US Continues to Throw Ukraine under the Bus

You may have thought that writing that President Donald Trump is anti-Ukraine was harsh, but the White House isn’t trying to walk back that impression.

In addition to official audible derogatory Oval Office comments about Ukraine’s defense efforts against Russian aggression, the White House now is seeking to slam NATO’s door shut in Kyiv’s face. The campaign began soon after the Trump Administration took office in 2024.

According to sources, the United States is pressuring its allies not to invite Ukraine to formal meetings at the alliance’s summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 7-8, Politico and Kyiv Independent reported citing four Alliance diplomats. If successful, the move would limit Kyiv’s role at the meeting of free world leaders. And it would delight Moscow.

Diplomats cited by Politico said indirect pressure from the US likely played a role in the decision.

According to them, the US also opposes the invitation of Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea. The five countries may instead be allowed to take part in lower-level side events. A NATO spokesperson did not deny the reporting in comments to the Kyiv Independent.

NATO also reportedly plans to scrap its traditional public forum — a parallel platform that typically brings together leaders, defense experts, and officials for panel discussions.

One diplomat described the move to the outlet as “very harmful,” warning it could weaken efforts to build public support for NATO's activities and increased defense spending.

The summit in Ankara will mark the second time Turkey hosts NATO leaders.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has attended every NATO summit since the start of Russia’s all-out war, joining in person in 2023 in Vilnius, 2024 in Washington, and 2025 in The Hague, and virtually in 2022.

In 2025, Zelenskyy was not invited to the main leaders’ session. During his visit to The Hague, he held talks with Trump and other top officials. Certainly, the “Coalition of the Willing” will not surrender to Trump’s bullying.

Free world countries consisting of old and new members of the North Atlantic alliance would benefit from a report by the President of Ukraine about his country’s war effort and his view of the future. Zelenskyy demonstrated his vision of the future of peaceful, democratic nations during his Davos and Munich Security Conference addresses.

After all, NATO was created in 1949 as a bulwark against Russian – then Soviet – aggression and expansionism. Today, Ukraine is the only nation-state on earth to stand up to Russia and shed its best sons and daughters’ blood in defense of Europe. America’s insistence that Zelenskyy not be invited is merely Trump’s anti-Ukrainian spitefulness and kowtowing to the Kremlin’s designs. 

Ukraine-Russia Parity is Harmful to Just Resolution of War

From Kyiv’s point of view, Russia’s war should end with honor, dignity and the preservation of Ukrainian sovereign territory. Russia is not entitled to anything simply because it is the perpetrator of this latest crime against Ukraine and humanity.

Consequently, the sooner President Donald J. Trump recognizes this, the sooner peace can return to Ukraine and tranquility to the region.

In reply to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s complaint that the White House is applying too much pressure to settle on Ukraine rather than Russia, the White House spokesperson called the Ukrainian president “unfair.” The White House had hit back at Zelenskyy, the leader of the besieged victim of Russian aggression.

Zelenskyy said Trump’s naive insistence that Ukraine should compromise was “not fair” ahead of trilateral talks in Geneva, which ended abruptly on Wednesday after just two hours.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said that Trump believes the war has been “very unfair, not just for the Russians and Ukrainians who have lost their lives, but also for the American people and the American taxpayer who were footing the bill for this war effort before President Trump put a stop to it.”

Unfair for Ukrainians? Yes, the families, children and senior citizens are suffering every night as a result of incessant Russian air raids. Civilians are being killed by Russian cutthroats in their homes, churches, grocery stores, trains, and just on the street. And Leavitt dares to compare this brutality to Russians who have lost their lives. The Trump Administration’s immoral mixing of victims is simply wrong and will not hasten a just conclusion for Ukraine.

By the way, Americans are footing the bill for the military equipment that is being built and assembled in the United States thus providing pay checks for Americans.

