6 Things To Know About 2019 Impeachment Coup Against Trump, As New Docs Confirm Federalist Reporting
It’s been a long six and a half years since the first sham impeachment of Trump, but the story isn’t over.It’s been a long six and a half years since the first sham impeachment of Trump, but the story isn’t over.Frustrated Trump calls for Ukrainian election after Zelenskyy seemingly torpedoes another peace opportunity
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has effectively torpedoed President Donald Trump's peace plan.
After his meeting on Monday with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and French President Emmanuel Macron — who reportedly suggested last week that the U.S. might "betray" Ukraine — Zelenskyy reportedly told reporters that Kyiv will not cede any territory to Russia.
'A lot of people are dying. So it would be really good if he'd read it. His people loved the proposal.'
"We have no right to give anything away — not under our laws, not under international law, not under moral law," said Zelenskyy, reported the New York Post. "Russia is, of course, insisting that we give up territory. We, of course, do not want to give up anything — that is precisely what we are fighting for, as you are well aware."
Zelenskyy, whom Trump accused in February of "gambling with the lives of millions of people," added, "To be honest, the Americans are looking for a compromise today."
Russia, which has slowly captured additional territory over the past year, presently occupies around 20% of the entire country and most of the Donbas — including all of the Luhansk region, most of the largely Russian-speaking Donetsk region, much of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, and parts of the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
Under the Trump administration's initial 28-point peace plan, embraced by Moscow but rejected by Kyiv and European leaders,
- the U.S. would recognize Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk as de facto Russian;
- Kherson and Zaporizhzhia would be divided along the current line of contact;
- Russia would cede other territories under its control outside the five regions; and
- Ukrainian forces would abandon the part of Donetsk Oblast currently under their control, leaving it as a demilitarized buffer zone.
Trump has long maintained that Kyiv will have to make some territorial concessions to bring an end to war that has resulted in millions of casualties. In August, for instance, the president said that while the U.S. seeks to negotiate for some of the Russia-occupied territories back for Ukraine, inevitably "there will be some land swapping going on. I know that through Russia and through conversations with everybody."
On Monday, Zelenskyy suggested that he and Trump see things differently, stating that Trump "certainly wants to end the war. ... Surely, he has his own vision. We live here, from within we see details and nuances, we perceive everything much deeper, because this is our motherland."
'It gets to a point where it's not a democracy anymore.'
Trump said in an interview with Politico on Monday that while he credits the Ukrainian people for their bravery in defending their homeland, Russia is presently in the stronger negotiating position and "size will win, generally." Accordingly Ukraine has to "play ball," suggested the president, who was uncertain about whether Zelenskyy had even bothered to read the latest peace proposals.
"That's as of yesterday. Maybe he's read it over the night," said Trump. "It would be nice if he would read it. You know, a lot of people are dying. So it would be really good if he'd read it. His people loved the proposal. They really liked it. His lieutenants, his top people, they liked it, but they said he hasn't read it yet. I think he should find time to read it."
Zelenskyy indicated this week that he will provide Washington with his views on the current U.S. peace plan — which has reportedly shed eight of the original points Zelenskyy characterized as "anti-Ukrainian" — on Tuesday night but not until he discusses with European leaders the "reparations loan and security guarantees" he regards as critical to the peace process.
When asked what would happen if Zelenskyy rejected the deal, Trump said, "He's gonna have to get on the ball and start accepting things." As for the European leaders who appear keen to involve themselves in the process, Trump said, "They talk but they don't produce, and the war just keeps going on and on."
Trump noted further that it's time now — 18 months after Zelenskyy's term was originally scheduled to end and in the midst of an ever-worsening corruption scandal involving Zelenskyy's administration and close allies — for a Ukrainian presidential election.
"It's been a long time," said Trump.
"I think it's an important time to hold an election. They're using war not to hold an election, but I would think the Ukrainian people would, should have that choice. And maybe Zelenskyy would win. I don't know who would win. But they haven't had an election in a long time. You know, they talk about a democracy, but it gets to a point where it's not a democracy anymore."
