By Carol Lucas
So, Mr. “Art of the Deal” comes away empty handed.
Despite suffering from, even being in the last throes of TDS, I had hoped for the sake of Ukrainians who are under daily attack that at least a cease fire could be accomplished.
Heaven knows that an overload of fawning was spewed across the screen for the world to observe. A red carpet laid for a world renowned war criminal on American soil; shaking of hands with a couple of extra pats thrown in; a ride in the presidential limo.
After the meeting, when the not-so-informative press conference took place, Putin spoke first — in Russian, despite the fact that he knows English. A foreign leader speaking first on American soil has never happened before. This was a purposeful nod to “I have you right where I want you.”
Perhaps the most galling of all is this: 47 gave Putin his moment in the global spotlight, something he has not been afforded for more than 10 years. The man is a pariah on the international stage, and this preening despot was afforded a lot more courtesy than was the Ukrainian president when he visited the White House. Remember the greeting, “You’re all dressed up today?” with the smirking VP mimicking the same later in the meeting.
I accessed several pictures during my research for this article, and one stands out. Check out the photo on the BBC site — Putin standing there looking smug while 47 has arms outstretched, looking as though he wants to hug him.
In the midst of all this, one fact stands out: the oppressed of this horrible situation had no representative at the table. Yes, I understand the notion of supposedly “paving the way.” But did that happen?
Much of what I read seems to agree that no strategic or political agreement was reached. At a very short press conference, 47 said “there was some great progress made.” However, no details of this greatness were forthcoming. Remember, too, that deal-maker extraordinaire promised earlier this meeting had “only a 25% chance of failure.”
Perhaps for the Ukrainians who were afraid the U.S. would succumb to Putin’s pressure, this was a relief, albeit short-lived.
It’s worth noting that prior to this meeting, 47 threatened (on Fox News) new sanctions on Russia as punishment, should there be no ceasefire agreement. This would occur in a vague two or three weeks. We shall see.
So, what does this much-touted, woefully disappointing “summit” point to for all parties?
I’m no diplomat, just a citizen who takes what is happening to our country seriously. For one, my perception of the whole thing is the old quip, “all show and no go!” Perhaps I’ll be proven wrong, and 47 will come forth with promised sanctions on Russia. If I am wrong, I’ll be very happy to say so although this won’t provide the much needed ceasefire for the beleaguered Ukrainians.
As for Russia, Putin got his spot in the limelight while the leader of the most powerful country in the world fawned and patted. And 47? He got nothing, NOTHING in return.
Score? Russia 10, U.S. 0, Ukraine — the hundreds that will continue to die as a result of Russian aggression.
Make no mistake, this is not a war about territory division. Putin wants all of Ukraine. He does not believe it is a country. And that is just the beginning of Russian aggression.
Those who believe we should just let them “fight it out and the best man wins,” fail to recognize that will be just the beginning. Europe is savvy enough to remember what the product of the encroachment of a dictatorship looks like. They are willing to help the small country that is presently a buffer to a repeat performance.
I discovered that the threat that the United States has over Russia would be a potential total boycott of Russia’s oil production, but that would immediately cause a huge spike in global oil prices. It’s a threat no president seems comfortable delivering on.
However, there are certain things the United States could do that would demonstrate that it’s serious. There’s $300 billion in frozen Russian Central Bank assets sitting in banks around the world. If the United States and Europe launched a plan to take that money and say, we’re going to use it to underwrite all future cooperation with Ukraine, that would be a serious indication of a long-term commitment and it would put real pressure on Putin. (BBC report)
“I thought it was very respectful that the president of Russia is coming to our country as opposed to us going to his country or even a third-party place,” Trump said this week, as his team was rushing to finalize details of the summit. Really?
It is here that I must digress, dear reader, to say that my apparent TDS can’t be nearly as dangerous as willful ignorance.
Meanwhile Ukraine continues to be “the little train that could,” as Zelensky traveled to Washington to meet with the President on Monday. The much-admired addition to this is that he wasn’t alone. Many European NATO representatives, as well as the President of France, were there to support him.
Can you recall any time our history when major European figures had to band together as a force, come to our capital, and support a foreign entity against a perceived American bully president?
Let that sink in!
Carol Lucas is a retired high school teacher and a Lady’s Island resident. She is the author of the recently published “A Breath Away: One Woman’s Journey Through Widowhood.”
