President Trump Goes to War with Zelensky Denouncing Him as "a Dictator Without Elections"

Zelensky is taking a major risk that his continued across-the-board opposition to the President's courageous attempt to end the war with Russia will provoke Trump to cut off all US aid to Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, the most corrupt autocratic leader in Europe, who has refused to hold democratic elections or leave power, continues to adamantly refuse President Trump’s insistence he sign a peace deal ending the war with Russia. How much longer will he tolerate his intransigence?

March 31st Update—The only Ukrainian-American member of Congress Victoria Spartz has praised Trump for working to end the destruction of Ukraine and being the only one who can save the Ukrainian people with a peace deal. Meanwhile, she has denounced Zelensky for "wanting to be a dictator forever", "betraying the people", being "as bad as Putin" and for imprisoning anyone he thinks might be a political opponent including "many heroes of Ukraine"--both generals and political leaders alike. She has attacked him for "not knowing how to win a war", for "sending people to die for nothing on the front lines" and for "destroying the country and robbing the people." She has also called Zelensky "embarrassing" and the leader of "a corrupt government" saying he wants to prolong the war because he is profiting from the war "with Biden giving slush funds to him and his friends so he can funnel the money" and can achieve his dream of becoming a billionaire oligarch. So my question is why do so many people keep telling us that Zelensky has been a great leader for Ukraine when the top elected Ukrainian leader in America is courageously telling us otherwise?

February 28th Update—President Volodymyr Zelensky just burned all his bridges with the Trump administration by disrespecting President Donald J. Trump in the Oval Office, arguing with Trump and Vice President JD Vance and refusing to sign the minerals deal unless Trump gave him security guarantees. Trump responded by telling him to “sign the deal or else we are out!” US support for Zelensky and Ukraine may be over now. Here is the link to the argumentative exchange between Trump and Zelensky.

Back in 2022, when neocon warmongers like Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) were joining their liberal Democrat allies in predicting that Putin would soon be overthrown from power, I predicted that the war was much more likely to result in the removal of Biden and Zelensky from power. Two years later, Democrat leaders forced Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race ending his reign on power and now it looks like the jig might soon be up for Zelensky as well.

Over the past week or two, Zelensky has been very vocal in opposing every Trump administration initiative and talking point refusing to agree to negotiate peace with Russia, declining to hold democratic elections, balking at Trump’s proposed rare earth mineral profit sharing agreement and insisting that Ukraine will never accept any ultimatums from the US or sign a peace agreement which Ukraine did not have a hand in negotiating. He even forced through a resolution through the UN General Assembly placing the entire blame for the war on Russia and calling for the withdrawal of all Russian troops from former Ukrainian territory and their restoration to Ukraine which was opposed by the Trump administration. Meanwhile, EU leaders are continuing to support Zelensky and oppose the Trump administration on every single one of these issues. All of this may be portending a great breakup between the US and Ukraine and its EU sponsors potentially on a monumental scale that could lead to a withdrawal of all US troops from NATO and perhaps even a formal US exit from the Atlantic alliance.

The feud between Zelensky and Trump began when Zelensky responded to Trump’s statement that he would lose re-election by stating, “Unfortunately, President Trump — I have great respect for him as a leader of a nation that we have great respect for, the American people who always support us — unfortunately lives in this disinformation space.” Vice President JD Vance immediately snapped back at Zelensky by saying, “The idea that Zelensky is going to change the president’s mind by badmouthing him in public media, everyone who knows the president will tell you that is an atrocious way to deal with this administration.”

Trump Denounces Zelensky as a Dictator and Calls for his Ouster

Then the clash between them went nuclear last week when President Donald J. Trump posted on Truth Social, condemning Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in response to his claim that Trump lives in a Russian “disinformation space” as well as his continuing refusal to accept any peace deal negotiated by Trump without Ukrainian participation. Trump also condemned Zelensky for his about face on his offer to sign Trump’s proposed Joint Investment Project to split the profits of Ukraine’s rich natural resources to compensate the US for its $300 billion investment in Ukraine’s defense against Russian attack without which it would have been forced to accept peace with Russia in April 2022. Here is the text:

"Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelensky, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn't be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the U.S. and "TRUMP," will never be able to settle. The United States has spent $200 Billion Dollars more than Europe, and Europe's money is guaranteed, while the United States will get nothing back. Why didn't Sleepy Joe Biden demand Equalization, in that this War is far more important to Europe than it is to us — We have a big, beautiful Ocean as separation. On top of this, Zelenskyy admits that half of the money we sent him is "MISSING." He refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden "like a fiddle." A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left. In the meantime, we are successfully negotiating an end to the War with Russia, something all admit only "TRUMP," and the Trump Administration, can do. Biden never tried, Europe has failed to bring Peace, and Zelenskyy probably wants to keep the "gravy train" going. I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died – And so it continues....."