In the past, I have written that the American side of the negotiators lacks a clear understanding and knowledge of the issues and bad blood between Ukraine and Russia. I believe this hampers of an outcome favorable to Ukraine. In a comment today, Zelenskyy dismissed what he described as Putin’s “historical shit,” saying he has no interest in debating the past and wants peace talks focused directly on ending the war. However, with the inclusion in the talks of Russian Vladimir Medinsky, chairman of the Interdepartmental Commission on Historical Education of Russia and an ultraconservative historian and a Putin aide, there is no fear that the past would be debated objectively. Medinsky is an official Russian government liar who fabricates and twists historical accounts to suit Moscow’s imperial goals. He authored a fictional account of Russian history to justify the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

In a blunt post on X, Zelenskyy described Russia’s historical arguments as a “delay tactic,” accusing Moscow of using them to stall meaningful negotiations. He argued the only issue worth discussing with Putin is how to bring the war to a swift and successful end. Zelenskyy said debates about history will not accomplish the goal of reaching peace, and will only prolong the process of reaching a resolution.

“I have been to Russia – to many cities. And I knew a lot of people there. He [Putin] has never been to Ukraine this many times. He was only in big cities. I went to small cities. From the northern part to the southern part. Everywhere. I know their mentality. That's why I don't want to lose time on all these things,” Zelenskyy wrote.

Despite Trump’s cheerleading ahead of his view of an imminent cessation of hostilities, senior European intelligence officials said today that they’re skeptical that negotiations will end Russia’s war in Ukraine this year. The heads of five European intelligence agencies told Reuters that Russia is not seeking a rapid end to the conflict and may instead be using negotiations to pursue sanctions relief, commercial opportunities and imperial captures.

The latest round of talks took place in Geneva, but intelligence officials described the process as “negotiation theater,” highlighting a widening strategic gap between European capitals and the White House over Moscow’s intentions. According to several intelligence chiefs, the Kremlin’s core goals remain unchanged: weakening Ukraine’s Western alignment, removing Zelenskyy, and transforming Ukraine into a captive nation and neutral buffer state. Officials emphasized that Moscow neither needs nor wants a quick peace, noting that Russia’s economy, though strained, is not on the verge of collapse. Russia has said it is ready for peace on its own terms, while officials in Moscow argue that European governments have repeatedly misjudged Russian strategy. It is also ready to commit countless Russian citizens from the European portion of its vast empire but more notably from the Asian section to the fight that will only lead to their untimely deaths. 

Russians Officially Return to Paralympics While Ukrainians opt out in Protest

Russia has announced that its Paralympic athletes will return to the 2026 Paralympics while the Ukrainian team will opt out in protest.

Six athletes from Russia and four from Belarus will compete under their national flags at the upcoming Winter Paralympic Games in Milan, despite their countries either waging or supporting Moscow’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) confirmed in a statement to multiple media outlets on February 17.

It will mark the first time the Russian flag has flown at the Paralympics since the 2014 Games in Sochi.

In response, Ukraine announced its officials would not travel to the Games, would boycott the opening ceremony, and would abstain from all official Paralympic events.

Ukraine’s national sports minister said Wednesday that officials from the country would not attend the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games, in protest over a decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags.

“We thank every government official from the free world who will also boycott the official events of the Paralympics. We continue the fight!” Minister of Youth and Sports Matvii Bidnyi said on February 18. Bidnyi, strongly condemned the decision and said officials from the country would not take part in any Paralympic events, though Ukrainian athletes would still compete.

"The decision by the Paralympics organisers to allow killers and their accomplices to compete at the Paralympic Games under national flags is both disappointing and outrageous,” he wrote on social media. 

Bidnyi emphjasized that Ukrainian athletes — who have often performed well in Paralympic competition, finishing second on the medals table at the 2022 Beijing Games — would not take part in the boycott.

Some European officials also condemned the decision to let Russian and Belarusian athletes compete under their flags - which could, if the country takes a gold medal, see the first playing of Russia's national anthem at an Olympic or Paralympic event in years.

Russia Unveils new Demands as Latest Round of Peace Talks Stall

The latest US-brokered talks between envoys from Moscow and Kyiv over Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine ended Wednesday with no sign of a breakthrough as the war’s fourth anniversary approaches next week.

The anniversary will make this war the longest land war in Europe since World War Two.

The negotiations in Switzerland were the third round of direct talks organized by Washington, after meetings earlier this year in Abu Dhabi that officials continue to diplomatically describe as constructive. Expectations for progress in Geneva were low as they have been during previous encounters.

