I've watched this whole thing now. Toward the end, Trump says, I've let this play out because I think it is good for the American people to see this. We don't have a man who is ready for peace." (paraphrase)
In retrospect, it is easy to see that at the 19 minute mark, after one reporter asked Zelenskyy why he didn't wear a suit, Zelenskyy seemed to take the question as an insult, and started on a trajectory of becoming more and more insolent from thereonward.
Having watched short edits of this Press Conference, I went believed Vance and Trump had planned out a strategy to put Zelenskyy in his place.
Having watched the whole thing, I no longer believe that. Trump was feeling triumphant at the outset, feeling they had a deal. He was proud.
But it became glaringly obvious, just after the 26 minute mark, that Zelenskyy was not focused on the deal at hand.
Instead, he was focused on rehashing the history of Putin's thoughts and feelings about Ukraine, and Putin's desire to re-establish the territory of the Soviet Union.
While I might agree with Zelenskyy on these points, this Press Conference was neither the time, nor the place.
Just after the 27 minute mark, Zelenskyy declared something so unrealistic and pathetically naive that he reveals he possesses the worldview of a child. He said this:
"This is the Rule of War during all the centuries, all the history, this is the Rule Of War: Who began (the war), those pay (they pay for the damages caused by the war)."
No, that's not the rule of war. That's the rule of courts maybe, but not war.
Unfortunately, the rule of war is MIGHT IS RIGHT. The winner wins, and the loser pays.
After making this statement, Zelenskyy gradually goes off the rails, and Trump clearly realizes this isn't going to work.
MEANWHILE, HERE IS THE REACTION OF THE UKRAINIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE US:
HERE ARE VICTOR DAVIS HANSON'S THOUGHTS:
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