukrainian businesses, you have the infamous “perfect phone call” as Trump called it with Zelensky in 2019 in which Trump tried to condition aid to Ukraine on Zelensky agreeing to dig up dirt on Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 election. It’s a phone call for which Trump eventually got impeached. A second time. So there is a history there of Trump seeing Ukraine as a bargaining chip to get what he wants. He even started yelling about Hunter Biden and Hilary Clinton in completely incoherent non sequiturs during the exchange on Friday.


Then Russia initiated a full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which is the largest conflict in the region since World War II and has been, therefore, roundly condemned by the US and all of our allies. In order to further our longstanding mission of preventing Russia from gaining power and control in the democratic free world, again we can talk about what that actually means and whether we’ve actually achieved that but that is IN THEORY what our official stated goals are in foreign policy, the US threw its weight behind Ukraine because stopping Putin’s advance into the rest of Europe is truly an existential threat for the continent, and that continent contains our closest allies, and as we saw in both World Wars, where they get embroiled in a conflict, it will eventually involve us. So as much as it feels like we’re just sending billions of dollars to a foreign country to fight a foreign war that doesn’t affect us, it is part of a larger picture that very much could affect us if left untouched. In our modern globalized society, it is not possible to say that’s their problem not ours we should stay out of it. That’s not realistic, that’s not how this world works. It all impacts us, not just in global conflict but also in global trade, our ability to move around the world, and the health and safety of the environment on this planet, everything is interconnected for better or for worse. So washing our hands of the aggressions of a major dictator hellbent on seizing land from our allies is not great international diplomatic strategy.


Which is why up until now we have been Ukraine’s greatest ally and a major funder of the war it is fighting against Russia. Now, because Trump sees Ukraine as nothing more than an economic bargaining chip, as opposed to a nation state filled with human beings that is actively under attack, the latest scheme involves Zelensky offering up billions of dollars in valuable minerals within Ukraine to the United States in exchange for its continued support, because Zelensky knows that’s how Trump operates and he knows that Trump and JD don’t support continued aid to Ukraine. So Zelensky was in the US last week in order to move that minerals deal forward. 


At the same time, Trump has grown ever cozier with Russia. And I think it’s important to take a moment here to recognize Trump’s relationship with Russia, because it’s been going on for a LONG. LONG. time. Like since the 80s. Since before the end of the cold war. An ex-KGB spy has recently made the allegation that Trump was recruited as a Russian spy when he visited the country with his first wife in 1987. That has not been verified and may not be entirely true but that sensationalist story, that he was a spy with a code name and everything, distracts from the fact that he has long ties to Putin and to Russia in a way that should be incredibly concerning. Sarah Kendzior, an anthropologist and writer who specializes in former soviet union totalitarian states who has been drawing connections and writing about Trump for the last decade, documents these ties in her 2022 book Hidden in Plain Sight. In a recent substack article, she writes “Trump’s allegiance is to a transnational organized crime network in which the Kremlin is a key node. He has operated in this network for over half a century. … Trump is a Kremlin asset: his activity benefits Russian officials and oligarchs and puts their interests before those of the US. This does not make him a secret agent or a spy. Trump is primarily a mafia associate, and it is through that lens that his rise should be examined.” Reports say he met with KGB officials in 1987, they used flattery to win him over and told him he should run for office. In 2016, when he finally did and won, Russian officials welcomed the news with open arms, because they knew they had a man in the office now with friendly ties to the country, and a man with no political or diplomatic background that would deal with the world in a way that would benefit Putin. Trump does not engage in foreign diplomacy with an interest or understanding of longstanding relationships, potential repercussions, or even a grasp on the fact that these are leaders of nation states where real human beings live whose lives will be dramatically impacted by the actions of world leaders. Trump lives in a world where all relationships are economic and transactional and dictated by the same rules of capitalist accumulation: what’s good for the business is good for its workers, whether they like it or not, and the end goal is to endlessly grow, making bigger and bigger deals, accumulating more and more wealth, and nothing other than wealth and size and power matters. When you bring that into political diplomacy, that means Trump, as the leader of the United States, considers our European allies to be lesser than a country like Russia. To Trump, Russia is a peer, alongside China, because of its sheer size and power. That is the only way he understands relationships. Me big, lots of money, you big, lots of money, we friends. We make deal. Nothing else matters. You can see this in the way he talks about diplomacy–he’s always there to “make a deal” and in the warm way he talks about Russia and Vladimir Putin while scornfully talking about the other, lesser countries. And Ukraine in particular, because of its weakened position as a country on the defensive in a war they could not win on their own, Trump sees as weak in a way that makes them vulnerable to being used as leverage, and when Trump sees leverage, he’s going to use it. Because in the business world, if you’re weak, if you’re available as leverage, that’s on you buddy. Survival of the fittest, dog eat dog, be a real man, show strength. I recently heard a sound bite of Trump introducing his son Barron to the world for the first time when Barron was a few months old. To me that’s an honest example of how Trump sees doing business and how he sees his role now as CEO of America. And so when he spots weakness, he’s going to use it to his advantage. And his disdain for weakness and willingness to exploit it was on full display in his meeting with Zelensky last week.


