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- cross-posted to:
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Summary
Donald Trump has demanded a $500bn claim on Ukraine’s mineral wealth, including lithium, as compensation for the U.S. military support.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused, insisting on security guarantees and fair investment terms.
Commentators labeled Trump’s demand “mafia imperialism,” stirring major fears of colonial exploitation.
Locals near a potential lithium mine in Kirovohrad region want new jobs but reject Trump’s ultimatum, calling it “blackmail.”
The sooner this war is over and all the fat, American armchair generals find something else to chat about, the better.
I agree that this deal by Trump is exceedingly shitty, but he’s literally just doing what the US always does. The US offers “aid”, but it’s realistically always done so with ulterior motives and side deals in place, just usually more subtle, like requiring a country to put a leader malleable to American corporate interests in place. Crack open an American history book and you’ll see this over and over.
The major criticism here is that a demand this egregious, historically, is almost certainly a precursor to more widespread conflict. Trump’s demands are comparable to those placed on Germany in the wake of WWI, and we all know where that led. Ukraine being the country that was invaded makes this even more vulgar.
The positive thing here is that Europe and others are now taking the threat of Trump and looming fascism a tad more seriously and working to become less dependent on the US, which is objectively a good thing. Also, a shitty end to a war is better than permanent war. I’d rather see this war end in a less-than-ideal way than see another 20 years of dead soldiers, wasted trillions, and THEN a shitty end to the war like what happened in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Biden did not, so “always” is a too strong word. I propose “often”.
Neither Ukraine nor Russia can sustain permanent war. Both are close to their breaking point. Trump is simply and stupidly just trying to break the defender, not the agressor. :o
You misspelled “redirected trillions from taxpayers to military contractors”.
Fair.
Ukraine as a state is probably “gone” in a shitty deal though. One half is too restricted, indebted, and small to ever recover, the other half either a devastated vassal or (honestly more ideally) part of Russia. At least Afghanistan would ostensibly stay a state after whoever invaded it.
European governments are not working to become less dependent on the US they are simply empowering and enriching themself.