Later that day, Trump gave a speech doubling down on his Truth Social Post demanding Zelensky hold a democratic presidential election in Ukraine--following his rejection of Trumps Joint Investment Fund deal he offered Ukraine to get them to pay back the $300 billion we sent them to defend against Russia’s invasion without which they would have been forced to end the war on Russian terms weeks after they invaded. Trump isn’t the only US leader who is denouncing Zelensky. During an interview on Newsmax yesterday on the 3rd anniversary of the war, Ukrainian born Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN), she praised Trump’s push for peace with Russia and criticized Zelensky as a failed leader and oligarch who didn't know how to win a war.

President Trump speaking at a recent press conference at the White House. Trump understands Zelensky is the main obstacle to peace with Russia and has demanded he end martial law and hold democratic elections which he knows Zelensky would be sure to lose.

Former British diplomat Ian Proud recently published an article exposed the real reason why Zelensky is refusing to lift his decree banning peace negotiations with Russia and remains happy to continue destroying Ukraine by unnecessarily prolonging the war with Russia in perpetuity--namely to prolong his dictatorial power as well as to continue embezzling hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of US foreign aid. Proud remarked that, "Zelensky has fallen into the same trap that many dictators fall into, in believing that he is the state, and therefore indispensable. So, it is not in Zelensky’s interests to negotiate an end to the war, as that would almost certainly mean an end to his political career. Even Trump’s pick for Director of National Intelligence – Tulsi Gabbard – has described Zelensky as an unelected dictator. But you will never hear the western media talk about that. They have spent three years lionizing Zelensky and it would be damaging to their credibility to suggest that, rather then being part of the solution, he may be part of the problem."

President Trump is demanding Zelensky lift his decree banning peace negotiations with Russia, accept a cease-fire, end martial law and hold a new presidential election this summer but, of course, that would mean he would have to abandon his signature green jump suit and start dressing like a president again. In an attempt to present himself as a potential new US proxy President of Ukraine, Zelensky’s only declared presidential challenger Oleksii Arestovich is offering to immediately arrest Zelensky and have him sentenced to life imprisonment for his decision to destroy Ukraine by rejecting Russia’s offer to withdraw all its troops from pre-war Ukrainian territory under the Istanbul Agreement of March 2022.

The President’s statements above amounted to a virtual declaration of hostilities between himself and Europe’s most corrupt dictator increasing the chances that he will indefinitely suspend all US aid to Ukraine until Zelensky is out of power. While Trump’s post is being misleadingly presented as being full of disinformation by the leftwing media, it is entirely factual with one exception. Zelensky’s approval rating is actually at sixteen percent, rather than four percent, according to a Ukrainian historian who was interviewed about his comments last week. That is even lower than his abysmally low approval rating of 22 percent when Russia in invaded Ukraine three years ago and Zelensky seemed certain to lose the next presidential election. However, Trump’s underlying assertion that Zelensky is refusing to hold a democratic presidential election because he knows he would lose one and is unwilling to engage in a peaceful transfer of power to a new democratically elected Ukrainian President is correct.

Zelenksy has responded by falsely claiming that Ukraine’s constitution prohibits him from holding a presidential election during times of martial law. However, that is false as there is no such prohibition. Article 83 of the Ukrainian constitution provides that “no parliamentary elections may be held during martial law.” However, it does not have any provisions that would inhibit the holding of a presidential election during a time of martial law meaning Zelensky has stayed in power past his constitutional term and is no longer a legitimate president. The US held a presidential election when one-third of its states had broken away during the Civil War. We also held a presidential election during World War Two. There is no reason why Ukraine could not hold such an election today even before a cease-fire has been declared or martial law has been lifted.