Zelenskyy said in a statement on Tuesday, "We are committed to a real peace and remain in constant contact with the United States. And as our partners in the negotiating teams rightly note, everything depends on whether Russia is ready to take effective steps to stop the bloodshed and prevent the war from reigniting."
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European leaders gossip about US amid apparent efforts to torpedo Trump's Russia-Ukraine peace deal: Report
President Donald Trump and members of his administration have worked doggedly over the past year to broker a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine.
While there have been multiple instances when an end to the bloodshed appeared within reach, Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin have both repeatedly thrown up obstacles to sealing the deal — in most cases over proposals regarding territorial concessions and security guarantees for Kyiv.
There are, however, others actors in the mix who appear content to stymie the U.S.-mediated peace negotiations.
English-language notes allegedly detailing a conference call held on Monday between Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and numerous other EU leaders revealed the extent of the contempt and distrust some European leaders have for the United States as it relates to Washington's role in the peace talks.
According to the notes that were leaked to the German publication Der Spiegel, Macron suggested that there was a chance that the U.S. — a nation that has kept Ukraine viable with the help of hundreds of billions of dollars and top-notch armaments as well as by sanctioning its foe — might "betray" Ukraine.
"There is a chance that the U.S. will betray Ukraine on territory without clarity on security guarantees," Macron reportedly said, adding that the territorial matter presents "a big danger" for Zelenskyy.
Macron was among the EU leaders who rejected Trump's original 28-point peace plan last month and echoed an old complaint that certain proposals would require EU consent. His office has claimed that he "did not express himself in these words" as described in the notes but did not indicate how he had expressed himself.
RELATED: Zelenskyy's hold on power uncertain as criminal charges reach his inner circle
Merz, whose nation is set to pass a new conscription scheme, reportedly said that Zelenskyy must be "very careful" in the talks ahead, noting that "they are playing games with both you and us." Der Spiegel indicated that the "they" Merz referred to was likely Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who have been working on the peace negotiations.
Alexander Stubb — the Finnish president who complained in a recent interview that "all the conditions for a just peace we’ve talked so much about over the past four years are unlikely to be fulfilled" — reportedly said on the conference call, "We must not leave Ukraine and Volodymyr alone with these guys," again apparently referring to the U.S. representatives.
The notes for the call, which several participants confirmed to Der Spiegel had taken place, indicate that Rutte agreed, stating, "I agree with Alexander that we need to protect Volodymyr."
While a spokesperson for Zelenskyy told Der Spiegel he did not want to comment on the content of the call, the Ukrainian president said in a statement on Thursday, "Ukraine is prepared for any possible developments, and of course we will work as constructively as possible with all partners to ensure that peace is achieved — and that it is, after all, a dignified peace. Only a dignified peace provides real security, and we fully understand that this requires — and will continue to require — the support of our partners."
The White House did not respond to Blaze News' request for comment.
On Tuesday, Putin suggested European leaders were undermining the peace process, stating, "They don’t have a peace agenda; they’re on the side of the war," reported the Associated Press.
The Russian president further accused the Europeans of introducing "demands that are absolutely unacceptable to Russia," thereby "blocking the entire peace process."
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Another historic peace imminent? Ukraine signals support for altered version of Trump's peace plan
President Donald Trump has in recent months brokered peaceful resolutions between numerous warring parties, including Israel and Hamas; Azerbaijan and Armenia; Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Cambodia and Thailand; and India and Pakistan.
The major peace he campaigned on securing between Ukraine and Russia has, however, proven elusive.
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his government's representative to the U.N. appeared to reject the fundamentals of the Trump administration's 28-point plan for peace.
The plan would have: barred Ukraine from NATO, having an army exceeding 600,000 men, and acquiring nukes but provided Kyiv with a NATO-style security guarantee from the U.S.; recognized much of the occupied territory in eastern Ukraine as Russian; set the stage for an American-backed rebuilding of Ukraine; and granted full amnesty to all parties involved in the conflict.