While things began cold but cordial, they became tense pretty quickly. Trump commented on Zelensky’s attire because he wasn’t wearing a suit, as though it isn’t widely known that he wears fatigues to represent his solidarity with the Ukrainian people who are at war. As though Elon Musk wasn’t just in the oval office in a t-shirt. As though Winston Churchill didn’t visit the White House wearing fatigues during World War 2, as though not wearing a suit was a major social faux pas, an affront to propriety and respect, but literally yelling at a world leader and an ally is justified and normal. From there, Zelensky tried to reiterate the plight of the people in Ukraine and to remind Trump that Putin has gone back on his word, according to Zelensky, 25 times, his word means nothing, so Trump shouldn’t trust him to make a deal, and Ukraine needs ongoing security protection from the US in exchange for these mineral rights. Trump, ever convinced of his business prowess, took offense to Zelensky insinuating that Putin wouldn’t stick to his word if Trump made the deal, and the US has given so much to Ukraine that actually these minerals were just repayment for that past aid, as though foreign military aid to our allies is a business transaction and a loan with interest and repayment terms. It’s giving Sopranos it’s giving loan shark it’s giving “I gave you something and now I own you” vibes that are very much not in line with how we’ve ever done diplomacy. Zelensky warned that the US would also feel the consequences if Russia’s power and aggression continued to grow. JD escalated things by admonishing Zelensky like a child for “not being thankful enough” even though Zelensky has thanked the US, according to the new york times, 94 times, and was speaking respectfully at this meeting where it was his literal job to advocate for his country. And Trump took it further by raising his voice and accusing Zelensky of “gambling with World War Three” by not just accepting that Trump will walk up to Putin and make this deal happen and by not just signing over billions in mineral rights with no guarantee of further US aid and protection.


When the exchange ended, the US coalition and the Ukrainian coalition separated to regroup before what was supposed to be a sit down lunch and a formal press conference, leading to the signing of this mineral deal. Instead, Trump’s people told Zelensky and his people that it was canceled and they should leave. They kicked him out of the White House.


It is unprecedented in modern memory for the leaders of two countries, ESPECIALLY two allied countries with longstanding ties where one is in the middle of an existential war and the other is supposedly its greatest backer in that war, to speak to each other in this way. I just want to be clear about how absolutely bat shit bonkers coo coo bananas this exchange was. This is not normal. This is wildly inappropriate on the part of Trump and JD, who I will ONLY be referring to as JD from now on since he seems to take such offense to it, this is not how international diplomacy is done, period. 


Afterwards, Trump took to Truth Social to say that Zelensky simply isn’t ready for peace!! And once he is, then they can talk. Zelensky told the BBC afterwards that he’s still ready to sign the minerals deal, he just wants to have a constructive dialogue in which the Ukrainian position is heard. Amid calls by US Republicans for Zelensky’s resignation, Zelensky reiterated a promise he had already made, that he would resign in exchange for NATO membership, which would guarantee greater protections for Ukraine.