Following his many actions to crush democracy in Ukraine beginning when he declared martial law in March 2022, I began referring to Zelensky as a Soviet-style authoritarian dictator so I was very gratified to see President Trump declare this rarely-spoken truth which has now been confirmed by a former senior Ukrainian official who served under Zelensky and met with him frequently, parting with him on good terms. In an article in the Spectator, he reports that life in Zelensky's Ukraine resembles life under the former Soviet Union and suggests it is far more draconian, repressive and totalitarian than life is under Putin's post-Soviet Russia causing millions of Ukrainians to quietly prefer to live under Russian rule rather than continue to live in fear and desperation under Zelensky's corrupt, tyrannical rule. Yet shockingly, EU globalists and neocon Republicans continue to extol Zelensky as a champion of democracy! The official concludes his article by stating that President Trump is the only hope to save Ukraine and restore democracy. Here are some of the highlights of his article:

“Today, I cannot remain silent about how Zelensky is weakening Ukraine under the guise of war. As a result of this new climate of fear I must write these words under the veil of anonymity – a necessary precaution against retaliation from the very regime I once served. It pains me to admit that at least some of what Donald Trump has said about Zelensky is true. While western politicians have rushed to condemn Trump and his vice president’s remarks, a quiet ripple of approval ran through large parts of Ukrainian society.

Ukraine has become a paradox: a nation fighting for its sovereignty while dismantling its own democratic foundations. For years, the West has indulged in the illusion of Zelensky as the ‘face of democracy’. In reality, he has undermined our democracy, institutions and economy, making Ukraine much weaker in the face of an existential threat – and in the process destroying our nation’s motivation to fight the Russian aggressor. Today, fear rules over a country where elections are indefinitely postponed, human rights are systematically eroded, and fear dictates daily life.

War has provided Zelensky with unchecked power, enabling his security forces to act with impunity. In at least eight frontline regions, martial law has given rise to police and military excesses. Under the pretext of hunting down collaborators, state forces raid homes, search phones and laptops, and detain civilians arbitrarily. In such areas, people will never reveal their true thoughts to a journalist or a pollster. They will parrot the state’s approved rhetoric – Zelensky as a hero, Ukraine as unbreakable. And then, in private, they will say what they really think: that they want him gone.

On a more senior level, accusations of alleged Russian ties are routinely used to expropriate businesses. In some regions suffering relentless bombardment some quietly admit they would rather live under Russian rule. This is not treason; it is a consequence of Zelensky’s destruction of democracy. With no clear purpose left in the fight, many now seek an alternative – a pro-Russian candidate willing to strike a deal with Vladimir Putin, or even the grim resignation that life under a Russian flag might be preferable to endless war. The shallow patriotism that Zelensky promotes is crumbling. Exhaustion has set in. The question is no longer whether Ukraine can win, but whether it can even survive under his rule.

The war has given Zelensky everything he ever wanted: absolute power, control over billions in foreign aid, and standing ovations from the world. But his more decisive strategy has been the systematic elimination of political opponents. Today, Zelensky and his circle have consolidated nearly total control over the state. They can manipulate elections, suppress dissent, and imprison whomever they choose. Independent media are officially banned from television and radio airwaves, while opposition and anticorruption activists active online have been threatened with arrest.

Before the war, Zelensky’s approval rating hovered at 23 per cent. When in the wake of Putin’s invasion the phrase ‘I need ammunition, not a ride’ – words spoken not by Zelensky but by an anonymous American diplomat – was widely circulated in the media, transforming him into a global icon. His approval ratings soared past 90 per cent. But over time, they began to erode. Private polling, which I have seen, now puts his support below 10 per cent. Public polls, aligned with the President’s Office, claim it remains at 63 per cent.

Ukrainians are not cowards. But they do not want to die for Zelensky’s government, drowning in corruption scandals, day after day. Only ending the war and restoring democracy and the economy can preserve Ukraine. Continued war will lead not to victory but to the collapse of our nation. Power must change hands. And if Donald Trump does not make that happen, then Ukraine has no hope.”

President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky staring each other down shortly after Trump’s re-election. Trump reportedly dislikes Zelensky holding him responsible in part for not doing more to stop the Democrats from using their phone conversation to impeach him in December 2019.