'Don't believe it until you see it.'
While apparently averse to several of the 28 points, Kyiv has, however, since expressed support for an altered version of the peace plan, the details of which Trump and Zelenskyy — who has reportedly not authorized anyone but himself to discuss territorial matters — may soon iron out at the White House.
An official briefed on the negotiations told the Washington Post that Trump's peace plan had been reduced from 28 points to 19 points by Monday. A European official briefed on the talks suggested that some of the provisions concerning European security didn't make it to the new draft.
Ukrainian delegate Oleksandr Bevz noted, "Many of the controversial provisions were either softened or at least reshaped" to get Kyiv on board.
RELATED: Zelenskyy's hold on power uncertain as criminal charges reach his inner circle
After Ukraine's delegation returned from Geneva, where they met over the weekend to discuss the American peace proposal with representatives of the Trump administration, Zelenskyy said in a statement on Monday evening that "now the list of necessary steps to end the war can become doable. As of now, after Geneva, there are fewer points — no longer 28 — and many of the right elements have been taken into account in this framework."
"Our team has reported on the new draft of steps, and this is indeed the right approach," continued Zelenskyy. "I will discuss the sensitive issues with President Trump."
Echoing Zelenskyy, Ukraine's national security secretary Rustem Umerov announced that the U.S. and Ukrainian delegations "reached a common understanding on the core terms of the agreement discussed in Geneva."
Amid U.S. Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll's meetings on Tuesday with Russian and Ukrainian officials in Abu Dhabi, which a spokesman said were "going well," a U.S. official told CNN that "the Ukrainians have agreed to the peace deal. There are some minor details to be sorted out, but they have agreed to a peace deal."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Tuesday that "tremendous progress towards a peace deal" has been made, adding that "there are a few delicate, but not insurmountable, details that must be sorted out and will require further talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio effectively said the same thing days earlier, adding, "I honestly believe we'll get there."
During a press conference with the Belarusian foreign minister on Tuesday, Russian foreign affairs minister Sergey Lavrov noted that Moscow "welcomed" the 28-point plan but will consider the "interim" plan produced by Washington, Kyiv, and the Europeans in the coming days.
Lavrov noted, however, that Russia expects the peace plan to adhere to the terms President Vladimir Putin discussed with Trump during their August summit in Anchorage.
"We are not hurrying. We're not pushing our American counterparts. We have waited a long time since Anchorage," said Lavrov. "We are only reminding them that we stick to those agreements."
Lavrov added, "If the spirit and letter of Anchorage is erased in terms of the key understandings we have established then, of course, it will be a fundamentally different situation."
Trump noted in a Truth Social post on Monday, "Is it really possible that big progress is being made in Peace Talks between Russia and Ukraine??? Don't believe it until you see it, but something good just may be happening. GOD BLESS AMERICA!"
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Warmongers Dredge Up Neville Chamberlain (Again) To Bash Trump’s Ukraine Peace Negotiations
How many times do I have to teach you this lesson about appeasement, warmongers?Zelenskyy's hold on power uncertain as criminal charges reach his inner circle
Volodymyr Zelenskyy — the Ukrainian leader who suspended elections, dissolved rival parties, sanctioned a political opponent on suspicion of "high treason," consolidated Ukraine's media outlets, banned a Christian denomination, and remains president despite his term officially ending 18 months ago — rose to power on a pledge to give Ukrainians "a life without corruption, without bribes."
Zelenskyy's hold on power, however, now appears uncertain, as it is threatened by a historic corruption scandal that has swept up some of his closest allies.
Zelenskyy, allies prove unable to hinder probe
Earlier this year, the Ukrainian president and his closest aides attempted to neutralize the independent anti-corruption agencies that were scrutinizing Zelenskyy's inner circle.
