OPINION: After an interesting six weeks, a peace deal is coming for Ukraine
The past six weeks have certainly been an interesting time in American politics. I must admit to being glued to the news, checking each morning to see what President Donald Trump has been up to and who thinks the sky is falling today. I am cheering on Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Keep finding the waste and fraud, but please be a bit more careful about firing people we need. Reviews done by new Trump appointees would be a good start in avoiding those kinds of errors.
It’s been challenging to find out the truth — or as radio commentator Paul Harvey would say, “the rest of the story” — so I end up watching channels that do the least amount of editorializing. As such, I can hear what the man has actually said in entirety. With Trump, if you don’t hear his entire speech, beginning to end, then you are more than likely to be duped by the liberal news media into believing something quite the opposite of what he meant.
This Monday morning as I write this, my news perusal was well rewarded as I see Trump has got pretty much exactly what he wanted out of the Ukrainian screenplay starring President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vice President JD Vance and himself. The European nations have seen that the purse strings have been tightly closed by Trump. He seems to think that spending $183 billion since February of 2022 on a foreign war is quite enough and that we should start looking at how to end the war, not just how to fund it.
It appears that after being escorted out of the White House, Zelenskyy flew straight to the United Kingdom, where he received a “loan” for $2.26 billion. (No doubt a deal was already on the table.) Along with those funds, Zelenskyy received strong assurances that the European nations would step up to the plate and fight the aggression staged by Vladimir Putin and Russia. Of course, they all want assurances from the U.S. that we will back them. They will get that in the form of us getting the rare earth mineral rights in Ukraine. Anyone with a brain knows that if we (the U.S.) make the kind of investment that requires, then we are going to protect it from Russia.
Russia knows that, too. So does Zelenskyy. This is how the U.S. protects Ukraine without us agreeing to let them join NATO. Russia gets its way by Ukraine not joining NATO and saves face. Ukraine gets its way by having our protection and presence as well as the backing of Europe and a path for reconstruction and economic development.
Why no NATO for Ukraine? Because if Ukraine is a member, we are bound by NATO to protect it. That means if Russia invades Ukraine, the U.S. will have to put American boots on the ground. Our young men and women will die defending the Ukraine. I don’t know about you, but I am tired of sending our troops into other countries’ wars. Enough blood has been spilled without adding ours to it.
Obviously, it isn’t all that cut and dried. And it certainly is not as simple as I suggest. But peace and an agreement we can all live with is well on its way. You’ll never hear it that way on the news. But these days, you have to look behind the curtain to see what is really happening.
Trump will never be predictable because he is neither a politician nor a diplomat. So don’t expect that. Americans knew who he was when they elected him. He has done more in six weeks than the Biden administration did in four years. (I say Biden administration because we know Biden was not running the show. Only his staffers know who was and there are some interesting podcasts done by some of them you should listen to.)
So, to all of you who think the sky is falling, I tell you: The sun is just beginning to shine as the light illuminates some of the fraud and waste in our government — and thank goodness it is. Hold on to your hats, for I believe we are in for a bumpy ride. (Five will get you 10 that by next Monday morning, the deal will be signed.)
Agidius represented Latah and Benewah counties in the Idaho House. She lives in Moscow.