With his Truth Social post and White House speech, Trump appears to be essentially calling for Zelensky's ouster given his insistence that Zelensky hold a democratic election while asserting he only has four percent support in the polls. Given his abysmal polling numbers which this former Ukrainian official is stating are in the single digits, the only way Zelensky could hope to win an election would be if he threw his main presidential challengers in prison just as Joe Biden tried to do in the runup to the 2024 presidential election. Yesterday, despite reports that its members live in terror of crossing Zelensky for fear of being arrested and imprisoned or worse, the Ukrainian Rada initially failed to pass a resolution confirming Zelensky's legitimacy as President given his decision to cancel last May's election and remain in power past his term in violation of the Ukrainian constitution before EU leaders in Kyiv twisted their arms and likely bribed them to vote for it.

ABC News confirmed reports that the Trump administration appears to be trying to effect regime change in Ukraine.

“The push for new elections is "not a Russia thing," Trump said. "That's something coming from me and coming from many other countries also." A source close to the Ukrainian government -- who did not wish to be named as they were not authorized to speak publicly -- told ABC News they believe the push is coming from those who "believe that Zelenskyy, personally, is a problem because he is not compliant enough, he's not simply going to accept anything that they propose or anything that they demand." The source close to the Ukrainian government said that certain figures in Trump's orbit want Zelenskyy replaced by a more malleable successor, one less likely to push back on controversial American efforts to force a peace deal. "According to their logic, the problem here is not Russia or Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it's the 'the ongoing war,'" the source said. "What is the mechanism for changing that, and in their view creating the conditions for someone who would be more compliant in Kyiv? It's elections." One former official -- who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation -- told ABC News the president "needs to blame Trump" if Ukraine is indeed forced into a controversial peace deal. "He cannot stop this war now and take responsibility, because for him, it will be political suicide," they said.”

Meanwhile, Newsweek joined leftwing international media outlets in warning that Zelensky could be ousted by Ukrainian voters if he acceded to Trump’s demand to hold free and fair democratic elections portraying democratic elections in Ukraine as a Kremlin talking point which seems bizarre given that the left has been claiming for years that Ukraine is a the forefront of a war for “global democracy” against autocracy. The idea being floated by globalist EU leaders that a democratic election could enable Russia to get a pro-Russian Ukrainian President elected is ridiculous since Zelensky has banned all eleven pro-peace political parties meaning only Ukrainian nationalist parties would be able to run opposition candidates. Of course, if Zelensky truly has a 63 percent approval rating as he claims, then he would have no reluctance to hold a democratic election and his international supporters would be urging him to do so while his approval remained so high which is obviously not the case.

Zelensky Refuses to Sign a Peace Deal with Russia

Following President Trump’s phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the President stated that Ukraine will not be included in peace talks with Russia. Zelensky has responded to this revelation by stating that “We, as a sovereign country, simply will not be able to accept any agreements without us,” according to Reuters. The New York Times reports Zelenskyy’s input may be moot: “With the Trump administration appearing to demand concessions from Ukraine, including mineral rights, in exchange for continued U.S. support, analysts said that Mr. Zelensky has little choice but to go along with American-led talks despite his deep skepticism of Mr. Putin’s readiness to negotiate without imposing onerous conditions.” “This means that the formula ‘nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine’ — a sacred cow for Zelenskyy, the European Union and the previous U.S. administration — no longer exists. Moreover, the opinion of Kyiv and Brussels (the European Union) is of no interest to Trump at all,” it added.

During an interview on Meet the Press February 16^th, Zelensky went even further adamantly refusing to accept any peace deal negotiated by President Trump without Ukraine unless it forced Russia to give back all of Ukraine’s lost territories including Crimea and included a provision for Putin to be tried as a war criminal and be sent to prison. While Zelensky complains that Ukraine is not being offered a seat at the table, Trump rightly responded that he had a seat at the peace table offered by Russia for the past three years and refused to take it so Ukrainian citizens should be very disappointed in his failed leadership for that.

While Zelensky and EU leaders continue to agitate to try to get Trump to agree to include them in peace talks with Russia, they should not be allowed to participate because as Trump has stated they have had three years to negotiate a peace deal with Russia and they have refused to do so. Even now they continue to adamantly oppose any peace negotiations with Russia and would thus be expected to do everything in their power to sabotage a peace deal between the US and Russia in order to prolong NATO’s proxy war with Russia indefinitely. In stating Ukraine will not accept any peace deal negotiated between the US and Russia, Zelensky is operating under the false pretense that Ukraine is a sovereign, independent country. In fact, Ukraine has become entirely dependent on the US for its security thanks to Zelensky’s foolish decisions and policies.

