Zelenskyy’s Misstep: Undermining Diplomacy
in a Sacred American Place

I remember that President Reagan always wore a suit and tie when in the Oval Office. I also remember seeing a picture of Obama in his shirt sleeves and his feet up on the Resolute desk. Talk about disrespect. Tin foil hat time. I read that Zelensky met with several democrat congressmen before he met with President Trump and I think they told him to sabotage the meeting. They didn't want President Trump to have a 'victory' because during the campaign he frequently said that he would stop the war in the first weeks of his presidency. The shocked look on Zelensky's face as he was leaving the White House was delicious.

I listened to the meeting and although I am a big Trump fan he was brutal. From what I understood going into it was that Trump was interested in Ukraine's mineral rights in exchange for more protection and help to attain a truce that benefitted Ukraine. Naturally, if Ukraine were to give up mineral rights they would like to be sure that the US would back that the truce held. Trump and Vance both got indigent and ripped Zelensky a new one. This is not how I was taught to negotiate high ticket sales as I have been that game for over 40 years. The take away is don't make the other person lose face, which Zelensky did. You ight take that hill but you don't know what's coming up and ight want this person's help.

People getting angry, charges and countercharges, is the negotiating process, which is what is unfolding before us. Thanks to Trump for getting everyone talking about how to resolve this war. The deaths and financial costs are immense, so emotions are very high. It cannot be resolved as quickly as everyone would like. Diplomacy is continuing the discussions, and forget about personal offenses, which are little to bear in comparison to being shot on the battlefield, forced from your homes with bombs, or bankrupted. We have to endure the temper tantrums, and let the parties wear themselves down to where they are ready to deal with rationality and realities. We have to live with these people now, and will have to do so after any deal.

How did this unfunny lowlife comedian con himself into the presidency of Ukraine?

President Trump had had enough of Zelesky's game-playing. {DJT was once escribed by his daughter as being "blunt", the dictionary defines that as "uncompromisingly straightforward". Works for me. PDJT won't tolerate anyone who plays games, and in this case tje stakes are very high. A fool like Zelensky COULD set off WWWIII.. Zelensky disrespected our Presiident and our country. There was no reason for PDJT to tiptoe or take care of Z's feelings.

Aside from all of the negotiating advice coming in, I have one piece of advice that should be headed, at your peril. Never, ever interrupt the president of the United States and attemp to talk over him. That goes double if the POTUS is Trump. Never contradict him, never attempt to humiliate him, never attemp to upstage him, especially when you have come hat in hand begging for aid. Zelensky poisoned his own well, and Trump will get his pound of flesh.

We have given him $183 B in aid. He should be crawling on his hands and knees kissing the feet of all Americans.

My understanding was that the rare earth mineral rigjts were to be security for the billions the United States has already laid on Unkraine and Zelensky. Are you really happy just gifting those billions to them? Or simply keeping fingers crossed that they will repay? Seriously? PDJT wanted security, just as with any loan... As for a sales negotiation, it was Zelensky who came selling and did it very, very badly.

Well said poster 5.

"Sacred" unless a Democrat occupies it.

Zelensky poorly represented his country by showing up for high stakes negotiation with the two most powerful leaders in the world, while looking like he had just crawled out of bed and ran a hand through his hair. He used poor judgment in consorting with Democrat Trump haters who had just been handed a resounding defeat by President Trump with a clear mandate from the American people to carry out his policies, and following their advice. Also, his arrogant attitude and reliance on a public opinion victory over Trump was ridiculous, when the lost credibility, respect and power of their Democrat media colleagues couldn’t achieve one for themselves. The American people are fed up to the gills with throwing away their own livelihoods to the greedy and reckless hands of pretentious users and liars who claim compassion and care - here and abroad - but, demonstrate the opposite. Americans have “unburdened themselves of what has been” so to speak. Sadly, Zelensky squandered an opportunity for the Ukrainian people to do the same. Perhaps there is still hope for them, if his proposed impeachment is successful.

Personally, I think this should not have happened in front of the cameras. To normies it was a bit shocking, but this kind of back and forth, disagreement, argument, compromise goes on all the time behind closed doors. I hope that Trump can negotiate a deal, but I'm not sure that Putin nor Zelensky can be trusted.

#2~ “From what I understood going into it was that Trump was interested in Ukraine's mineral rights in exchange for more protection and help to attain a truce that benefitted Ukraine.” / According to Marco Rubio, the ONLY reason Volodymyr Zelensky was at the White House on February 28th was to “sign the deal for minerals.” Separately, NOT part of the agenda for the February 28th meeting, this country’s plan had been clearly explained as “wanting to get the Russians to a negotiating table...to explore whether peace is possible.” If memory hasn’t failed, the mineral rights has nothing to do with a truce between Russia and Ukraine or insuring ‘the US would back’ Ukraine for the holding of a truce. The ONLY reason Americans would be in Ukraine would be for minerals. Further, as explained by Marco Rubio, 'Don't come here and create a scenario where you're going to start lecturing us about how diplomacy isn't going to work. Zelensky took it in that direction and it ended in a predictable outcome as a result. ... That act of open undermining is deeply frustrating for everyone who’s been involved. He should apologize for wasting our time.” The February 28th meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky had nothing to do with negotiations involving Russia; the minerals negotiation was tied to the financial aid America gave to Ukraine. #12~ “Personally, I think this should not have happened in front of the cameras.” / Unexpected things happen in life and this was one of them; how it plays out in time to come remains to be seen but it certainly provided an opportunity for Americans to observe Volodymyr Zelensky’s live behavior that included his seeming assumption that President Trump’s “fight, fight, fight” declaration immediately following the attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania as a directive for Ukraine to “fight, fight, fight” is not accurate.

What #13 said. Chapter and verse.

And by the way, Z, we are also disappointed that your airplane spewed several thousand pounds of carbon into the atmosphere just so you could get some time out of Ukraine and annoy Trump and Vance with your short-sighted tripe.