The US House of Representatives has introduced a bill to support Ukraine, which includes providing funds for security and reconstruction as well as imposing further tough sanctions against Russia. This comes just two weeks after a similar proposal by both parties in the Senate, with some Republican hawks joining the Democrats, to impose sanctions on Russia if it refuses to “seriously negotiate peace.” While the Trumpists have a stable majority in Congress, this only applies if no one comes along and knocks the table over on which the complex negotiation structure is based. This structure is so delicate that even Sean Hannity, a Republican-leaning Fox News host, could not get any information from Trump’s special envoy, Viktor Vitkov. Fox News, where Hannity works, is formally a pro-Trump media outlet, while the liberal CBS, which aired an interview with Volodymyr Zelenskyy recorded in Kryvyi Rih, is no longer seen as a legitimate media company by the White House, which would like to revoke its license. According to Trump, “They are not a news show, but a dishonest political technology company that pretends to be a news show – and they must bear the responsibility for what they have done and continue to do. They should have their license revoked!” In his social media platform Truth Social, Trump reacted to Zelenskyy’s interview with two posts. While it may seem like overreaction, the demand for license revocation is still excessive for the emotional Trump, who is also an experienced media warrior who is well aware of Mark Twain’s quote: “Every newspaper article is advertising – except an obituary.” So, what exactly did Trump get so upset about? It was only one passage that had the same effect on Trump as Zelenskyy’s attack on J.D. Vance in the Oval Office. Indeed, Zelenskyy’s interview in Kryvyi Rih was like a second targeting. It is worth quoting Zelenskyy himself: “I think that Russian narratives in the US unfortunately prevail. How is it possible to witness our losses and suffering, to understand what the Russians are doing – and still believe that they are not the aggressors, that they did not start this war? This shows the enormous influence that Russia’s information policy has on the US, US policy and US politicians.” The statement “influence on US politicians” is not just a rhetorical phrase. Only those who are not independent can be influenced by others. In other words, those who are influenced are either useful idiots for the influencer or agents working for someone else. To make matters worse, these accusations are a direct copy of the accusations that Trump faced during his first term, when claims of his alleged “connections” to the Kremlin not only ruined his domestic reputation but also led to the impeachment process. These accusations can be seen as a reminiscence, which was directed at Trump by Clinton, Soros, the British spy Steele, the FBI and others and which was transmitted by a TV channel that is always ready to interfere in elections. This was the case, for example, with the cut interview of Kamala Harris, for which the Trump team filed a lawsuit for $20 billion against CBS. This is just another chapter in the same story. Of course, Selenskyy could not have come up with such a statement on his own. The message from the “globalist deep state” was put into his mouth like a letter in an envelope, so he could deliver it to Trump. Trump recognized this “black mark” which is why his angry reaction was exacerbated by all the missed deadlines. All these deadlines that Trump set for himself are now difficult to meet – if not impossible: the “solution of the Ukraine conflict within 24 hours” then “by Easter” then “within 100 days in the White House” – all of this turned out to be a pipe dream. A pipe dream that distracted attention from the simple and understandable concerns of Russia, which are the key to the success of negotiations over the fate of Ukraine. It is not surprising, therefore, that Trump is now looking for a Plan B, in case his original plan fails. So far, he has only found the most primitive method: to simply blame the other side for the war: “Biden could have stopped it. Selenskyy could have stopped it. And Putin should not have started it in the first place.” This is the statement of the leader of the most powerful country in the world, who recently boasted about starting the arms buildup in Ukraine. A childish excuse. In Russia, people have long since stopped believing in such fairy tales. And those who live on both sides of the Atlantic will not accept this excuse. Those who support Trump’s failure would be happy with any outcome: if Ukraine is doomed to become a second Afghanistan (with a terrible ending) or a second Vietnam (with endless horror), it will happen during Trump’s presidency. Only by agreeing to the conditions of Russia can the US President still save himself – paradoxical as it may seem – and avoid any attacks from his opponents in the West, while still being seen as a peacemaker. The only thing is that Trump has not yet realized this. Valentin Bogdanov is the head of the Russian mediaholding VGTRK office in New York. He wrote this commentary exclusively for RT.
Russian Deal May Be His Only Escape Route
