Thread by @terrelljstarr

Good morning from Ukraine. I live in Kyiv and travel the country often and spend most of my time engaging Ukrainians and I am also learning Ukrainian langauge and pay attention to Ukrainian social media and news sites to practice my language skills.

Here's what I can tell you: Most Ukrainians, even those who do not like him and want him gone, are standing in support of him. Let me show you an example.

Thread

1. Yanina Sokolova, a popular political commentator with more than 1 million followers on YouTube, is very critical of Zelenskyy. But if you read the comments on her YouTube channel under videos of her reporting of the White House meeting, you will see that most of her followers are supporting Zelenskyy.

Link: youtube.com/live/vEVi00S2X…

2. Across social media, Ukrainians are in utter shock at how Trump treated Zelenskyy and are convinced that he is in bed with Putin.

People in Ukraine have long been very critical of Zelenskyy and his opposition are lining up to campaign against him. This is true. But they all support his leadership when it comes to standing up against Putin. And they are proud of him for standing up against Trump. No one faults Zelenskyy for how he behaved yesterday.

If anyone can tell me otherwise, please refer me to a reliable Ukrainian source that faults Zelenskyy for how the presser went.

3. For the people who say Zelenskyy scuttled a shot a peace, here is what I say to you: have you been watching Russian media and listening to Putin's own words? Putin says Ukraine does not exist as a nation and all of its state media push the narrative that the post-USSR empire cannot be complete with Ukraine.

Putin does not want to co-exist with Ukraine.

4. So where does that leave us?

Can Europe, even with its best efforts replace U.S. military support? No. Not at *this* point. But here is the reality: Ukraine has no choice but to do more with much less. Otherwise their country will not exist if they stop fighting.

Can Ukraine keep up with Russia's attrition rates of battlefield deaths? No. But Ukraine has no choice. If they stop fighting, Russia will regroup, make up an excuse to justify another invasion and swallow up more land.

5. I think people are are trying to trick themselves into thinking there is some altruistic solution Russia is seeking to feel secure. Russia is already secure. It wants Ukraine. Nothing but a military solution will stop Russia. If NATO was the main fear Russia had, why did they not attack NATO (which is not out of the question).

The main issue is this: can you accept that?

6. In closing, Zelenskyy was set up. There was no good faith effort to support Ukraine or come to a peace agreement because Trump does not care about Ukrainians sovereignty. He care about "making a deal." Any deal he can sell to Americans that he brought peace--even if it doesn't do anything substantial.

He trusts Putin more than NATO and Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy was going to leave empty-handed, either way.

7. The mineral deal that Trump proposed (and it was an exploitive agreement that Ukraine initially and rightfully rejected) was more of memorandum than an assured contract. Basically, the deal, as it stood before the meeting, was a promissory note that was supposed to become something more substantial.

If Trump wanted it signed, all he had to do was behave like an adult. He did not. He wanted a spectable. He wanted Zelenskyy to beg and get on his knees. Anything other than him kissing Trump's feet would not have been satisfactory.

8. There are too many people eager for a peace deal for the sake of a peace deal instead of making hard choices that will avoid a wider war. Many people want Ukraine to accept being a vassal state of Russia.

If you believe Russia is a victim in anyway, there is nothing that can be done to change your mind.

9. Even if a ceasefire is established, Russia will attack again and cause an even bigger refugee crisis into Europe and destabilization of Ukraine for the rest of NATO than in 2022.

Europe is realizing that Trump is breaking from NATO and must create its own security.

10. This is an opportunity for Europe to meet its potential and create an security apparatus independent of the U.S. This will take years, but it is possible.

The biggest takeaway is that the U.S. is breaking from NATO (potentially, this could be the beginning of a NATO Brexit) and Ukraine is on its own and must brace for even rougher times. Otherwise, Ukraine will cease to exist as a state and Europe will be next. END