Democrats Push Zelensky and Ukraine Towards a Crisis by Opposing Mineral Agreement

A widespread critique of Volodymyr Zelensky’s tumultuous performance on Friday in the Oval Office is that he did not grasp the situation appropriately.

In reality, the Ukrainian president did assess a situation — but it was the wrong one.

Prior to meeting Trump, Zelensky had discussions with anti-Trump Democrats who urged him to decline the terms of the mineral deal the president proposed, as reported by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).

“Just concluded a meeting with President Zelensky here in Washington. He confirmed that the Ukrainian people will not back a false peace agreement where Putin gains everything he desires and there are no security arrangements for Ukraine,” Murphy’s office shared on X at 11:15 a.m. on Friday.

He included a photo of Zelensky seated at a conference table, with Murphy on the opposite side.

Forty minutes later, Zelensky arrived at the White House, where Trump greeted him with a smile, shook his hand and escorted him into the Oval Office.

Arrogant ingrate

The meeting, as it turned out, quickly derailed and culminated with Trump angrily ejecting the perceived arrogant ingrate from the White House.

The earlier interaction with Democrats undermines the outrageous assertions that Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance orchestrated an ambush. In fact, it was Zelensky who entered with a hidden agenda.

The objective of the meeting was to finalize the mineral agreement he and Trump’s representatives had negotiated. He had previously turned down signing it twice after agreeing to do so, and thanks to Murphy, we now understand he had no intention of signing it on Friday either.

By heeding the overtly partisan advice from Democrats rather than engaging directly with the current president, Zelensky has let down his fellow citizens and, for the time being, left them without the military and diplomatic backing that only America can provide.

Good luck relying on Britain, France, and the rest of Europe to rescue Ukraine. Perhaps the Germans will send over some strudel.

In a twisted way, Murphy and other Democrats achieved the outcome they desired. The fireworks at the White House provided them with a reason to revive their “Russia, Russia, Russia” narrative.

Yet again, they and their media allies are misleadingly claiming that Trump is in Vladimir Putin’s camp.

Like the initial Russia hoax that overshadowed much of Trump’s first term, this new wave is born of political desperation. After months of uncertainty regarding how to respond to Trump’s rapid, populist ascent in his second term, Democrats across the board have decided that the president’s refusal to write a blank check to Zelensky and commit to military guarantees equates to a gift to Putin.

Desperate for relevance

The rationale is so convoluted it defies description, but when in a storm, any port will do. And with Trump taking off at an unprecedented pace for a president, Democrats are scrambling to maintain relevance.

Their poor judgment is evident in choosing Zelensky as their new idol. They both face impossible odds in convincing exhausted Americans that an open-ended commitment of their tax dollars and potentially deploying troops to Ukraine is a reasonable proposition.

Clearly, Trump supporters didn’t sign up for that, and the president has focused on rapidly ending the conflict, rather than sending troops into battle against Russians.

For three years, he has made it abundantly clear that he views Joe Biden’s approach of providing just enough backing for Ukraine to prolong the war with no plan for victory as misguided. He has consistently expressed the desire to halt the massive loss of life on both sides and the devastation of Ukrainian cities.

Despite making foolish remarks two weeks ago suggesting Ukraine instigated the war, I am convinced Trump genuinely seeks peace. He is willing to use military force when necessary, but he is not a warmonger.

To that end, he and his team crafted the minerals plan, which he described as a preliminary step toward a cease-fire.

The plan underwent several revisions, with the latest iteration proposing a partnership between the U.S. and Ukraine for the extraction of the eastern European nation’s abundant rare earth resources, with a significant portion of the revenue directed toward the reconstruction of Ukraine.

A gift to Putin

Zelensky, who privately consented to the terms, has every right to request a security agreement — to a certain extent. However, receiving no such agreement, his decision to respond by disrespecting the president and vice president, interrupting them, and dismissing their replies was sheer folly.

As Trump observed, the heated exchanges made for good television, yet they were disastrous for Ukraine and ultimately a gift to Putin.

Zelensky had an opportunity to extend an apology to Trump in a later interview with Brett Baier on Fox, but he repeatedly declined, stating, “I’m not sure we did something bad.”

Ignorance can now be added to his growing list of shortcomings.

Unfortunately for him, there is a crowd supporting his actions. Beyond the Democrats in Washington, the European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, expressed on social media that “the free world needs a new leader. It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge. We stand by Ukraine.”

Indeed, Europe may stand alongside Ukraine — and continue to watch passively as it falls victim to Putin’s military aggression.

‘Ukraine is our ally’

Murphy and other Democrats are no better, exulting in Zelensky’s colossal failure as if it were a victory. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer asserted that “Trump and Vance are doing Putin’s dirty work,” while the ever-unpleasant Sen. Adam Schiff labeled Trump a “coward.”

New York’s erratic governor, Kathy Hochul, who seems to initiate a daily conflict with Trump, weighed in, claiming, “Ukraine is our ally. Putin is not. It’s not complicated… This president may not stand with democracy, but we will.”

Oh, please. Hochul can’t even maintain order on New York’s crime-ridden streets.

Meanwhile, Zelensky’s dismissal of the mineral deal ensures there will be no American interests or companies in Ukraine, which, as Trump repeatedly emphasized, would aid in deterring Russian aggression.

Moreover, Trump stated that a final settlement would necessitate Putin returning some of the territories he has seized, with France, Great Britain, and others likely to deploy peacekeeping forces in Ukraine.

All of this should have given Zelensky ample confidence to proceed or at least raise concerns in private. Instead, he chose to air grievances in front of the press during a cordial meeting, lamenting that no agreement was adequate without an American security guarantee, despite having been told multiple times that none would be part of the minerals deal.

He is correct that Putin is untrustworthy, but he is foolish for rejecting Trump’s proposal and banking on Europe and inept Democrats to secure a better deal from Trump.

As the president insisted three times, “you don’t have the cards” to make the demands he was making, yet Zelensky disregarded the advice and the facts.

What a tragic error.