To guarantee Ukraine's security is primarily in America's interest, but Trump is too blind to see

Yiannis Damellos

Today, someone at the Washington Post commented that the minerals deal negotiated between the United States and Ukraine deals a devastating blow to Russia. I see this as yet another attempt by Jeff Bezos to appease one of the greatest con artists in Western history. However, I wouldn’t characterize it as devastating because Russians have already achieved what was realistically possible. Additionally, Trump believes that security guarantees are unnecessary, but I respectfully disagree. While Trump may excel as a businessman, he is not a politician, and he certainly does not possess the historical knowledge that Putin has. Ultimately, time is not on Trump's side.

Russia has already achieved what was realistically achievable. And that was not conquering Ukraine as the author insinuates. Three years ago, during the Biden administration, the goals were to establish political control over Kyiv after a Blitzkrieg, but that was not possible as it turned out, and Moscow had to go to Plan B. Which succeeded despite the assistance the Ukrainians received from Europe and the US. So, now the Russians are sitting on top of a big share of rare minerals that lie under the conquered Ukrainian soil; in addition, they have achieved the safety of Crimea and Donbas, and even got closer to the Administrative Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester, which will mark the next phase of the Russian offensive sometime in the future. They paid a heavy toll in human lives and equipment, but they are accustomed to it.

The author's conclusion that Trump outsmarted Putin and that Russia has effectively lost the war is also false; in my opinion, it is driven by Bezos' desire to befriend the new so-called American King. Now, to be fair, Trump has outsmarted Ukraine and the Europeans who are not as smart as they used to be in the distant past. They do have a moral advantage over the American racketeers, but they definitely cannot apply power politics in these kinds of affairs because they do not have a Hegemony to cater to. (They used to though, back in the 1800s. I should know. I am Greek and we are still paying the debts we owe to the Western powers since 1826 when they helped us overthrow the Turkish yoke and became independent.)

Now, Trump is ruthless and has no time to waste. He knows that you can't win a poker game with a bad hand, and that's what Ukraine had. So he ripped Kyiv to pieces. 

But the negotiating game is not over yet. Because the war is not over yet. The Ukrainians want more guarantees while Trump maintains that by getting into business with Ukraine — the US is entering into, as the agreement puts it, “a durable partnership” with Kyiv to jointly develop Ukraine’s untapped minerals and other natural resources and pledging “a long-term financial commitment to the development of a stable and economically prosperous Ukraine.” Meaning that the Americans have a massive financial incentive to help safeguard Kyiv’s independence. If Ukraine endures, American racketters will stand to gain hundreds of billions of dollars. 

If Ukraine falls, however, they get nothing. And that is a much bigger incentive for the Yankees to think of than the minerals, which, by the way, is an investment that needs patience, money, and time. Time is on Russia's side, not the US. They are and they will always be Ukraine's neighbor. If the US does not invest in Ukraine's security from external, but also from internal enemies, the racket they are running may prove a bad investment. 

Certainly, if Putin conquers Ukraine, he is not going to repay the United States for the weapons Biden gave Ukraine to fight his troops, especially if Trump leaves it defenseless and hanging from a bad business deal. 

Then, who knows what Putin will do when Trump retires and the Democrats retake the White House. Who can guarantee the Ukrainians that the Russians will not back down from their previous deal? 

Finally, what if Ukraine falls from within, like Cuba did in the past? What if political instability brings Ukraine back into Moscow's hands? How do you safeguard your investment then? 

Ultimately, those who say Ukraine failed to win security guarantees in exchange for the minerals deal are not missing the point: The minerals deal is not a security guarantee. Mainly, because Trump has made clear that he is not going to send American troops to Ukraine. Of course, many naive journalists will tell you that he will send something better: American workers, bulldozers, and earthmovers. Yet, these people are unarmed and if something goes wrong, they will board an airplane and return home. They are not this sort of automatic security, like Trump told the reporters, because Russians are not a bunch of fools. They are powerful adversaries and time is on their side in Ukraine. It will always be.