The Trump-Zelensky public spat
I am reminded of the history that led to Ukraine's current predicament as I look at it side-by-side with the tense conversation that is filling the media waves, as of now.
I was profoundly happy to hear the news that President Trump won with a commanding mandate in 2024 and to see the rapid implementation of policies that institutions such as the IMF are currently blocking emerging economies like ours from implementing. He has constantly expressed the "America First" notion, which is now focused on fueling a new USA.
At the same time, I have paid a lot of attention over the years to Ukraine's volatile political situation, which saw the Maidan Revolution. In 2023, President Zelensky was quoted as saying that the Maidan Revolution was the first victory in Ukraine's war with Russia. Today, the deaths of thousands of people and the potential for Eastern Europe to evolve into World War III are catastrophic.
One must not forget that Ukraine's transition of power saw a hands-on strategy by the US. We witnessed this during the active efforts made by people like Victoria Nuland, who was the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs in the US Department of State at the time. I don't intend to go deeper into that history right now.
However, I remind you of this because blaming Ukraine's current predicament on the people or the current president of Ukraine, especially by a nation like the US, is very ironic, to put it mildly. I am happy that the current administration in the US is looking at dismantling the Deep State, but the repercussions of the heinous acts committed by it, in the past cannot now be outsourced.
What I saw in the Oval Office was a stronger nation dictating how matters must be run in Ukraine, without heed to the pain and anguish caused not only to the people of Ukraine but also to Russia. This is how the Global South has been treated over the years, and I hope the Trump administration isn't looking to propagate that same practice.