The Trump administration has reportedly paused all military aid to Ukraine.

The decision, reported by Bloomberg News, comes after a meeting between Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday descended into chaos, the latest in a larger fraying of the U.S.-Ukraine alliance.

The president is reportedly reviewing whether Zelensky is willing to engage in good-faith efforts at making peace with Russia, a Defense Department official told the outlet.

  • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    10 hours ago

    Zelensky (with support from Europe and previously USA) wants to continue being a dictator without elections.

    Is that actually true? Because that sounds like a very pro-Russia take and doesn’t really jive with the approval ratings I’ve seen, which are still positive (trending down, but still positive).

    The problem with elections is they just aren’t feasible without a ceasefire, and Russia isn’t interested in that. So if an election happens in the current climate, it’ll be heavily biased and I don’t think anyone will really accept the outcome. Russia wants a pro-Russia stooge, Europe wants someone pro-western, Zelensky wants to remain in power, and I think Ukraine will want someone else soon if Zelensky can’t end the war. It’s a crappy situation, but if Zelensky wins, there’s no way Russia accepts the outcome.

    I don’t know much about Ukrainian politics, so I don’t know what alternatives there might be. But I do know Ukrainians should decide that, and that’s not feasible if Ukraine capitulates to Russia.

    • BobrA
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      5 hours ago

      Because that sounds like a very pro-Russia take

      It doesn’t make it false.

      doesn’t really jive with the approval ratings I’ve seen, which are still positive

      You believe in “approval ratings” from a country which people are forbidden from leaving, where people are mass kidnapped off the streets (and then either die or get tortured by Zelensky’s regime), where news media are censored (you are basically getting sent to die if you write something Zelensky does not approve of).
      What other fairy tales do you believe in?

      The problem with elections is they just aren’t feasible without a ceasefire

      Dozens of countries did elections in the wartime (including US). This is only an excuse for Zelensky to stay in power.

      and I don’t think anyone will really accept the outcome

      USA and Russia are literally pushing for those elections, they will accept them. Most of the countries would probably do the same (except a few EU countries maybe) if USA/Russia tell them to.

      But I do know Ukrainians should decide that

      But that’s exactly what I am trying to tell you - we CAN’T decide that. You literally support a dictator that prevents us from deciding anything. How are we supposed to decide anything if we cannot vote??

      • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        4 hours ago

        You believe in “approval ratings”

        It’s the best I have. The alternative is believing Russian propaganda, who are the aggressors here. Collecting accurate polls is nigh impossible though.

        kidnapped

        Don’t forget that Russia also uses conscription too and has similar issues, and the US did as well. This isn’t some crazy, unique thing in Ukraine.

        Dozens of countries did elections in the wartime (including US)

        I can’t speak for others, but the US hasn’t been occupied since 1812 (unless you include territories during WW2), and the election of 1812 didn’t have issues because the British were largely fighting defensively for most of the war.

        After a quick check, it seems the UK postponed elections by extending parliament’s term during WW2 until 1945, after the Germans surrendered but before the Japanese surrendered. So there’s absolutely precedent here.

        USA and Russia are literally pushing for those elections

        And both are going to heavily interfere and neither will accept the results if it’s not what they want.

        How are we supposed to decide anything if we cannot vote??

        And how is your vote supposed to count if you’re sandwiched between two superpowers each heavily invested in the outcome of the election? The war needs to end before a proper election can happen, and just ending the war now won’t likely benefit Ukraine long term with no major side considering Ukraine’s interests (Russia wants land, no Zelensky, and no NATO, US wants mineral rights, Zelensky wants to stay in power, and EU countries want a NATO border w/ Russia).

        It must absolutely suck being in Ukraine right now, but regardless of who is selected to mediate, Ukraine will lose.

        • BobrA
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          2 hours ago

          It’s the best I have. The alternative is believing Russian propaganda, who are the aggressors here. Collecting accurate polls is nigh impossible though.

          So believing one propaganda is better than believing another? Zelensky’s propaganda doesn’t even make any sense, how come everyone supports him, yet no-one joins the army and thus the need for a hundred thousand TCC “draft officers” roaming the streets and hunting people? How does that make sense to you?

          Don’t forget that Russia also uses conscription too

          Russia conscripts, that’s true (although there are also a lot of volunteers joining the army due to monetarily incentives, in contrast to Zelensky’s regime which treats us as his slaves). Zelensky’s regime kidnaps people off the streets. https://uadraftmuseum.ch/ Masked people with rifles are hunting people, beating people, putting people into vans to send them into the meatgrinder, in front of their crying mothers/viwes trying to fight them off (who in the extreme cases process to suicide bomb the draft centers in revenge…). This is how much people hate Zelensky’s regime, and you are believing in Zelensky’s approval rating…

          So there’s absolutely precedent here.

          There definitely is. It doesn’t change that the opposite is also possible, if Zelensky really wanted to (but of course he doesn’t, war is the only thing that keeps him in power).

          And both are going to heavily interfere and neither will accept the results if it’s not what they want

          “Interference” is what happens with every election ever, it’s just that sometimes it’s used as an excuse to not accept the results of people’s will.

          “Neither will accept the results” is a speculation/opinion that I don’t think is based on anything.

          And how is your vote supposed to count

          Just like in every other election ever.

          The war needs to end before a proper election can happen

          Well, remind me, who is against this war ending? Is it Putin? Is it Trump? Is it people getting kidnapped and sent to “fight” it? Or maybe it’s Zelensky? I don’t see a realistic scenario of war ending with Zelensky in power, he is going to fight until the very last of us is dead. That’s why there must be elections.

          Ukraine will lose

          It already did. It loses more and more territory every single day. All the “counter-offensives” but one were total failures. The Kursk gamble is falling right now (the offensive that was tried a month ago failed so spectacularly that medias are not even talking about it…). But some people want it to continue until there are no more people to sacrifice.