Volodymyr Zelensky is responsible for “starting the war with Russia,” according to our duly re-elected U.S. president. This is patently untrue, as everyone knows, but some wish to believe.
This statement, if you have not already suspected, was a clear indication as to where President Trump’s orientation would be focused in this his second term in office. If he had said, “Russia has legitimate reasons for wanting to subsume Ukraine,” that would have been one thing. To say Ukraine’s President Zelensky “started the war” is such an outrageous and unnecessary lie the underlying motivation becomes a question.
The consensus among Americans regarding Ukraine has been unsurprisingly supportive of Ukrainian determination to sustain their 30 years of sovereignty and maintain their democracy. Being subsumed by Russia would mean a painful adjustment to autocratic, authoritarian rule.
Also, Americans “get it” that aggressive nations rarely stop after one conquest. Aggressors can be expected to continue and to make further incursions, looking back all the way to Alexander the Great and continuing up through Napoleon and Hitler to name three among many.
Recognizing genuine American admiration of Zelensky and the Ukrainian people in resisting a more powerful opponent destroying their nation with rockets. Trump chose to advance a narrative to redirect American sentiment toward Russia – poor Putin? – and away from Ukraine. Ever impatient to get the narrative started, Trump chose to invent the lie that Zelensky started the war. Having used big lies before, this has proven to work. Could the public not be expected to fall into line with the president’s inane and cruel fabrication?
The clearest indication that Trump intended to weasel out of the U.S. obligation to Ukraine was evident in that lie, but after upending essential aid to foreign nations, we had to know that Ukraine would soon follow. The rational for this tectonic shift in orientation away from aiding others would have to be manipulated, of course, which it was. The “arms for minerals” agreement was a fake-out. It was never intended that Zelensky leave the oval office with assurance of continued U.S. support by signing away control of his country’s natural resources.
What better way than the orchestration of a televised meeting in the oval office where a contemptuous scolding and a potential confrontation with Zelensky might place him in a more negative light. It did not go unnoticed that mainstream media refers to the “the blowup” in the oval office meeting, presumably between Trump and Zelensky, but only one person “blew up.” Zelensky did not blow up. Zelensky simply pressed a well-known point. It was, after all, a negotiation between the two leaders – albeit not typically done before cameras. Trump “blew up” when Zelensky accused Russia of failing to adhere to previous agreements.
Will Americans fall for it? Probably. Trump has an uncanny ability to manipulate public opinion. It becomes the responsibility of each individual to discern truth from lies, seriousness from theatrics and propaganda from….whatever. As Americans, this makes our job much harder and – yes – It can be exhausting.
Sallie Marsico lives in Norwalk.
