After a bitter rift with Donald Trump left many in Ukraine fearing that the US president had swung behind Russia again, President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the dispute head on: there’s nothing personal between me and Trump, he told CNN, but cozying up to Vladimir Putin would only “make him stronger.”

Ties between the US and Ukraine have badly deteriorated in recent weeks.

Zelensky said Trump was “on the wrong side of history” after he announced a deal to buy Russian fuel, upending international efforts to isolate Russia. Trump then waived some sanctions against Russia, drawing criticism even from his own party. Ukraine’s forces found their access to the Elon Musk-run Starlink service restricted.

Speaking to CNN from Kyiv on Thursday, Zelensky took a conciliatory tone, saying the tensions were “not about personalities” – but warned that Putin had no intention of stopping the war.

  • lntl@lemmy.ml
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    21 hours ago

    Do people believe there was any personal feelings, hard or otherwise, between these two? It all seems very transactional to me.

  • DarkFuture@lemmy.world
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    I applaud Zelensky for his restraint.

    Because there is absolutely no way it isn’t personal. This pedo rapist traitor is betraying Zelensky’s country and siding with its enemy as it’s being invaded and a ton of his countrymen are being killed.

    It’s WAY personal.

    • LocalAreaMan@lemmy.ml
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      He’s a kapo stooge who sold out everyone who voted for his promises of peace.

      • DarkFuture@lemmy.world
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        Lol.

        .ml shows up with the garbage take yet again.

        At least you guys are consistent.

      • athatet@lemmy.zip
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        2 days ago

        I’m gonna come take your house. You had better let me have it otherwise you are a warmonger. Stop fighting back. That’s not very peaceful of you.

        • LocalAreaMan@lemmy.ml
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          Is the child’s analogy that informs you? When fascists overthrew the democratically elected government they took every house in Ukraine. That’s why millions of people are no longer Ukrainian.

          They’re fighting for the democratic human right of self determination, same as Palestinians. The only difference is that the military/civilian deaths are directly inversed. This is what a war of liberation looks like, not a war of annihilation.

          Democracy:

          Not democracy:

          • Lucius_Sweet@lemmy.world
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            Get out of here talking about democracy bootlicker. Russia has had the same dictator in power for 26 years now and arrests citizens that hold up blank sheets of paper. Your warped Russian “democracy” is not the same as ours. If we don’t like our leaders we will protest and have new elections, the Russian puppet Yanukovic was forced out when he betrayed his own election promises to the people, funny how that only bothers you when it’s Zelensky. You meek Russian cucks wouldn’t understand this, you just prefer to bend over and take it from a bald stump of a man.

            • LocalAreaMan@lemmy.ml
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              2 days ago

              The West necessitate a strongman leader, elected or not, just to stay sovereign. Otherwise, we use liberal institutions to undermine foreign governments with NGOs acting as espionage agencies, then privatize all their natural resources and keep the people in feudal bondage as corporate serfs. Neoliberalism enslaves entire nations at a time.

              Blackrock owns Ukraine now. Look it up.

              Men can’t even leave to escape this fascist death cult.

              Why is everything gay submission to you NAFO guys? Comes off as super homophobic.

              Yanukovych promised the European trade deal because it was better. Staying out of the EU and NATO was so important to Russia that they simply countered with an objectively better deal. No one is denying that. If Yanukovych didn’t take the better deal then that would have made him corrupt, a traitor.

              And if a broken campaign promise makes justification for the overthrow of an elected leader, then every elected leader in America should be run out of town. But that’s not how democracy works. That’s a coup.

              Elections decide governments, not Svoboda led Banderite mobs.

              • Lucius_Sweet@lemmy.world
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                21 hours ago

                The West necessitate a strongman leader, elected or not

                This is the scary story your strongman leader tells you, only strong daddy Putin can protect you from the evil west. He makes you fear the western boogy man who wants to steal your resources, but don’t be afraid because daddy Putin is strong. While you cucks are cowering at the thought of your precious resources being taken by the west, Putin and his mafia are robbing Russia’s resource wealth blind buying super yachts and London mansions. Everything is the fault of the west, don’t look at your kleptocratic leader too closely.

                The Russian deal offered to Yanukovic was not objectively better than what the EU was offering, some short term benefits were not better for Ukraine than the EU deal in the long term. The Ukrainian people wanted out of the Russian sphere and the dead end lack of development that offered. Ukraine looked at the success of Poland in the EU and decided that is the future they wanted. They wanted that future so badly they are willing to fight and die to earn their divorce from Russia and Russia can’t handle this further loss of standing.

                And if a broken campaign promise makes justification for the overthrow of an elected leader, then every elected leader in America should be run out of

                You use America and it’s simulation of democracy as your example because you know that governments collapse and get thrown out all of the time in Europe then the ruling parties break election promises and lose their mandate. We don’t get to the point of popular uprisings because when governments realise they have lost the support of the people they stand down and call early elections for the peaceful transfer of power. Yanukovic, under his puppet masters instructions, tried to cling to power despite losing the support of the people and the popular uprising followed.