In July, Zelenskyy's party pushed through legislation stripping Ukraine's National Anticorruption Bureau of its independence and giving the prosecutor general, a Zelenskyy appointee, oversight. This took place the day after the State Bureau of Investigation — which is helmed by a Zelenskyy loyalist — arrested NABU officials and conducted numerous raids of corruption fighters' homes.
'Zelensky faces a day of reckoning.'
The director of the anti-corruption bureau, Semen Kryvonos, indicated at the time that "this pressure campaign is a direct response to the effectiveness of our investigations, including those targeting high-ranking officials and members of Parliament."
The Financial Times indicated that in the face of mass protests and outrage from Ukraine's Western partners, Zelenskyy and his allies ultimately had to abandon their efforts to torpedo the 15-month investigation.
Zelenskyy desperately condemns his close allies
Despite the obstacles erected by the regime, the anti-corruption investigation conducted by NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office exposed an alleged $100 million kickback scheme in which Zelenskyy officials and business figures allegedly conspired to force suppliers to Ukraine's nuclear power company, Energoatom, to pay kickbacks valued at 10%-15% of each contract's value.
In their searches of suspects' residences, law enforcement reportedly found duffel bags filled with cash and, in one case, a Kyiv apartment with a golden toilet.
Kryvonos indicated the funds allegedly pilfered as part of the scheme have largely been dispersed through a number of foreign nations and used to purchase property and other assets, reported the Wall Street Journal.
The Ukrainian president — who was "floored" by the scale of the charges made against members of his ruling clique, sources in the government told the Economist — has done his apparent best to distance himself from those named in the criminal corruption probe, which has been dubbed Operation Midas.
For instance, Zelenskyy, who was not named in the corruption probe, imposed sanctions last week on one of his closest associates and former business partner, Timur Mindich.
Mindich, who fled to Israel just prior to NABU's Nov. 10 raids, has been charged with allegedly managing a criminal organization that laundered millions of dollars.
Mindich is reportedly a close business associate of Israeli-Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoysky, a backer of Zelenskyy's presidential campaign who was arrested by the Security Service of Ukraine in 2023 on fraud and money-laundering charges, and a relative of Leonid Mindich, who was arrested by Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities earlier this year on charges of embezzling $16 million from an electric power company.
Zelenskyy also asked his ministers of justice and energy — German Halushchenko and Svitlana Grynchuk — to resign last week, stating, "This is also a matter of trust. If there are accusations, they must be addressed. The decision to dismiss them from office is prompt and necessary."
Grynchuk said in a Facebook post, "There have been no violations of the law in the course of my personal activities."
Halushchenko, who served as energy minister until his dismissal in July and was removed as justice minister on Nov. 12, has indicated that he will defend himself against the accusations.
According to Ukrainska Pravda, Timur Mindich allegedly built connections with Halushchenko through his relationship with Zelenskyy and then exerted influence over both the ex-justice minister and Rustem Umerov, secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council and ex-defense minister.
Although Umerov is presently in the U.S., Ukraine's Center for Counter Disinformation indicated he is planning to return to Ukraine despite reports that he was hoping to stay abroad to avoid charges.
Other suspects tied to the alleged kickback scheme reportedly include:
- Ihor Myroniuk, an ex-adviser to Halushchenko and former deputy head of the State Property Fund whose lawyer claims he was not a member of a criminal organization;
- former Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Chernyshov, a close Zelenskyy ally who was removed from his position in July after being charged with bribery and abuse of office, then arrested on Tuesday on charges of illicit enrichment in connection with the alleged kickback scheme;
- Serhiy Pushkar, a current member of the National Energy Commission;
- Oleksandr Tsukerman, a Ukrainian businessman accused of running the money laundering back office in the scheme, who reportedly left Ukraine for Israel and denies wrongdoing; and
- Dmytro Basov, former head of the Energoatom security department, who also denied any wrongdoing.