President Trump was clearly frustrated with Zelensky’s refusal to accept a peace deal with Russia during an interview with Fox News radio host Brian Kilmeade on February 21^st in which he stated former President Biden and Zelensky shared blame for failing to negotiate a deal with Russia to prevent it from invading Ukraine. “I’ve been watching for years, and I’ve been watching him negotiate with no cards,” Trump said of Zelensky. “He has no cards. And you get sick of it.” “So, I don’t think he’s very important to be at meetings, to be honest with you,” Trump added. “He makes it very hard to make deals.” Trump suggested Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to reach a deal to end the war in Ukraine. He claimed Putin did not necessarily have to negotiate a ceasefire, because if he wanted, he’d get “the whole country.” Trump previously blamed Zelensky for starting the war and said that Russia is “holding almost all the cards” implying the US and Ukraine are going to have to agree to most of Russia’s requested peace terms.

Ukrainian President Zelensky visiting French President Macron in Paris to beg for more military aid. Zelensky has embezzled hundreds of millions of US taxpayer dollars to purchase luxurious mansions and beach houses across the world including the US and France so if and when he has to go into exile he will retain a lot of options for where to flee to.

Newsweek is reporting that relations have gotten so bad between Trump and Zelensky this past week that one source close to Trump concurred with the assessment and suggested that “the best case for [Zelensky] and the world is that he leaves to France immediately.” Another source revealed they heard discussions in with senior Trump officials clamoring for democratic elections in Ukraine and Zelensky’s ouster months ago. A couple of days ago, Zelenskyy announced he is willing to resign if Ukraine is given immediate NATO membership knowing there was zero chance of the Trump administration agreeing to that. He would likely not have said that if Trump wasn't trying to push him out of power.

According to the Chairman of the Defense Committee Ukrainian Rada, Roman Kostenko, the Trump administration has responded to Zelensky’s foolish attacks on Trump by freezing all US military aid to Ukraine after it cancelled all US financial aid to Ukraine a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson stated at CPAC last weekend that there is “no appetite” for additional congressional aid packages to Ukraine. Without US aid, Ukraine could be forced to accept peace with Russia on Russia’s terms within six months further incentivizing Zelensky to accept Trump’s offered assistance to negotiate the best deal possible for Ukraine with Russia before Ukraine collapses and Russian troops occupy all of Ukrainian territory on the left bank of the Dnipro River.

Zelenksy continues to say there can be no peace with Russia until he has received security guarantees for Ukraine from the US and its European allies. However, Ukraine has received security guarantees from twenty-eight countries including the US and EU since the war began. The truth is Ukraine does not need any more security guarantees. Zelensky is just making excuses because he is refusing to end martial law and hold democratic elections he knows he would lose. While the Biden administration signed two strategic partnership agreements with Ukraine in 2021 that provoked Russia to invade it months later as well as a ten-year security agreement with Ukraine last year, Zelensky is seeking an agreement in which the US would permanently station tens of thousands of US troops in Ukraine to guarantee Ukraine’s security against Russia. He also wants the Trump administration to commit to continue providing massive military aid to Ukraine at Biden administration levels of $60 billion a year even after a peace deal ending the war in Ukraine has been signed as was envisioned over Biden’s ten-year security agreement with Ukraine. The latest is that Zelensky is now demanding the US provide Ukraine with nuclear weapons in lieu of NATO membership, a demand Secretary of State Marco Rubio quickly shot down as “not a serious offer” adding “we need less nuclear-armed countries, not more.”

Trump Retains Substantial Leverage to Force Ukraine to Accept a Peace Deal

The Trump administration has a number of things it could do to induce Zelensky to come to agree to a cease-fire and sign a peace deal with Russia. It is reportedly considering a full audit of Ukrainian aid which could uncover billions of dollars in US taxpayer funding embezzled by Zelensky and other senior Ukrainian leaders which could increase demands and pressure by the Trump administration for his immediate ouster as the price for any additional US assistance. Alternatively, the Trump administration could share the results of its audit with Zelensky to pressure him to sign a peace deal in an attempt to preserve his power and control over Ukraine.