Republicans like Lindsay Graham and house speaker Mike Johnson and members of Trump’s inner circle like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s national security advisor Mike Waltz quickly defended Trump’s actions, saying well maybe Zelensky just doesn’t want to deal with the US. Maybe he should probably just step down if he doesn’t want to deal with the US so badly. This after Zelensky was like please I literally want to deal with you. The minerals deal was Zelensky’s idea!!! But Republicans are like welp sounds like he just doesn’t want peace!! And then a spokesperson for the Kremlin was like welp it sounds like Zelensky just doesn’t want peace! Maybe he should step down!! And when the official US administration stance aligns exactly with the official Kremlin stance that is something that should be ringing alarm bells!!! Especially given Trump’s other statements in recent days that align with Russian propaganda, such as that Ukraine actually started the war (that is patently false) and that Zelensky is a dictator (also false, he was democratically elected and the election meant to be held last year has been delayed because of the emergency circumstances in the country, similar to what happened in Great Britain during world war 2). In fact, the Russian spokesman even said that “the rapidly changing US foreign policy configurations largely coincide with Russia’s vision.”


Which is why I think this entire meeting was pretext for further siding with Russia and degrading our alliances with Europe and removing aid to Ukraine. I’m not saying I think it was a setup, it honestly felt pretty organically heated and more like a boiling over of tension than a planned pile on, but I think Trump knows how to use leverage when he sees it, and he can now use this meeting as pretext to do what he’s wanted to do, which is pull aid to Ukraine which both benefits his good friend Putin and also makes his shortsighted supporters happy who think that we’re just wasting our money on wars that aren’t ours to fight and we need to put AMERICA FIRST. 


This was also, as reporting from the BBC pointed out, a continuation of what has become a more emboldened JD Vance when it comes to foreign policy. It was JD, after all, who escalated the entire conversation by yelling at Zelensky to be more thankful. On a podcast episode back in 2022, JD said, quote “I’ve got to be honest with you, I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or the other.” Indicating a shocking lack of foreign policy knowledge and a sociopathic lack of empathy for the millions of people facing the third year of an existential war. Last month at a security conference in Munich, JD stood up and accused the leaders of Europe of censoring free speech and being weak on immigration, saying “if you’re running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you.” Because to JD and his daddy Donald, it is us who should fear our elected officials, not the other way around. JD then had dinner that night with leadership of the far right, Nazi affiliated AfD party of Germany. JD has also sparred with European leaders and academics on Twitter, telling the UK prime minister that his country’s infringement on free speech affects American technology companies and, “by extension, American citizens.” And it was upon reading that quote that I understood the long game here. JD and his ilk love to liken deregulation of social media platforms with “protecting free speech” because in their world people should be able to say and do all the heinous shit they want on the internet and if private tech companies are held to account for any of the myriad abuses committed on their platforms, that is an infringement of free speech. Because we are much more concerned with the free speech of companies and AI and monied interests than we are with humans and people. And JD is of course incredibly concerned with protecting and deregulating tech companies because tech billionaire Peter Thiel owns him. I already made a whole episode about it. Europe, however, sometimes puts its people above business profits, and therefore has promoted more extensive internet regulations to try to protect data and privacy and against other internet-based abuses, which is really inconvenient for tech companies cuz it means they have to do things like “care about how their product affects millions of people around the globe” and “comply with cookie notices.” Hate that for them! And so to JD, Europe is the enemy because they’re picking on his good buddies Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and others. And JD has never been invited to sit at the cool kids table, so he’s gotta keep trying real hard to make them like him.


In these instances I also like to follow the money, because that’s usually what’s calling the political shots, and big tech plays a big role in how our elected officials speak and vote, though it appears these moves may benefit non-American companies as well.


According to reporting from Barrons, while US arms manufacturer stocks are down since Trump’s election, European arms dealers have seen their stocks skyrocket, with notable gains even since the spat with Zelensky, a sign that the people who make the weapons being sent to Ukraine anticipate a major shift away from US aid and towards greater European involvement. And while I’m not someone who hawkishly watches the stock market, I think following the money in these instances is important. Where politicians like to hide or talk around the truth with diplomatic terms, C-suite execs have to actually tell their investors the truth, and those investors will spend money based on what they ACTUALLY think is happening, so it’s icky but can also act as more accurate tea leaves than the words of politicians or the predictions of talking head pundits. 