                You and I have had discussions before regarding the differences between a popular uprising and a coup. Despite being corrected and educated on the difference, you carry on calling it a coup. You must not be allowed to deviate from your script.

              • athatet@lemmy.zip
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                1 day ago

                I hope Ukraine drones your yandex data center next. We could all use a break from your bullshit.

  • Malica@lemmy.zip
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    3 days ago

    Trump hates Zelensky for not helping him cheat in the election with biden. He carries grudges to the grave and is one of the most vindictive narcissists I’ve ever seen.

    • takeda@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      No. As Zelensky said there’s nothing personal. trump was blocking aid to Ukraine even before that. Trump’s first impeachment was over blocking Congress’ approved aid. The Congress investigation regarding election interference showed that there was agreement between trump’s campaign and Russia that if he wins he will allow to install puppet government in Ukraine. Manafort (his campaign manager) was central part of it.

      If you look what effort trump puts to help Russia looks like there are only those possibilities:

      1. He is Russian agent
      2. He is promised lucrative business deals
      3. Putin has a blackmail on him

      More and more looks like it is #3 and not just him but other Republicans (and probably some Democrats too).

      I mean there’s the election in two weeks that he appears to care about, yet he comes openly pro Russia (couldn’t he wait few weeks?).

      Then there’s outrage, points fingers at others when starlink was stopped, he backs down (restores intelligence sharing and starlink, though keeps removed sanctions).

      • Malica@lemmy.zip
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        2 days ago

        You can get trump to do anything fairly easily. He’s a demented malignant narcissist and he’s one of the dumbest MFs I’ve ever seen. Those things make it child’s play to manipulate him. This is why they want him in power.

        • takeda@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          That’s what Manny leaders in Europe thought, yet it didn’t work. No matter what he always sides with Russia.

          I think what confuses people is that they mixing up what he says with what he does. Those are two very different things.

          Latest example:

          • he says he will deliver tomahawk missiles to Ukraine or open factory in Ukraine to produce patriots (never happened)
          • he didn’t say, just did: cut intelligence sharing, restricted starlink and starshield, lifted sanctions on Russia

          He might seem to act randomlu but if you start asking yourself if given move benefits Russia, then he is so predictable, because it always does.

      • DarkFuture@lemmy.world
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        I mean there’s the election in two weeks that he appears to care about, yet he comes openly pro Russia (couldn’t he wait few weeks?).

        Yeah, this is the main thing that has made me really start believing it’s blackmail. It’s such a nonsensical move that I can’t justify it any other way than blackmail.

    • Doomsider@lemmy.world
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      He shouldn’t have been allowed within a million miles of any Ukraine policy decision. Congress should have stepped in and cut him completely out of the picture. He was impeached for what he did with Ukraine already!

      A complete abdication of governing on the part of Congress.

      • LocalAreaMan@lemmy.ml
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        2 days ago

        Because governing America means sending missiles to Nazis.

        You sound like John Bolton.

        • Doomsider@lemmy.world
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          What are you talking about? You are aware that Trump was impeached by Congress for his scheme to get Ukraine to manufacture dirt on Biden.

          That is what I am talking about. The fact that Trump should not be making policy decisions about Ukraine after being impeached for corruption related to Ukraine.

          Please tell me you are not one of the pro Russian big bad NATO and Ukraine Nazis forced poor Russia to attack low effort propaganda losers. Because if you are we can just stop talking now.

          • LocalAreaMan@lemmy.ml
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            Because there’s nothing dirty about his crackhead failson being a Ukrainian LNG executive. Right.

            This is everything you need to know about Western aggression against Russia. America fostering fascism abroad started a long time ago.

            Stop talking anytime.

            • athatet@lemmy.zip
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              2 days ago

              Stop talking anytime.

              For the love of god, please take your own advice.

            • DarkFuture@lemmy.world
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              My god. Please stop. I don’t like .ml chodes but something just doesn’t feel right about watching you hurt yourself like this in front of others.

            • Doomsider@lemmy.world
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              Oh yeah, Ukraine is known for its corruption. I actually studied this and it was really interesting. Basically during the time of the USSR professionals didn’t really make very much so it became common to tip/bribe me. This bribing culture still exists to this day in Ukraine, but it really is cultural as opposed to just pure corruption.

              Also, America fosters fascism in every country in the world so there is not a safe spot and Russia and China have both been heavily influenced by US fascism. The picture is so much more complex than you believe. You picked a side, which to my assessment, is pretty fucking silly. The only side you should be on is that of humanity. Fuck the new unspoken alliance between Russia, US, and China. You really need to catch the fuck up.

        • athatet@lemmy.zip
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          2 days ago

          Is this ANOTHER new account? Good lord you really just can’t seem to keep them, can you?