Ukrainian battlefield drones which have proven critical in preventing Russia from overrunning all of western Donetsk during the past few years. Without Starlink access, Ukraine would have been forced to make peace with Russia mere weeks after the war began which would have saved a million Ukrainian soldiers from being killed and wounded.

Alternatively, it could withhold all intelligence sharing including satellite targeting and threaten to cut off Ukraine’s Starlink access without which it would effectively eliminate Ukraine’s ability to continue fighting the war as its drone army would become useless, and Russian forces would begin advancing all along the eastern front, perhaps all the way to the Dnipro River. Therefore, even the threat of ending Ukraine's Starlink access should prove sufficient to force Zelensky to sign a peace deal on US terms. Threatening to withhold Starlink access to Ukraine is what I have been arguing for to force Zelensky to accept a cease fire and peace deal ending the war.

Speaking in the Oval Office later Friday, Mr. Trump said, “We’re going to either sign a deal, or there’s going to be a lot of problems with them.” Trump administration officials notably including pro-Ukraine LTG Keith Kellogg reportedly threatened to cut off Ukraine’s Starlink access if Zelensky continues to refuse to sign a $500 billion Joint Investment Fund deal in which Ukraine agrees to donate fifty percent of its revenues from its natural resources to the US. However, Elon Musk denied that is the case in an X post on February 22^nd.

Will Zelensky Sign Trump’s Proposed Ukrainian Mineral Profit Sharing Deal or Won’t He?

President Trump reportedly views the $350 billion in US aid sent to Ukraine as a waste of money views this massive amount of US aid to Ukraine as a gargantuan waste of taxpayer money and is looking for a return on the US investment that benefits the US given the Biden decision to prolong the war in Ukraine unnecessarily during the past few years has greatly harmed rather than enhanced US interests. I think he views the $100 billion the US pays a year to station 100,000 troops in Europe as a waste of US taxpayer money as well so hopefully, he will withdraw all our ground troops from Europe after a peace deal is signed. As the White House has stated, the US will keep Ramstein Air Force Base and our important naval base in Italy but could potentially withdraw the rest of our military forces from Europe.

Earlier this month, Trump proposed that Ukraine pay it back by giving the US $500 billion in rare earths in exchange for continuing US military aid. Zelensky initially responded positively to Trump’s demand for saying, “Let’s make a deal!” It would certainly be nice if Ukraine paid us back the $200 billion we sent them over the past few years starting with the likely $1 billion or more Zelensky and other top Ukrainian officials have reportedly embezzled from US taxpayer aid over the past few years given that legendary investigative reporter Seymour Hersch reported that they had embezzled $400 million during the first year of the war alone. However, CNN reports that Zelensky is already balking at signing such a deal with the US. “He had hoped to meet US President Donald Trump in person to discuss a wide-ranging vision of peace, after the US president suggested Friday they might meet imminently, and his team immediately set about trying to schedule it. Instead, he was presented with what Zelenksy called 'serious people' — and a largely financial deal handed over by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the US billionaire turned money-man.”

Politico reported, that despite U.S. insistence, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused to sign a draft agreement to hand over half of his country’s rare earth minerals to American companies in exchange for military support. It also noted that the U.S. draft reportedly has no explicit security guarantee for Ukraine but perhaps an implicit one that the US would be incentivized to send largescale arms shipments but no troops to Ukraine to defend its economic interests if it agreed to in the event Russia were to invade Ukraine again. The Trump administration responded to Zelensky’s rejection by issuing Ukraine an amended proposal on February 21^st. The New York Times is reporting that the terms of an updated proposal handed to Ukraine on Friday are even harsher than the original, calling for Ukraine to relinquish to the United States half of its revenues from natural resources, including minerals, gas and oil, as well as earnings from ports and other infrastructure. In return, the US would commit to provide financial support for Ukrainian reconstruction after it signs a peace deal with Russia.

A Map of Ukrainian mineral resources much of which is located in territory that has been annexed by the Russian Federation.

The revised proposal states that the United States could reinvest a portion of the revenue into Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction, including by investing in the development of the country’s subsoil assets and infrastructure. The plan provides that the US would get a two-thirds share of any profits from rare earth mining in areas liberated from Russia under the peace agreement. However, Russia has made clear it will not agree to return any of the Russian annexed territories in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia and that the only territories it is willing to return are in Kharkiv and Mykolaiv which do not have rare earth mining.

