Okay, so it wasn’t 24 hours.

However, President Donald J. Trump is ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict within the first month of his second administration. He’s already spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone, and warm words have been exchanged. There will be no kinetic war with Russia as long as MAGA is in the White House.

Of course, the EU, UK, and Ukraine have no say in the matter, and they’re not happy about it.

The European Union has long mistaken soft power for hard power, and it will learn a lesson in vassalage it will never forget.

The UK lost its empire long ago but has infiltrated Washington and infected US foreign policy long enough to punch well above its weight in world affairs. Trump hasn’t punished UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Foreign Secretary David Lammy for their indiscreet criticisms of Trump and blatant election interference. But not being party to any agreement is sufficient sting.

And what of Ukraine? I feel nothing but pity for a nation that trusted American neocons to do an impossible job: rid the country of Russia and keep the American taxpayer interested long enough to cover the tab. It was never going to happen. The neocons’ real goal was to use Ukraine as the tip of the spear to bring about regime change in Russia, break Russia up into forty-some-odd pieces, and then loot the former Russian territory of its resources. That plan signally failed.

Let’s get a bit deeper into the weeds with each.

Ukraine: Loss of Sovereignty

Excluding Ukraine from negotiations about its own future compromises its sovereignty and self-determination. The sad thing is Ukraine’s sovereignty is indeed in question; that’s what happens when you lose a war. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has firmly stated Ukraine won’t accept any peace agreement negotiated without its involvement. What he’ll do when he finds out he’s no longer a party to any deal is unknown.

Without the involvement of Ukraine and its European allies, the U.S. might agree to terms more favorable to Russia. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has already said that Ukraine will not be invited into NATO and that U.S. troops won’t patrol the peace.

In the eyes of Europeans, those concessions set a dangerous precedent, rewarding “aggression” and “undermining international law.”

There’s no doubt this diplomatic wrangling is nothing compared to losing close to one million young men in a futile war.

UK: Loss of the Special Relationship

Boris Johnson should be tried and convicted for crimes against humanity. His intervention, at the behest of the neocons, to keep this war going cost the Ukrainians needless deaths.

Keir Starmer has been a joke of a Prime Minister from Day One. If I were the U.S., I’d seriously reconsider sharing defense details with a country that doesn’t remotely resemble its former self.

The "special relationship" between the UK and the U.S. is all about close diplomatic and military cooperation. However, the UK's exclusion from these peace talks will signal a shift in this unofficial dynamic. Being sidelined will prompt a reevaluation of security and defense cooperation on both sides of the Atlantic.

The UK's exclusion from the talks will be interpreted as devaluing its influence in American foreign policy decisions. This sidelining will undoubtedly lead to the UK reassessing the special relationship's usefulness in advancing its foreign policy objectives. The UK's absence from key negotiations will downgrade its standing as a central player in international diplomacy, particularly in European security.

To safeguard its interests, the UK may need to reconsider its reliance on the special relationship and explore strengthening ties with other international partners.

EU: The Rejected Vassal

I’m thrilled Americans are feeling a resurgence of patriotic pride. What a government can do for its people is incredible when it accomplishes things.

In Europe, the EU apparatchiks make Europeans pessimistic about the future. Europe’s leadership class is useless.

Europe will have to stop spending on wasteful social programs and start spending on defense, something it was loath to do until The Donald came along.

European leaders expressed alarm over their exclusion from the U.S.-Russia talks, saying any deal made without their participation would be ineffective and compromise European security.

Feeling marginalized, the EU will assert a more independent foreign policy, strengthening its diplomatic and security initiatives. This will lead to a recalibration of the EU-U.S. relationship, with the EU pursuing greater autonomy in international affairs to safeguard its interests.

The USG will welcome this, as its legs are tired from carrying Europe around for the last 80 years.

Wrap Up

Hearts will break over Ukraine. American neocons led Ukraine down the garden path and then left her altogether.

The UK must recover and find another way to reassert itself on the world stage.

The EU must learn to stand on its own two feet or perish. I can’t see the EU being long for this world.

Have a great weekend!