Hap Perkins

Trump has failed to end the Ukraine Russia war within 24 hours of being elected. Trump presented his master plan for "peace" and was promptly rejected by Ukraine and Europe, Russia did not seem very impressed either. Trump will need to go back to the drawing board. Zelensky spoke at the summit of the European Political Community in Budapest: "We need sufficient weapons, not support in negotiations" “Hugging Putin will not help. Someone has been hugging him for 20 years." "Peace is a reward only for the strong. Therefore, there is no alternative to a strong Europe. And for strength, unity is essential." Trump's plan included: 1. Suspend Ukraine’s NATO ambitions for 20 years. 2. Create a demilitarized zone along the current frontline. No U.S. troops. Give Russia 20% of territory captured. 3. U.S. to continue arms supplies in exchange. Zelenskyy's main statements: 1. "North Korea is now, in fact, waging war in Europe. North Korean soldiers are trying to kill our people on European soil." 2. "And some have strongly advocated for Ukraine to make “concessions” to Putin. This is unacceptable for Ukraine and suicidal for all of Europe. What is the next step? Should Europe seek the favor of Kim Jong-un in the hope that he too will give Europe peace? No strong leader who helped build a united, strong and peaceful Europe could even imagine such a thing. Peace is a reward only for the strong. Therefore, there is no alternative to a strong Europe. And for strength, unity is essential. " 3. "The bill for this war should be billed to the Russians, not Ukraine. So Russia can no longer make false claims to everyone around them. Any country, any leader who respects international law should realize that predators always demand more and more prey." 4. "Russia doesn't value people or morals - they only value money. And so it will also be a lesson for them when Russian assets work for Ukraine. Frankly, it's Ukrainian money. It is in Ukraine that Russian troops have destroyed hundreds of towns and villages. Millions of our people have lost their homes. This requires funds. And now, instead of looking for reasons to delay solutions, we need to find a mechanism to channel the funds to Ukraine so that they start working as soon as possible." 5. "We all know Russia still makes enough profit from oil sales to keep the war going, avoids sanctions and buys components for drones and missiles around the world. Russia still has the ability to sow instability and interfere with nations in such regions. We need leverage over Putin. All of Europe needs them, and together we can not only stop Russian war against Ukraine, but also respond to other challenges."