“The negotiations were not easy,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after the talks broke up.

He had accused Russia of “trying to drag out negotiations” with inconsequential demands while it presses on with its invasion — an accusation he and European leaders have intensified in the past.

Differences remain deep, including over the future of land in eastern Ukraine that is occupied by the Russian army and that Russian führer Vladimir Putin wants to keep, Zelenskyy said. The Ukrainian president has steadfastly said that he would not agree to ceding Ukrainian land to Russia regardless if Russian invaders have seized the land or not.

As the participants continue discussions to end the war in Ukraine, Moscow has unveiled a new demand. Russian officials are again demanding formal guarantees that the Western alliance will stop expanding toward its borders, reviving disputes that date back to the collapse of the so-called “Evil Empire.”

A spokesman for Russia’s embassy in Belgium told Russian Izvestia newspaper that Moscow wants NATO to legally commit to halting further enlargement to the east. The remarks are similar to what was said by the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, in a February 11 interview with “Empathy Manuchi”. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Lavrov said during the interview, that the Kremlin demands that NATO halts its expansion and does not deploy forces in states that joined the alliance after 1997. Among the nations joining NATO after 1997 are the Baltic States, Bulgaria and Romania.

The issue of NATO is part of Ukraine’s insistence that the United States and the Western European allies commit to a series of security guarantees that would ensure that Moscow will never again invade Ukraine. This demand includes a strict series of punitive actions by the free world to ensure Russia will never cross the frontier into Ukraine.

“Discussions focused on practical issues and the mechanics of possible solutions,” Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov said. “We would like to thank our American partners for constructive cooperation.”

Umerov, who heads Ukraine's delegation, added that the results of the first day will be reported to Zelenskyy today.

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said diplomatically there was "meaningful progress" after the first day of talks in Geneva. “Both parties agreed to update their respective leaders and continue working towards a deal,” he wrote on X.

Ahead of the Geneva talks, Zelenskyy indicated that the most sensitive issues, including territories and control over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, remain unresolved after the previous round of negotiations in Abu Dhabi.

Just hours before the talks began — despite Kyiv having already agreed to participate — President Donald Trump oddly urged Ukraine to “come to the table,” inserting unneeded confusion into the talks.  
“We have big talks. Ukraine better come to the table fast,” he told reporters. “That’s all I'm telling you. We are in a position where we want them to come.”

A surprise inclusion in the talks was Russian Vladimir Medinsky, chairman of the Interdepartmental Commission on Historical Education of Russia. An ultraconservative historian and presidential aide, Medinsky is the Kremlin official who is known for fabricating information and the man who rewrote Russia’s history textbooks to justify Moscow’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, according to the New York Post. Negotiators from the Ukrainian side have accused Medinsky in the past of using the talks to launch into long lectures unraveling his warped Russian nationalist interpretatio of his country’s historic relationship with Ukraine.

After peace talks first resumed in Istanbul last May, Medinsky was quick to cast his mind back to another war of attrition waged in the far reaches of the world.

“We don’t want war, but we are ready to fight for a year, two, three – however long it takes,” he reportedly said during the talks. “We fought Sweden for 21 years. How long are you ready to fight?”

In that article in the New York Post, President Zelenskyy was quoted as saying that Ukrainians would never forgive the United States if Ukraine were forced to cede Donbas to Russia. He called such a thought “unfair.”

Indeed. As I have written in the past, if that would happen, or if it were even being considered, it would be even worse for President Trump. Ukrainian American voters would not vote for any Republican Party candidate in 2026 and 2028.

Ukrainian Americans commemorate fourth anniversary of russia’s Genocidal War Against Ukraine

Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) Marks the Fourth Anniversary of russia’s Genocidal War Against Ukraine

February 24 marks four years since russia launched its full-scale, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine — a catastrophic escalation of the war it began in 2014 with the illegal occupation of Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine.

For four years, Ukrainians have endured relentless missile and drone attacks, the deliberate destruction of critical civilian infrastructure, the kidnapping of children, mass atrocities, and the systematic targeting of their culture, language, and identity. This is not a “conflict in Ukraine.” It is russia’s war of aggression and genocide against Ukraine —aimed at erasing a sovereign nation and extinguishing its people’s right to exist.

