British Media Is Hysterical Over J.D. Vance’s Sober Analysis Of Ukraine War

The British media characterized the vice president's comments as a dismissal of France and the United Kingdom's military contributions.

Treasury Secretary Bessent: US-Ukrainian economic deal is dead in the water



President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to Washington, D.C., on Friday to finalize a deal that would afford America access to some of his country's natural wealth in exchange for investments in a reconstruction fund and a U.S. economic presence that could serve as a deterrent to future aggression from without.

Following his heated exchange with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office, Zelenskyy was reportedly told to leave the White House before the agreement could be signed. Trump noted on Truth Social, "He can come back when he is ready for Peace."

According to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the so-called minerals deal — which he referred to as a "general economic agreement" — is off the table in the interim.

Bessent, who was present for the ill-fated meeting with the Ukrainian president as well as for previous attempts at closing the deal, told CBS News' Margaret Brennan on Sunday that "it is impossible to have an economic deal without a peace deal. The sine qua non for an economic deal is that Ukrainian leadership wants a peace deal."

Zelenskyy confirmed Wednesday that he was unsuccessful in pushing for an explicit security guarantee in the deal from the United States, reported the BBC.

'This is one of the biggest own goals in diplomatic history.'

"I wanted to have a sentence on security guarantees for Ukraine, and it's important that it's there," said Zelenskyy.

"I want to find a NATO path or something similar," he continued, adding, "If we don't get security guarantees, we won't have a ceasefire, nothing will work, nothing."

Although Bessent, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and others in the administration figured they had made clear to the Ukrainian leadership that peace was a prerequisite for greater American involvement and that the deal was itself a de facto security guarantee, Zelenskyy cast doubt on the value of diplomacy during the Friday meeting, citing the possibility that Russian President Vladimir Putin might violate a ceasefire.

The treasury secretary told Brennan that the initial plan was for Zelenskyy to join around 16 individuals for lunch where the deal would be signed after the press conference in the Oval Office.

"We were already set up to sign the deal," said Bessent. "President Zelenskyy has thrown off the sequencing."

"Let me tell you the most tragic part of this," continued the treasury secretary. "President Trump's idea for this economic arrangement was to further intertwine the American people and Ukrainian people and show no daylight — to show the Russian leadership that there was no daylight. And President Zelenskyy came into the Oval Office and tried to relitigate in front of the world the deal."

Bessent suggested that absent a desire on Zelenskyy's part to strike a peace deal, the economic deal is dead in the water.

"I think we have to see if President Zelenskyy wants to proceed," said Bessent. "What's the use in having an economic agreement that's going to be rendered moot if he wants the fighting to continue?"

Bessent told Fox News' Laura Ingraham hours after the foiled deal closing, "This is one of the biggest own goals in diplomatic history."

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Sen. Graham's support for Zelenskyy slips following heated Oval Office exchange



Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina came out against President Volodymyr Zelenskyy despite previously funneling aid to Ukraine.

This change in tone comes after Zelenskyy's remarkably heated exchange with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office on Friday as America mediates peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. As a result of the escalated exchange, the joint presser between Trump and Zelenskyy as well as the signing of the minerals deal was canceled.

'Either he dramatically changes, or you need to get somebody new.'

"He disrespected the United States of America in its cherished Oval Office," Trump said in a statement Friday. "He can come back when he is ready for Peace.”

As a result of the tense shouting match, Zelenskyy managed to lose the support from one of his most reliable advocates on the Hill.

"I urged him to stay on message," Graham said of Zelenskyy. "Be grateful, be thankful. We'll talk about details and security guarantees later. Keep it upbeat. Keep it positive."

"It was an absolute, utter disaster," Graham said. "The question for me is: Is he redeemable in the eyes of Americans? Most Americans witnessing what they saw today would not want Zelenskyy to be his business partner, including me, and I've been to Ukraine nine times since the war started. I met with him this morning."

ZELENSKYY HAS OFFICIALLY LOST LINDSEY GRAHAM: “For the Ukrainian people… Either Zelenskyy dramatically changes or you need to get somebody new.” pic.twitter.com/0fINT2hwgm
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) February 28, 2025
 

Graham referred to the meeting as "a missed opportunity," questioning the efficacy of Zelenskyy's leadership going forward.

"You don't trifle with this man," Graham said of Trump. "He was very positive. He was very upbeat. He wanted to get a ceasefire. He wants to end the war. And Zelenskyy felt like he needed to debate Trump in the Oval Office."

"This was a missed opportunity," Graham added. "I don't know if Zelenskyy can ever get you to where you want to go with the United States. Either he dramatically changes, or you need to get somebody new."

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