Daria Kaleniuk, executive director at the Anti-Corruption Action Center in Kyiv, told France 24 on Monday that the investigation is far from over and that Zelenskyy has to look very closely into his closest inner circle, starting with his chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, who Kaleniuk claimed is wielding unconstitutional powers in the country and is at the heart of the problem.
"If there will be more attempts from Zelenskyy to attack anti-corruption bodies like there was attempt[ed] in summer, there would be also for me the clear signal that Volodomyr Zelenskyy didn't learn his lesson," added Kaleniuk.
Sources close to the anti-corruption bodies made clear to the Economist that the investigation's next phase may focus on corruption in the defense sector, which may prompt greater demands for a full reset of the Ukrainian government.
"Zelenskyy faces a day of reckoning," a senior official told the Economist. "The choice isn’t great. Either he amputates a leg, or he gets an infection going through the whole body and dies."
"I think that right now, both society and the political class understand that a political crisis would be too dangerous," Volodymyr Fesenko, a political scientist based in Kyiv, told the Financial Times. "A lot depends on the next steps of the investigation, if new information comes out that involves Zelenskyy or the office of the president ... then of course, it'll be a new round."
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Trump gives Zelenskyy reality check in alleged 'shouting match' before sending him on his way
President Donald Trump has worked ardently to bring an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine — a war that has resulted in millions of casualties and transformed much of Eastern Ukraine into drone-netted wasteland.
Fresh off brokering a tenuous ceasefire in Gaza and speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday.
'They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide!'
While Trump suggested on social media that the meeting was "cordial," there are reports indicating that it descended at times into a "shouting match" reminiscent of Zelenskyy's disastrous visit to the White House in February.
Zelenskyy evidently saw his trip to the White House as an opportunity to ask Trump for long-range Tomahawk missiles. The Ukrainian president seeks to use such missiles in concert with long-range drones to strike targets deep inside Russia, including military bases, factories, oil infrastructure, and command centers — as well as Moscow — in hopes of turning the tide in the war and improving Kiev's position in future negotiations.
In exchange for the Tomahawk cruise missiles, Zelenskyy — who spoke earlier in the day with representatives of Raytheon, the manufacturer of Tomahawk missiles — indicated that Kiev could provide the U.S. with some advanced drones.
Trump, who allegedly cursed repeatedly during the meeting, poured cold water on the idea. Rather than hand over weapons that he believes America should retain for its own defense and, in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war, would amount to an escalation, Trump once again impressed on Zelenskyy the need to negotiate an immediate end to the war.
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Trump echoed this suggestion Friday evening on Truth Social, writing, "I told him, as I likewise strongly suggested to President Putin, that it is time to stop the killing, and make a DEAL! Enough blood has been shed, with property lines being defined by War and Guts."
"They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide!" continued Trump. "No more shooting, no more Death, no more vast and unsustainable sums of money spent."
The Financial Times, citing a European official briefed on the meeting, reported that Trump told Zelenskyy that it was imperative that he make a deal to end the war, allegedly noting that "if [Putin] wants it, he will destroy you."
There are, however, conflicting reports about the contentiousness of Trump's meeting with Zelenskyy.
One EU diplomat told Politico, for instance, that the meeting was "not as bleak as reported."
A pair of Republican foreign policy experts with direct knowledge of the meeting suggested Trump had not engaged in any cursing.
One GOP foreign policy expert characterized the meeting as "a dud for the Ukrainians rather than a disaster." The other suggested that "it wasn’t a bad meeting, just a victim of poor timing and inflated expectations."
Blaze News has reached out to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.
The European official further told the Times that at one point during the meeting, Trump brushed aside one of Ukraine's maps of the battlefield, saying the sight of it made him "sick."
"This red line, I don't even know where this is," Trump allegedly said.
Russia presently occupies around 20% of the entire country and most of the Donbas — including all of the Luhansk region, most of the largely Russian-speaking Donetsk region, much of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, and parts of the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
While Moscow has made gradual territorial gains over the past year, recent analysis by the Institute for the Study of War suggests that Russian forces are several years away from capturing the remainder of the Donetsk region, which "contains territory that is strategically vital for Ukraine’s defense and defense industrial base."