If russia ends its invasion, the war ends. If Ukraine stops defending itself, it ceases to exist.

On this solemn anniversary, the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), representing the more than 2 million Americans of Ukrainian descent since 1940, honors the brave defenders who have given their lives for freedom and the innocent civilians whose lives have been taken by russia’s brutality. We pray for the repose of their souls and stand in solidarity with their families.

We also recognize the extraordinary resilience of the Ukrainian people — their courage, unity, and unwavering commitment to democracy in the face of terror. Ukraine’s defense is not only a fight for its own sovereignty; it is a stand in defense of the fundamental values and principles of democracy — respect for international law, human rights, human dignity, and the post–World War II security order.

The cost of appeasement is measured in human lives. The cost of hesitation is measured in destroyed cities and stolen children. The world must be resolute: peace cannot be achieved by rewarding aggression or pressuring the victim to surrender.

Thus, the UCCA calls on the United States government and the international community to:

·                  Sustain and strengthen military assistance to Ukraine;

·                  Hold russia accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity;

·                  Ensure the return of Ukraine’s forcibly stolen children;

·                  Impose and enforce robust sanctions against the aggressor state;

·                  Affirm unequivocally that Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are non-negotiable.

 

Four years into the full-scale invasion — and more than a decade into russia’s war against Ukraine — Ukraine still stands strong. And the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America will not waver in its steadfast support of Ukraine until a just and lasting peace is secured.

Slava Ukrayini!

ЗАЯВА

Українського Конґресового Комітету Америки (УККА)
з нагоди четвертої річниці ґеноцидної війни росії проти України

24 лютого минає чотири роки відтоді, як росія розпочала повномаштабне, неспровоковане вторгнення в Україну — катастрофічну ескалацію війни, яку вона розв’язала у 2014 році з незаконної окупації Криму та частин Східної України.

Упродовж чотирьох років українці зазнають безперервних ракетних і дронових атак, навмисного знищення критичної цивільної інфраструктури, викрадення дітей, масових звірств і систематичного нищення їхньої культури, мови та ідентичности. Це не «конфлікт в Україні». Це війна аґресії та ґеноциду росії проти України — війна, спрямована на знищення суверенної держави та позбавлення її народу права на існування.

Якщо росія припинить своє вторгнення, війна закінчиться. Якщо Україна припинить захищатися, вона перестане існувати.

У цей скорботний день Український Конґресовий Комітет Америки (УККА), який від 1940 року представляє понад два мільйони американців українського походження, вшановує мужніх захисників, які віддали своє життя за свободу, та невинних цивільних, яких життя було обірване жорстокістю росії. Ми молимося за упокій їхніх душ і висловлюємо солідарність із їхніми родинами.

Ми також визнаємо надзвичайну стійкість українського народу — його мужність, єдність і непохитну відданість демократії перед обличчям терору. Оборона України — це не лише боротьба за власний суверенітет; це захист основоположних цінностей і принципів демократії — поваги до міжнародного права, прав людини, людської гідності та післявоєнного безпекового порядку, сформованого після Другої світової війни.

Ціна умиротворення вимірюється людськими життям. Ціна зволікання — зруйнованими містами та викраденими дітьми. Світ повинен бути рішучим: миру не можна досягти шляхом винагородження аґресора чи примушування жертви до капітуляції.

У зв’язку з цим УККА закликає Уряд Сполучених Штатів Америки та міжнародну спільноту:

·                  Продовжувати та посилювати військову допомогу Україні;

·                  Притягнути росію до відповідальности за воєнні злочини та злочини проти людства;

·                  Забезпечити повернення насильно викрадених українських дітей;

·                  Запровадити та неухильно дотримуватися жорстких санкцій проти держави-аґресора;

·                  Чітко підтвердити, що суверенітет і територіяльна цілісність України не підлягають жодним компромісам.

Чотири роки повномаштабного вторгнення — і понад десятиліття війни росії проти України — Україна стоїть незламно. І Український Конґресовий Комітет Америки не зупиняється у своїй непохитній підтримці України до досягнення справедливого й тривалого миру.

Слава Україні! 

Ukraine’s Allies also Warn against ‘Hollow’ Security Guarantees

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been consistently beating the drum of security guarantees for his country ever since the beginning of the tripartite peace negotiations.

