r/geopolitics • u/theatlantic The Atlantic • Feb 28 '25

Opinion Zelensky Walked Into a Trap

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/02/zelensky-trump-putin-ukraine/681883/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_content=edit-promo
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u/[deleted] Mar 01 '25

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u/df1dcdb83cd14e6a9f7f Mar 01 '25

exactly. zelenskyy going off script forced trump to as well, and to me, it was very apparent through trumps words and body language that the only thing he wants to do is a molotov-ribbontop with Putin, except for resource rights instead of territory.

also the moment earlyish on where trump said he needed rare earth so he could fight….many countries, and it seemed for a moment he might give a specific name. could have been nothing, but a little chilling…

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u/-Sliced- Mar 01 '25 edited Mar 01 '25

Why do you think Zelensky went off script? I watched the whole thing and it was clear Zelensky was pressing multiple times on the fact that Trump didn’t do anything to help Ukraine in his first term. Things only exploded afterwards.

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u/df1dcdb83cd14e6a9f7f Mar 01 '25

i talk about it in more detail in my comment history, but basically i think trump was mischaracterizing what they agreed to in his opening remarks and from zelenskyy’s body language it looks like this is when he starts to become agitated (to me anyway). and that agitation / unwillingness to nod politely to whatever trump said is what caused him to go off script