Two senior officials familiar with Trump's conversation last week with Putin told the Washington Post that the Russian president has conditioned ending the war on Ukraine's surrender of Donetsk — a proposal Zelenskyy apparently remains unwilling to accept.
Zelenskyy — whose term officially ended in May 2024 — told reporters after his meeting with the American president that Putin had asked Trump to "withdraw from the Donbas — not the entire east, but specifically the Donbas, that is, completely from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions."
The Ukrainian president suggested further that he "made it clear" to Trump "that Ukraine's stance in this context remains unchanged."
"Trump wants a quick victory — an end to the war — and that would be a victory for all reasonable people," Zelenskyy later told reporters. "Putin, however, wants the total occupation of Ukraine."
Zelenskyy said in an address on Saturday, "We will give nothing to the aggressor."
'Zelenskyy was very negative.'
President Trump said in an interview with Fox News' Maria Bartiromo that aired on Sunday, "[Putin is] going to take something. I mean, they fought, and he has a lot of property. I mean, you know, he's won certain property."
Trump told reporters on Sunday, "We think that what they should do is just stop at the lines where they are — the battle lines."
As for the Donbas region, Trump said, "I think 78% of the land is already taken by Russia. You leave it the way it is right now."
Although Zelenskyy suggested the needle had been moved where ending the war was concerned, another European official briefed on the Friday meeting told the Financial Times that "Zelenskyy was very negative" after the American president sent him on his way.
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The Ukraine War Was Always Going To End This Way
From the very beginning it was clear that Ukraine’s borders, a relic of Soviet propaganda, would have to change.Trump says he knows exactly why Putin wouldn't have invaded Ukraine if he was president
President Donald Trump said the reason Russia invaded Ukraine under President Biden instead of himself is obvious.
Trump had a historic meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday to discuss the possibility of peace with Ukraine. In a press conference after their discussion, Putin confirmed Trump's long-held claim that he would not have started a war with the Ukraine if Trump was in the Oval Office at the time, in early 2022.
Speaking with Fox News' Sean Hannity soon after, Trump said he knew exactly why that invasion happened under President Biden, and not under his watch.
'He said your election was rigged because you have mail-in voting.'
Hannity brought up Putin's statement, and asked if the Russian leader gave specific reasons as to why he made the remark.
"He did," Trump began. "I know the reason, it's gross incompetence. We have a border that is totally close now and people come in, but they come in legally."
Trump revealed that not only did Putin say that if he had won the 2020 presidential election "we wouldn't have had a war," but also that Trump was cheated out of an election victory, as well.
The POTUS said that Putin pinpointed mail-in voting as the apparatus Democrats used to rig the election.
"He said your election was rigged because you have mail-in voting. He said mail-in voting, every election, he said no country has mail-in voting. It is impossible to have mail-in voting and have honest elections," Trump recalled, claiming that Putin said he won the presidency "by so much."
The 47th president explained that Putin also complimented the quick turnaround the United States has had since Biden left office, and that the U.S. is "hot as a pistol."
"A year ago he thought [the country] was dead," Trump relayed.
Trump also referred to the 2020 election as a "tragedy" because Biden taking office actually produced "something that was unthinkable."
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"He drove China and Russia together. That's not good," Trump continued. To counter this, the president said he wants to make sure America and Russia can work together.
Fox News White House correspondent Edward Lawrence reported that a significant chunk of the meeting was actually based on making business deals between Russia and the United States. This included talks about rare-Earth minerals that are in contested locations, and therefore could end up being shared by Russia and the U.S. in a future trade deal.
After rating the meeting with Putin a "10 out of 10," Trump said there were two "pretty significant items" that could be reached between the Russians and Ukrainians.
