Zelensky says he would resign if it meant peace for Ukraine

Donald Trump and President Zelensky have been trading barbs ever since Trump won the 2024 presidential election.

As of late, Trump has been squeezing Zelensky, and it appears that he just may have broken him, as Zelensky is now offering terms for his resignation.

Dictator!

It became quite clear that Donald Trump was going to squeeze Zelensky regarding aid when he tried to blame the war between Ukraine and Russia on Zelensky.

Trump also hit Zelensky for declaring martial law and suspending elections during the war.

Trump called Zelensky a “dictator,” then continued, "He refuses to have elections. He's low in the real Ukrainian polls. How can you be high with every city being demolished?"

The hit job continued, with Trump adding, “[Zelensky] has done a terrible job, his country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died."

No Deal

Trump then started to try to shake down Ukraine, offering them a deal that would require Ukraine to pay back the United States $500 billion via mineral rights, but this appeared to be more of a posturing by Trump. The first salvo of a negotiation, if you will.

Zelensky immediately pushed back, stating that he and Joe Biden agreed all aid given was a “grant,” therefore, Ukraine owed nothing to the United States. He stated, “I do not recognize [that Kyiv owes the US] even $100 billion.”

Congress has approved about $183 billion in aid for Ukraine, but Trump has stated that the amount is $350 billion. I have no idea where he is getting that number from, but that seems to be where Trump is basing his mineral rights demand.

Zelensky, at least initially, stated that he would not sign such a deal because it would doom generations of Ukrainians to pay off the debt. Yet he did not seem to mind dooming generations of Americans to pay off the debt we accumulated providing aid to his country.

Softening Stance

It seems clear to me that Trump wants Zelensky out, and he may just get what he wants, as Zelensky has offered terms for his resignation as president.

Zelensky stated that if it meant peace for Ukraine, he would give up his presidency, adding, “If you need me to leave this chair, I am ready to do that, and I also can exchange it for NATO membership for Ukraine.”

Rest assured, Ukraine has virtually no chance of becoming a member of NATO, as that would certainly lead to war with Russia among NATO nations, something nobody wants to see.

I would also note that even though Zelensky has resisted the mineral rights deal, reports are surfacing that a deal is close to being made in the $350 billion range. Zelensky has to know, if Trump cuts off the faucet, Russia will pounce, so he is caving because he knows he has absolutely no leverage in this negotiation with Trump.