Fletch82 (retd.)

I studied the entire video (50 minutes) of the #Trump and #Zelensky meeting to determine when things started going off the rails. For those who don't have time to watch the entire meeting (the CSPAN YouTube link is at the end of this post), here is what happened. Zelensky quietly sat and listened as Trump made numerous wild claims and false statements, such as the war wouldn't have started if he was president (and that October 7 wouldn't have either), that Europe has spent much less money to help Ukraine than the US has (fact check - by the end of 2024 the US had spent around $120 billion and Europe had spent around $139 billion), that WWIII would happen if it weren't for Trump, comparing himself to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and repeatedly calling rare earth minerals "raw earth" for some reason. Trump also said that security for #Ukraine would only be discussed after the deal was done, and then a journalist asked Zelensky a stupid question about why he wasn't wearing a suit and if he owned one. The meeting started to fall apart at 23:20 in the video, when Zelensky answered a question about a ceasefire, saying it would never work without security guarantees. He explained that #Putin had broken 25 signed agreements with Ukraine since the war began in 2014. At 23:50, Trump interrupts and says that Putin never broke an agreement while Trump was president. Zelensky corrects him, saying that broken agreements happened during Trump's first term. Trump's facial expression changes. Trump is visibly angry that anyone corrected one of his many untruths. His demeanor for the rest of the meeting changed after that. Trump continued to lie about the US spending far more on Ukraine than Europe, insulted Biden repeatedly, and bizarrely claimed he had stopped many wars including ones that people never heard about, and wars he stopped before the wars started. At 33:00, Trump said that many Ukrainian cities were destroyed without a building left standing (as if people weren't in cities anymore.) Zelensky corrects him, saying that Trump needs to come see Ukraine for himself because there is still life in Ukraine, that people are working and children are going to school, despite the difficult conditions. Zelensky explains that Ukraine is fighting but is also living, and that Putin hasn't destroyed Ukraine. Trump stares at the floor as Zelensky speaks. A journalist asks Trump what will prevent #Russia from invading after a ceasefire, and he says the agreement will stop Putin, and then tries to divert the conversation by talking about CNN having low ratings. At 40:30, after #JDVance has just finished attacking Biden's Ukraine policy, Zelensky asks if he can say something, and then talks about Putin not being stopped since 2014. Trump interrupts and says 2015, and then Zelensky and JD Vance correct Trump. Zelensky explains why diplomacy doesn't work with Putin. Vance gets angry at 42:10 and says that Zelensky is being disrespectful, and then questions Zelensky on conscription in Ukraine. Zelensky asks JD Vance to come to Ukraine once and see for himself what is happening in Ukraine. JD Vance then tries to quickly pivot away from his lack of experience in Ukraine by accusing Zelensky of attacking the administration. Zelensky says that America is secure because of the ocean separating it from Europe, but that someday in the future America will feel the influence of the Russia problem. Trump, emboldened by JD Vance having just attacked Zelensky, talks over Zelensky, telling Zelensky not to tell them how to feel, and that Zelensky is in no position to dictate how they're going to feel. Trump starts yelling at Zelensky. Zelenksy stays calm. Trump keeps talking above him and not letting him speak, telling him that he doesn't have the cards. Zelenksy says I'm not playing cards, I'm very serious. I'm the President in a war. Trump accuses Zelensky of gambling with WWIII and says that what Zelensky is doing is very disrespectful to America. JD Vance asks Zelensky if he has said "thank you" once in the entire meeting (fact check - Zelensky had said thank you earlier in the meeting, and many times over the past three years). Zelensky asks JD Vance if he thinks that speaking loudly about the war... Trump interrupts him, saying that JD Vance isn't speaking loudly. Zelensky asks if he can answer, and Trump tells him no and that he's done a lot of talking. Trump falsely claims that $350 billion was given by America to Ukraine (fact check - around $120 billion has been spent on support for Ukraine). Trump starts yelling about how much Ukraine owes America. JD Vance tells Zelensky to just say thank you, and that he's wrong. Trump tells Zelensky that he needs to be thankful. Trump complains about Zelensky not wanting a ceasefire. Zelensky says he wants a ceasefire, but with security guarantees. Trump attacks Biden, and then Obama. He tells Zelensky that he needs to be more thankful, and that he doesn't have the cards, with America he has the cards, but without America he doesn't have any cards. A journalist asks what will keep Putin from breaking any agreement. Trump says Russia broke agreements with Obama and Biden (he later added Bush to the list) because Russia didn't respect them, but that they respect Trump. Then it gets crazy. Trump then bizarrely rants about the Russia election interference investigation, saying that he and Putin went through it together, and throwing Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Adam Schiff, and Hunter Biden (and Hunter Biden's laptop, bathroom, and bedroom) into it. Trump professes Putin's innocence and feels sympathy for Putin having been accused of election interference. Trump tells Zelensky that he's empowered Zelensky to be a tough guy and that he doesn't think he'd be a tough guy without the United States. Trump says that Ukraine will make a deal with the US or the US is out, in which case the war will continue to be fought. Trump again accuses Zelensky of not being thankful, and then says this will be great television. #StandWithUkraine #UkraineWillWin #Zelenskyy youtube.com/watch?v=7pxbGjvc…