Zelensky has responded by refusing to sign it saying it would condemn generations of Ukrainians to pay it back and claiming the $300 billion in aid we sent Ukraine, without which it would have been forced to surrender to Russia by now, was only $100 billion and that he is not willing to pay it back because he considers it to have been a grant rather than a loan. While it’s true that it would take generations for Ukraine to pay it back that just shows how generous the proposal is to give Ukraine centuries to repay it without interest and in inflated dollars meaning that the actual value of the repayments would be far less than the sum Trump is requesting even if they paid it in full. I believe the plan is largely symbolic and far less onerous as has been presented by the mainstream media as given last year’s profits of only $1.1 billion meaning that the annual cost to Ukraine of contributing to the fund would be minimal. Its signing has also reportedly been held up over the issue of “security guarantees,” which are absent from the agreement.

Zelensky Agrees to Sign the Mineral Deal

In breaking news this afternoon, Zelensky has agreed to sign a framework agreement for the Trump minerals deal on the joint development of Ukraine’s mineral resources, including oil and gas, however, the deal drops Trump’s demand for $500 billion in potential revenue from the venture and mandates the funds be used to invest in projects within Ukraine meaning the US share of Ukrainian oil and mineral revenues may end up being only two or three billion dollars. It also does not apply to resources already included in Ukraine’s state budget, meaning it will not affect the operations of Naftogaz and Ukrnafta, the country’s largest oil and gas producers. Additionally, issues such as the U.S. share in the fund and the deal’s “joint ownership” percentage terms are left unresolved, to be settled in subsequent agreements. Under this agreement, no revenues will be transferred until the fund itself is established.

It’s possible that Trump could have used Zelensky's rejection of his proposal for a joint US-Ukraine Investment Fund for the US to control 50% of Ukraine's natural resources as a pretext to cut off US aid to Ukraine to force it to accept a cease-fire and a peace deal with Russia that Zelensky greatly fears as it would force him out of power and likely cause him to go into exile to one of his many mansions and beach homes which he purchased with embezzled US taxpayer aid money.

While the signing of the agreement represents a symbolic victory for President Trump, the terms seem more of a win for Zelensky. He has stated that the implementation of this agreement hinges on whether the U.S. will give Ukraine adequate security guarantees and restore Ukraine’s access to U.S. military assistance and weapons sales and added Ukraine won’t be paying the U.S. back for the assistance it’s already received as Trump had insisted. However, Trump is unlikely to agree to give Ukraine any security guarantee so it seems the agreement is unlikely to ever be implemented and even if it is it won’t compensate us for the hundreds of billions of dollars worth of aid the US has sent Ukraine to enable it to continue fighting its war against Russia. Ultimately, Zelensky’s only option to improve relations with President Trump was to sign this watered down minerals agreement or else risk a total cut off of US support. We will have to see if Zelensky’s plan to come to the White House on Friday to sign this Framework Agreement will be sufficient to end his ongoing feud with President Trump. I am guessing it will only end up proving a temporary cease-fire at best.

The truth is it is in Ukraine’s national interests to end the war with Russia as quickly as possible on the best terms we can get and with Trump’s determination to end the war it has little choice but to do so. Accordingly, US and Ukrainian national interests align very closely even if Zelensky’s personal interests to retain dictatorial power and continue embezzling hundreds of millions in additional US taxpayer funded aid to Ukraine do not. Ukraine must realize that just as Russian security is best achieved by friendly relations with both the US and China and US security is best achieved with good relations with both Russia and China, Ukrainian security can only be achieved with friendly relations with both the US and Russia. To date Zelensky is failing on both fronts, further imperiling Ukrainian security in the process.

© David T. Pyne 2025

David T. Pyne, Esq. is a former U.S. Army combat arms and Headquarters staff officer, who was in charge of armaments cooperation with the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas from 2000-2003, with an M.A. in National Security Studies from Georgetown University. He is the former President and current Deputy Executive Director of the Task Force on National and Homeland Security. He also serves as a member of the Committee on the Present Danger-China. He recently served as Defense and Foreign Policy Advisor to former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. He has also co-authored the best-selling new book, “Catastrophe Now--America’s Last Chance to Avoid an EMP Disaster” and his new book “Restoring Strategic Deterrence” will be published in March or April 2024. He serves as the Editor of “The Real War” newsletter at dpyne.substack.com and previously served as a contributor to “The National Interest”. Here is a link to his interview archive. He may be reached at emptaskforce.ut@gmail.com.

