The territory known today as Ukraine has been contested throughout history. Its borders have been redrawn by such things as a Mongol invasion and a Cossack uprising. It’s been under Lithuanian and Polish control. It’s been absorbed by the Austrian Hapsburgs and the Russian Empire under Catherine the Great. And, of course, was a constituent part of the former Soviet Union (USSR). In this constant state of flux, it has been, for the most part, without its own national identity or unity. Then, in 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed, at the end of the Cold War, Ukraine, with the support of Western policymakers, not only declared itself an independent sovereign state, but drew its own borders, including within them disputed territories that had never been definitely defined as Ukrainian. Ever since, Russia has disputed Ukraine’s drawn borders, insisting that Ukraine has seized control of Russian property, as well as Ukraine’s large Russian population. Of course, Vladimir Putin believes that Ukraine is not a country at all, but a historical part of Russia, which needs to be restored to the motherland. 

While there is so much more to the history of Ukraine than I have written above, the above proves that Ukraine’s borders are not as cut and dry as our modern-day world makes them out to be. Now, this is not to say that Vladimir Putin is right in his belief about Ukraine being part of Russia or that he is in anyway, shape, form, or fashion justified in his invasion of Ukraine. Putin is not only an ex-KGB agent, who can’t be trusted as far as you can spit, but also a brutal iron-fisted dictator, who has little if any regard for human life, which has been unquestionably proven time and time again. Still, Ukraine’s borders are not cut and dry and its own history is somewhat nefarious, as is proven by the fact that prior to Putin’s invasion three years ago, Ukraine was universally recognized as the most corrupt country in the world.

Yesterday’s unprecedented dust-up in the Oval Office between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Donald Trump and Vice President J. D. Vance needs some painfully honest and nonpartisan commentary, since its repercussions upon our world could prove to be  catastrophic. First, for the world to witness such a serious meeting turn into something resembling a silly schoolyard squabble was undoubtedly unnerving to the whole planet, with the lone exception of Vladimir Putin. While I’m sure this kind of thing goes on behind closed diplomatic doors all the time, to air this kind of dirty laundry in public could not help but booster the bloodthirsty resolve of Putin to clean house in Ukraine.

Second, there is plenty of blame to lay at Zelenskyy’s feet for yesterday’s Oval Office fiasco. For instance, he confused Trump with Biden, the current administration’s Ukraine policy with the former administration’s Ukraine policy, and publicly aired out his differences with Trump in front of the media’s rolling cameras. I’m afraid Zelenskyy is not only out of his depth, but in way over his head; after all, his former life experience before stepping onto the world stage was being an actor in B movies and a standup comedian. Unfortunately, there was nothing funny about his performance in the Oval Office yesterday.

Third, it is my personal perception that what triggered yesterday’s circle firing squad in the Oval Office was J. D. Vance inserting himself into the conversation. I’ve never before seen a Vice President butt in on an Oval Office interview between a U.S. President and a foreign head of state. It was Vance’s insinuation that Zelenskyy was being insulting, as well as the subsequent tiff between the two, that set off Trump on one of his infamous tirades. Before it was over, Trump had spewed a stream of scorn for Zelenskyy that surged through everything from Hunter Biden’s bathroom to Shifty Adam Schiff’s “Russia, Russia, Russia” subterfuge. By the time it was over, everything had been washed away, including our rare-earth minerals deal with Ukraine and any hope of soon ending the bloodiest war in Europe since World War II.

Fourth, and finally, I couldn’t help but find myself feeling sorry for and somewhat sympathetic to Zelenskyy, despite the fact that no one has ever failed to read the room worse than he did yesterday. I understand, as any honest and openminded person must, Ukraine has absolutely no chance of winning its war with Russia, unless the whole world wants to jump into it and start World War III, which will send up mushroom clouds all over our planet. While we and other nations can continue to stay out of the fray militarily, to prevent World War III, and only fund the continuing carnage from afar, the end is still inevitable. Russia will win, Ukraine will lose, and hundreds of thousands more will die. To deny this is to deny reality, which I fear Zelenskyy is doing, in his blind determination not to give an inch to his mortal enemy Vladimir Putin, who has not only invaded his country, but is also destroying it and killing his countrymen.

It’s hard to argue with Trump’s position that this war must stop, even if it means meeting some of its diabolical instigator and aggressor’s demands. Yet, that Zelenskyy finds this proposal to meet any demand of Putin intolerable is absolutely understandable. Furthermore, Zelenskyy’s insistence upon security guarantees to assure a lasting ceasefire agreement with Putin, who has now violated every previous ceasefire agreement, as well as repeatedly invaded Ukraine, is not just reasonable, but seemingly imperative. It was this point that Zelenskyy attempted to make in the Oval Office yesterday that ended up putting him at the point of Vance and Trump’s spears, which were then used to prod him right out the White House door.

Regardless of what you think of Donald Trump, you’ve got to admit that he is ever-prone to pour forth eruptions of the most preposterous hyperbole. For instance, he said during his run for the White House that he would solve the Ukraine War within twenty-four hours of taking office. To Trump, he himself is all the security guarantee that Zelenskyy or Ukraine will ever need, since Trump believes, as long as he is in the Oval Office, Putin will never dare to break a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine. As we saw yesterday, any doubting of this by Zelenskyy is seen by Trump as disrespect, which will get Zelenskyy, as well as all of Ukraine, thrown under the invading Russian bus by Trump. Trump has left the door of the White House slightly cracked open a bit for Zelenskyy to return, whenever he is willing to grovel before Trump and accept Trump as his and his country’s savior. Until then, however, who knows what may happen. One thing for sure, Vladimir Putin can’t help but interpret yesterday’s goings-on at the White House as a green light for him to continue the death and carnage of the Ukrainian War. What we can’t be sure about, unfortunately, is whether or not Putin will be satisfied to stop with Ukraine, or be emboldened to march across other European nations whose leaders, like Zelenskyy, refuse to accept Donald Trump as their only needed safeguards and savior.