The big picture is that this meeting and the fallout illustrates a growing tension between the US, Russia, and the rest of Europe who are usually US allies. It is the shifting world order that people warned about during the Cold War, but happening in a way that they probably never imagined: not through Russia gaining traction in former territories, new communist countries, or fragile new democracies, but in the largest democracy of them all through the person who is supposed to be the leader of the free world, the president of the united states of america. Over the weekend, European countries met without the US to forge a peace plan to then present to the US, removing Zelensky from direct talks in an attempt to shield him from the US and to continue peace negotiations. Zelensky received a warm welcome from the British prime minister and the king gave him an hour long meeting, and the rest of our allies also rallied behind Zelensky, with many expressing shock at the Trump Zelensky meeting. It is a continuation of a rift with our allies that was hastened by Trump’s calls for Europe to do more to protect itself and to rely less on the US. And it is true that Europe does rely heavily on the US for security and protection, European countries have downsized their defense spending and infrastructure in favor of relying on US assistance. It is genuinely questionable whether Europe can protect itself and Ukraine without US aid, so there is a lot riding on European leaders and their ability to step into the void and create a peace deal. All the while, Trump has routinely touted himself as the best peace deal maker the world has ever seen, he thinks he should win the nobel peace prize, he promised peace on day one, he does peace so good you wouldn’t believe. But his desire to be seen as a peace broker is clearly outweighed by his desire to be seen as a strongman, so no peace deal is going to happen to a country whose leader won’t bend the knee. 


And internally, I think the strong and emotional reaction we saw from JD and Trump towards Zelensky is indicative of just HOW much OUR elected leaders have bent the knee for Trump. Reports say that Republican leaders especially were telling Zelensky ahead of time to just play nice, tread lightly, saying that Trump was in a good mood that morning so things should go well if Zelensky just basically handles Trump with kid gloves. And the fact that the president’s mood dictates how he shows up for foreign policy meetings, and that the people around him have to walk on eggshells to try to mitigate his temperamental whims tells me that we are dealing with an incredibly emotional, sensitive, some might say hysterical, person, who clearly cannot handle his emotions, perhaps he’s feeling hormonal I’m not sure, men's hormones fluctuate wildly throughout the day so you really can’t trust their ability to make sound judgment from one moment to the next. But it also indicates that people in Washington have learned how to “manage” the person that is supposed to be “the leader of the free world” by bending the knee and bending over backwards to appease him. Our leaders are operating from a place of fear and subservience to a populist megalomaniac drunk on power with an evil billionaire sidekick like talk about coo coo bananas that is absolutely unhinged. And seeing how Trump and his little nerd in the corner JD, who dresses just like Daddy Donald in a blue suit white shirt and red tie, reacted when Zelensky so much as gently pushed back on the assertion that Trump shouldn’t trust Putin on his word, and asking for continued protection from a longtime ally that has been doing just that, indicates to me that they are incredibly sensitive to any sign of pushback or non-subservience. Republicans were commenting on how RUDE it was not only that Zelensky didn’t wear a suit but also that he had his arms crossed and was shaking his head. Meanwhile JD and Trump are literally YELLING at his face and acting incredibly aggressive. And the fact that they were willing to say and do this on the record in public in front of the world, indicates to me that this expectation of complete subservience underlies every single interaction Trump has and that he is willing to go to great lengths to retaliate when that subservience isn’t met. Imagine what’s happening behind closed doors if they’re comfortable doing this in public. And yes to a certain extent we knew this already, but to see it so publicly, forcefully, blatantly, and shamelessly on the world stage was shocking to see, I felt it in the pit of my stomach as that footage was coming out on Friday.  