  • clanker_victim_555@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Ever the diplomat. I’m sure he’d like to put Trump in the Hague right next to Putin. Assuming they survive that far.

  • Talaraine@fedia.io
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    Oh there’s most certainly something personal between them. He’s just too much of a gentleman to say so, unlike our narcissistic nit-wit.

  • John Richard@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Awe, now him and Trump can be friends again and he can cater, praise, kowtow to him like before. Did he also say how much he misses his dear friend Lindsay Graham?

    • pelespirit@sh.itjust.works
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      Dude has his entire country on the line. Wtf are you saying? If you had to save your entire family, you would shower praising words on your blackmailer too.

      • John Richard@lemmy.world
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        No I wouldn’t. Zelensky has continually legitimized fascists like Trump to fight a proxy war for a neocon colonialist empire by kidnapping and beating his own citizens. Everyday the mass busification videos are shown and people claiming to care about Ukrainians downplay them with comments like this gem from a video today:

        “It should be treachery and punishable by death if your not willing to go defend…”

        He refuses to even hold elections to make his own people’s voices heard.

        • scholar@lemmy.world
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          3 days ago

          He refuses is legally unable to hold elections while 20% of his country is under Russian occupation.

            • LocalAreaMan@lemmy.ml
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              2 days ago

              Whose being bombed? This isn’t Gaza. It’s had the lowest civilian death rate than any major conflict in modern history.

              The people dying are forced conscripts being kidnapped ICE style

              https://busification.org/en

              • CheesyFox
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                There are civilian casualties from Russian bombing almost every day. Today I heard explosions twice where I live.

                Busification? Yes, it is an issue. You know what’s also an issue? A blood-thirsty dictator, who just won’t let go of his ambitions.

                Ukraine specifically asked, that in case we’d surrender districts (none of which Russia fully controls to this day btw), surrender the fortress belt, there’d be guarantees for peace. Guess who doesn’t want to agree to those terms. Guess who doesn’t agree to a moratorium on civilian infrastructure strikes. Guess which side of this conflict practices human safari in Kherson. Guess which country demonized their neighbor since 2003. Guess which country expressed the sentiment that their neighbouring country shouldn’t exist.

                What you’re doing is that you’re shifting the blame from the aggressor and the initiator. There was no busification before 2022. Why? Take a wild fucking guess.

                • LocalAreaMan@lemmy.ml
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                  Every accusation is a confession. Russians doing safaris? WTF? Azov Brigade trustmebro bedtime stories.

                  Democracy is derived from the individual only, not race, not religion, not ethnicity, not arbitrary borders, and not even nations themselves.

                  Individuals have a right to exist, not nations. Millions of people stopped being “Ukrainian” the moment their democratically elected government was overthrown by a Svoboda led fascist mob.

                  Sorry, but not sorry.

                  Your grandchildren’s grandchildren will be paying off generational debt from predatory military and IMF loans. You’re a nation of orphans and widows, neofeudal serfs that are tied to a land they can’t even leave, all now owned by your Blackrock lords.

                  Annexation would make that disappear overnight.

                  🫰💨

              • scholar@lemmy.world
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                Ignoring that Ukraine’s cities are bombed by drone swarms and missiles every day, why are the conscripts dying? Because Russia is invading their country.

                • LocalAreaMan@lemmy.ml
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                  But it’s not the Banderites’ country. Crimea and the Donbass stopped being Ukraine in 2014. Russia annexed them because Zelensky was powerless to stop the Azov Brigade from shelling civilians in the Donetsk city center. This was after Zelensky campaigned and won on the promise of peace through the Minsk Agreement.

                  Now he’s just a kapo stooge who will never outlive his usefulness to these Banderites.

            • shalafi@lemmy.world
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              The United States held elections during the Civil War, so there’s that.

          • LocalAreaMan@lemmy.ml
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            Bullshit. That was only inserted illegally after the Svoboda led coup.

            They can vote in Eurovision singing contests but can’t choose their own government.

            • scholar@lemmy.world
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              I know in Russia elections don’t mean much, but in democracies there is a difference between electing a government and voting in Eurovision.

              • LocalAreaMan@lemmy.ml
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                Putin is massively popular in Russia, even by Western polling. You are NOT the global arbitrator for who gets to vote, who “voted wrong”.

                America directly arms over 80% of all dictatorships globally. We’re the least democratic nation on Earth for that reason alone.

                Democracy to you is just a privilege enjoyed on the backs of the oppressed, a selective cudgel weaponized to steal natural resources.

                It was never about democracy.

                • scholar@lemmy.world
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                  Democracy to me is when you have fair, free, elections, with candidates that offer different views. This is something the US just about has, and Russia does not.

                  Voter fraud and the suppression of political opposition prevent a legitimate democratic process.

                  The fact that you can’t tell the difference between that and a song contest tells all.

        • JcbAzPx@lemmy.world
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          Now your entire family is dead, but I guess you still have your pride. And that’s what’s most important, right?