After a bitter rift with Donald Trump left many in Ukraine fearing that the US president had swung behind Russia again, President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the dispute head on: there’s nothing personal between me and Trump, he told CNN, but cozying up to Vladimir Putin would only “make him stronger.”

Ties between the US and Ukraine have badly deteriorated in recent weeks.

Zelensky said Trump was “on the wrong side of history” after he announced a deal to buy Russian fuel, upending international efforts to isolate Russia. Trump then waived some sanctions against Russia, drawing criticism even from his own party. Ukraine’s forces found their access to the Elon Musk-run Starlink service restricted.

Speaking to CNN from Kyiv on Thursday, Zelensky took a conciliatory tone, saying the tensions were “not about personalities” – but warned that Putin had no intention of stopping the war.

  • LocalAreaMan@lemmy.ml
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    3 days ago

    But it’s not the Banderites’ country. Crimea and the Donbass stopped being Ukraine in 2014. Russia annexed them because Zelensky was powerless to stop the Azov Brigade from shelling civilians in the Donetsk city center. This was after Zelensky campaigned and won on the promise of peace through the Minsk Agreement.

    Now he’s just a kapo stooge who will never outlive his usefulness to these Banderites.

    • Mihies@programming.dev
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      2 days ago

      If Russia annexed them it doesn’t mean it was legal or legit move. It is against international law, against Minsk agreement and even Putin himself told many times that he doesn’t have problem with Ukraine and its borders. But then again, he said there will be no invasion days before … invasion. Russian invasion and land grab has no legal base, it’s just a nuclear country abusing its power and abusing weakness of the west and US and other western lackeys.

      • LocalAreaMan@lemmy.ml
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        2 days ago

        The coup wasn’t legal, but somehow the “international community” doesn’t think a democratic referendum on secession is legal. 🙄👍

        Zelensky campaigned and won on the promise of peace through the Minsk Agreement, then watched helplessly as the Azov Brigade shelled civilians in Donetsk.

        This is why Russia annexed the Donetsk and Luhansk Peoples Republics.

        • Mihies@programming.dev
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          2 days ago

          Why the heck would Russia care about internal coup in Ukraine? Democratic referendum on secession is legal only when a) it’s lawfully executed and b) the territory is not annexed but rather it is independent. Shelling civilians is subject to international law and not some ground for an illegal war and annexations. Again. Annexation in any form or shape is against international law. So is an illegal war.

          • LocalAreaMan@lemmy.ml
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            2 days ago

            America wouldn’t exist without annexation. No referendums for the Natives, Mexicans, Hawaiians, Puerto Ricans, Filipinos, Samoans, etc, etc, etc

            We’re arming an actual occupation and actual genocide in Palestine as we speak.

            Golden Rule, those with the gold make the rules.

            Let people vote.

            • Mihies@programming.dev
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              2 days ago

              The cases you mention are pre WW2.

              Basically if others are doing it, it’s fine if even more war crimes are committed. Got it.

              BTW US, UK and Germany (+others) are not only arming, they are wholeheartedly enabling Palestine genocide.

              • LocalAreaMan@lemmy.ml
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                2 days ago

                The war in defense of democratic secession after a US bankrolled coup has seen the lowest civilian death rate in any major conflict in modern history. Look at Gaza, the numbers are reversed. This is what a war of liberation looks like, and not a war of annihilation.

                You asked why Russia would care about an “internal coup”? Why does the West care about helping orchestrate and bankroll the coup?

                Same reason we always go to war. The Rand Corporation wrote a whitepaper that basically translates to “how to fuck up Russia and take all their shit”.