That being said, I think an opinion piece dropped today by the Kyiv Independent presciently illustrates what is to come now that the US has laid bare its disdain for its allies and its clear interest in promoting Russian talking points. The article is linked in the description along with all my other sources. It says “Before the Oval Office showdown, Ukraine and Europe had largely been sidelined from the peace process, which was driven by the U.S. and Russia. Ukraine and Europe feared an imposed settlement — one unlikely to be sustainable. But the White House debacle forced Europe to step up and take the initiative. The result? Any future peace deal is now more likely to be in Ukraine’s favor and more durable.” And the resulting four point peace plan that came out of this weekend’s European summit, a meeting of all our friends to which we weren’t invited, shows a pragmatic approach to the issue. Arm Ukraine, give it tools to defend itself, push for a one-month truce, and then move toward a full ceasefire. And with Europe rising to the occasion, that has also pulled the UK back into Europe after a decade of a largely unpopular Brexit, which is important because of the UK’s role historically in diplomacy. Additionally, the article points out that this debacle was also a wakeup call to Europe to rely less on NATO and rebuild its hard defense power. We can definitely argue as to whether or not that’s a good thing–as I’ve already said I personally am not interested in a world war three scenario, I like peace, I’m interested in peace, BUT it does at least reveal what is likely to come so that Europe can better prepare to step up in the face of what is likely reduced defense spending by US in favor of siding with Russia. While Europe does currently heavily rely on the US, it does have the capacity to rebuild its defense abilities, especially if it aligns with Turkey which is also a NATO member and on the side of defending Ukraine from Russian influence. Long term, according to this article in the Kyiv Independent, this means that the US is moving away from economic ties with the 27 trillion dollar European economy in favor of the $2 trillion dollar Russian economy.  The reality is that by aligning us with Russia, Trump is alienating us from all our friends, who are having meetings without us and making plans that don’t involve us. We are making enemies out of most of the world, just like Russia has, because one guy in the White House thinks Putin is cool and has a penchant for strong men. According to reporting from the washington post, ““Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader,” Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat and a former Estonian prime minister, said Friday. “It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge.””


It is impossible to tell what will happen next, but this single meeting on Friday represents what could be a seismic shift in global international relations that sees a much stronger oppositional Europe acting to regain power that has been enjoyed by the US since World War 2. Given how much we’ve abused that power, I can’t say for certain that’s necessarily a bad thing. For now, the human beings on the ground in Ukraine, because its all fun and games to talk about this as a business deal and a game of cards in global diplomacy but the reality is that the egos of a few men dictate the life or death of millions, the humans who live in Ukraine are largely feeling grim about this incident, as US aid has been a determining factor keeping Ukrainian forces competitive with Russia’s giant army. And so I really do hope that Europe steps up and fills the void and takes this moment to regain a bit more global power, because with all its imperfections and abuses I do think that the general idea of holding back strong men from seizing territory from sovereign nations is necessary to maintaining a general world order that, for the last 80 years, has managed to avoid all out war and nuclear annihilation. And it doesn’t appear that the US, through Trump, has any interest in standing up to strong men. And with our own internal existential battles to fight, it's unclear what leader we may have in the future that will be interested in or capable of maintaining the long held alliances we’ve had with our European allies. This is a moment for Europe to step up, and it is absolutely to the detriment of the US who is selling all its friends for an alliance with the guy we think is the strongest. It could mean an end to the global dominance we’ve enjoyed for decades. I don’t think it’ll end in nuclear war. I think it will instead result in a gradual waning of US economic power, influence, and stability.  And, as always, it will be the millions of us who have to deal with the fallout of the fragile egos of a few men. 


If you’d like to support my work, I just launched the Why, America? Co-Learning Lab, a learning community having discussions and making connections, along with a monthly syllabus curated by me. All year we’ll be covering topics under the umbrella theme of “Eat the Rich: Building Solidarity in the New Gilded Age.” February’s topic is all about how to build a movement, even when you’re feeling overwhelmed as hell. This is all hosted over on Patreon, which is linked down below. If you’re interested, please join us. Patreon dot com slash leeja miller.


Thank you to my multi-platinum patrons Thomas Orf, Sarah Shelby, Art, David, R_H, L’Etranger (Lukus), Joshua Cole, Thomas Johnson, and Tay. Your generosity makes this channel what it is, so thank you! 


And if you liked this episode, you’ll like the one from Wednesday where I talk about wild town halls and the backlash against MAGA.


Leeja Miller
Previous

The Trade Wars Are Just Beginning
Next

The Backlash Against MAGA Has Begun