Recent Interviews

January 30th—Interview with Brannon Howse on Brannon Howse Live to discuss my latest articles focusing on Trump’s leaked 100-day Ukraine war peace plan and the prospects for Trump realizing his noble goal of achieving a permanent peace deal ending the war in Ukraine. Here is the link to the interview.

February 3rd—Interview with Nima Alkhorshid on his Dialogue Works podcast to discuss my latest plan to end the war in Ukraine in days not months as well as my analysis of Trump’s 100 day peace plan and its prospects for success in ending the war in Ukraine. Here is a link to the interview.

February 3rd—Interview with COL Rob Maness to discuss my latest articles focusing on Trump’s leaked 100-day Ukraine war peace plan and the prospects for Trump realizing his goal of achieving a permanent peace deal ending the war in Ukraine. Here is the link to the interview.

February 4th—Interview with Dr. Pascal Lottaz on his Neutrality Studies podcast to discuss my latest plan to end the war in Ukraine in days not months as well as my analysis of Trump’s 100 day peace plan and its prospects for success in ending the war in Ukraine. Here is a link to the interview.

February 6th—Interview with Brannon Howse on Brannon Howse Live to discuss Trump’s official Ukraine war peace plan due for release this weekend and the chances that Russia might accept it. Here is the link to the discussion.

February 14th—Interview with Brannon Howse on Brannon Howse Live to discuss comments by President Trump about his phone call with Ukraine discussing ending the war in Ukraine and the comments by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the Munich Security Conference. Here is a link to the interview.

February 17th—Interview with KUTV CBS Channel 2 News to discuss why I support President Trump and his agenda to put America First both at home and abroad.

February 18th—Panel Discussion on RT’s Crosstalk program to discuss Trump’s bold new peace negotiations with Russia to end the war in Ukraine without Ukraine or the EU having a seat at the table and to discuss the UK’s proposal to send tens of thousands of NATO peacekeeping troops to Ukraine that could lead to a direct war between Russia and NATO. Here is a link to the interview.

February 18th—Interview on Main Street Radio with Jon Twitchell discussing my latest articles focusing on Trump’s leaked 100-day Ukraine war peace plan and the prospects for Trump realizing his noble goal of achieving a permanent peace deal ending the war in Ukraine. Here is the link to the interview.

February 24th—Interview with COL Rob Maness to discuss the increasing feud between President Trump and Zelensky, whether he will agree to sign Trump’s proposed agreement to split the profits for Ukrainian rare earth sales and the Trump administration’s adoption of many of my recommendations not just for the terms of a peace deal with Russia but also a more comprehensive peace ushering in a grand partnership for peace between our two great nations. Here is the link to the interview.

February 24th—Interview with Brannon Howse on Brannon Howse Live to discuss the increasing feud between President Trump and Zelensky, whether he will agree to sign Trump’s proposed agreement to split the profits for Ukrainian rare earth sales and the Trump administration’s adoption of many of my recommendations for a comprehensive peace including a new US-Russia entente ushering in a grand partnership for peace between our two great nations. Here is a link to the interview.

February 25th—Interview with Raphael Machado to talk about when the EU will resume natural gas purchases from Russia, the implications of the German national elections and whether the EU will succeed in their bid to derail peace talks between Trump and Putin and defeat his plan to restore peace and stability to Ukraine and to Europe.

Upcoming Interviews

February 28th—Interview with Brannon Howse on Brannon Howse Live to discuss the fiery aftermath of the Trump-Zelensky meeting at the White House in which Zelensky refused to sign the minerals deal, claimed Trump failed to help Ukraine during his first term and accused him of parroting Putin’s talking points.

March 1st—Interview with Greg Allison on his show to discuss the Trump-Zelensky feud, the prospects for a peace deal ending the war in Ukraine, the increasing fissures between the US and EU and whether it would be better for US national security to pull the US out of NATO entirely.

March 18th—Interview on Main Street Radio with Jon Twitchell to discuss the progress of US and Russian negotiations on a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine and form a US-Russia grand strategic partnership for peace as well as the chances that China will blockade Taiwan in early April.