For him and the Ukrainian nation, that has suffered the wanton brutality of Russian invaders for centuries, security guarantees that would create a lasting, impenetrable border around Ukraine is the starting point for peace negotiations. Without wholehearted American support for such a Ukrainian demand, Ukraine would face ongoing Russian danger and the nation would suffer additional bloodshed and deaths.

This demand has been echoed by European nations.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, among others, emphasized in his speech at the Munich Security Conference that future security guarantees for Ukraine must not meet the same fatal fate as the Budapest Memorandum on nuclear arms, which Russia has continuously violated. The German official noted that as the potential ceasefire approaches, it will be necessary to ensure that any peace is lasting.

“We will have to protect Ukraine from any potential future aggression by Russia. For this major task, Ukraine needs substantial and reliable security guarantees,” Pistorius said. “For this major task, Ukraine needs substantial and reliable security guarantees." the German defense minister emphasized.

“So the lesson for us, ladies and gentlemen, must be that we must not allow another ‘paper tiger’ like the Budapest Memorandum. And in order to provide credible security guarantees, all of us – all of us, both Europe and the United States – must contribute. Europe and Germany are ready to do their part,” Pistorius said.

The German official enunciated the link between security guarantees for Ukraine and Germany.

“When it comes to the future of Ukraine, three points are crucial in my view. First, we will keep looking for paths to a reliable peace because Ukraine's future is fundamental not just to European security, but to global security. We need a peace deal that safeguards both Ukraine's and our European interests,” Pistorius said.

He emphasized that the next point is the need to increase pressure on Russia, which shows no willingness to compromise.

“The ball is in Putin’s court. He is the one who is dragging out negotiations and is showing no willingness to compromise. He is shifting the cost of war to his own people. But he must not be mistaken. We will continue doing everything in our power to protect Ukraine as an independent, sovereign European nation. We will keep up the pressure politically, economically, and militarily,” Pistorius said.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys on February 14 dismissed the concept of Article 5-like security guarantees that Ukraine is negotiating with the West, urging realistic solutions instead of “hollow” promises.

"There can be nothing similar to Article 5… Because Article 5 means that if you are in trouble, I promise you that I will come and if it is needed, I will die for you,” he told the Kyiv Independent in an interview on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

Any other approximations such as like and sort-of are mere “rhetorical expressions,” according to Lithuania’s chief diplomat.

NATO’s Article 5 states that an attack against one member is an attack against all, and that allies vow to provide assistance, including through military means.

The Trump administration has signaled its readiness to provide “almost assurances” to Ukraine as part of peace talks, sparking debate over their reliability and whether they could weaken NATO’s credibility.

“Real security guarantees mean forces that are coming to support Ukraine. If not, then there are other measures,” Budrys said, naming future EU membership or financial support for the Ukrainian Armed Forces as more realistic options.

To ensure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, Kyiv’s partners must “invest in this process” and “avoid hollow structures and some fake agreements and guarantees,” the minister added.

As for the war, which is nearing its fourth anniversary, at least 13 people were injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities said on February 16. Russian forces attacked Ukraine with four Zirkon anti-ship hypersonic missiles, an Iskander-M ballistic missile, a Kh-31 medium-range missile, and 62 drones, of which about 40 were Shahed-type, the Air Force said. Ukrainian forces downed two Zircon missiles and 52 drones. At least nine drones and a missile made it through, striking eight locations. The fall of debris was recorded in two locations, the report read. 

Winter Olympics 2026

In the movie Spartacus, in order to save their leader and preserve their dignity, the prisoners stood and cried “I’m Spartacus!” What if during Olympic closing ceremony Ukrainian athletes-& other brave competitors-enter venue with a sign “I’m Heraskevych”? Far fetched?

У фільмі «Спартак», щоб врятувати свого лідера та зберегти гідність, в'язні встали та вигукнули «Я — Спартак!». Що, якби під час церемонії закриття Олімпіади українські спортсмени та інші хоробрі учасники змагань увійшли на місце проведення з табличкою «Я — Гераскевич»? Навряд чи це можливо?

#I’mHeraskevych

#StandWithUkraine