Last week, a high-stakes Oval Office meeting between President Trump, Vice President Vance, and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky took an unexpected turn. The meeting was intended to finalize a landmark agreement—one that would have secured U.S. military funding and support for Ukraine in exchange for access to Ukraine’s vast mineral reserves, estimated to be worth up to $14.8 trillion.
However, negotiations quickly broke down, with tensions escalating to the point that Zelensky was abruptly dismissed from the White House, leaving the deal unsigned. The fallout was immediate.
We strongly encourage our readers to watch the entire presser, if you haven’t already. Most media pundits only focused on the last few minutes of the discussion, and refused to acknowledge Zelensky’s conduct throughout the first ~30 something minutes—or that he called the VP a “f****** b****” in his native tongue.
As the reality of the EU’s inadequate militaristic strengthdawned upon them, President Trump froze military aid to Ukraine. His decision, which to the dismay of Democrats has very recent precedent, forced the hands of the EU and Zelensky. They folded.
Zelensky came to his senses quickly, and publicly announced his desire return to the bargaining table; the EU suddenly found $840 billion in their couch cushions to bolster their respective militaries. By calling them on their bluff, the Trump administration got Zelensky to immediately reverse course and the EU to finally invest in their own militaries in one fell swoop. The Art of the Deal.
Additionally, Putin volunteered to help serve as a mediator between the USA and Iran to renegotiate the weak Obama-era agreement “limiting” Iran’s nuclear weapons program; the Trump administration penned a letter to Iranian leadership to formally open discussions with their adversarial regime. De-escalatory negotiations in Europe and the Middle East are still fluid—but in the span of a week, the Trump administration made significant progress on the foreign affairs front.
Updates:
• President Trump threatened to levy sanctions and tariffsagainst Russia to forcefully encourage and hasten a ceasefire with Ukraine.
• Putin has announced he’s ready to sign a conditional truce with Ukraine.