Hannity presented possible concessions that he felt Ukraine likely needed to make in order for Russia to accept peace, which included "land swaps," meaning "there will be more Russian territory than there had been," as well as "security measures" for Ukraine that will not rely on NATO.
Trump replied that those points were in fact negotiated, and were also "largely" agreed upon.
"Now it is really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done," Trump added, saying that he wanted to attend a meeting between the two foreign leaders out of necessity, not desire.
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Vance makes one thing abundantly clear ahead of Trump's big ceasefire meeting with Putin
President Donald Trump made good on yet another campaign promise last week, brokering a historic peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan — two nations that have been spilling blood for decades over territory in the Caucasus Mountains.
Trump pulled off this latest deal after securing peaceful resolutions between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cambodia and Thailand, and India and Pakistan. Trump, now on a roll, appears poised to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.
'We're done with the funding of the Ukraine war business. We want to bring about a peaceful settlement to this thing.'
To this end, Trump announced on Friday that he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Aug. 15. He told reporters the peace deal would likely involve "some swapping of territories to the betterment of both."
Hours after Trump's announcement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared a video suggesting Kyiv would not make territorial concessions — a possible obstacle to a settlement.
After stating, "Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier," Zelenskyy said that "any decisions that are against us, any decisions that are made without Ukraine, are at the same time decisions against peace. They will not achieve anything. These are unworkable decisions."
Vice President JD Vance, who has previously made his frustration with Zelenskyy known, told Maria Bartiromo in a "Sunday Morning Futures" interview recorded on Friday that neither side will be particularly happy about the settlement, and that one way or another, "we're done with the funding of the Ukraine war business. We want to bring about a peaceful settlement to this thing."
RELATED: Trump makes good on MAJOR campaign promise, brokering a 'historic peace'
The United States has committed hundreds of billions of dollars to Ukraine since its invasion by Russia in February 2022, outspending Europe on propping up Kyiv well into this year.
In addition to taxpayer dollars for the beleaguered nation's humanitarian and budget support, the U.S. has poured well over $70 billion worth of weapons, equipment, and other military support into Ukraine — including long-range Army Tactical Missile System missiles.
Trump announced in July that the U.S. would supply Ukraine with "various pieces of very sophisticated military" equipment, including Patriot air defense batteries; however, European nations would foot the bill.
"We're in for about $350 billion. Europe is in for $100 billion. That's a lot of money, 100, but they should be in actually for more than us," Trump said. "So as we send equipment, they are going to reimburse us for that equipment."
— (@)
While American military aid is becoming increasingly mediated by European nations, Vance hinted in his interview with Bartiromo that Washington retains sufficient economic leverage over Kyiv to compel it to negotiate, even if the terms are at first blush unacceptable to Zelenskyy.
"The reason that we reached this decisive moment, a real change in where we were, is because the president was willing to apply some significant pressure and actually say, 'If you don't come to the table, the American people — we're not going to get involved in this war directly, but we have a lot of economic points of leverage and we're willing to use those to bring about peace.'"
'Americans are sick of continuing to send their money, their tax dollars to this particular conflict.'
Trump has applied pressure in both directions.
In an effort to get Putin to the negotiating table, Trump threatened last week to apply a 25% tariff on goods from importers of Russian oil. After observing in March that Zelenskyy was "not ready for Peace if America is involved," Trump ordered a brief pause on all military aid being sent to Ukraine.
Both foreign leaders appear to have reacted to Trump's diplomatic spurring.
Vance emphasized that the peace deal is "not going to make anybody super happy. Both the Russians and the Ukrainians, probably, at the end of the day, are going to be unhappy with it."
While the Ukrainians and Russians won't be happy, Vance hinted that there will be at least one major cohort pleased to see the fighting end, noting, "Americans are sick of continuing to send their money, their tax dollars to this particular conflict."
The vice president indicated that a trilateral summit is now in the cards but that it would not be productive to have Zelenskyy attend the Friday summit in Alaska.
Blaze News has reached out to the White House and to the State Department for comment.
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