“We’re Not Doing Business”: Expert Explains Why Trump Keeps Talking About a Deal Instead of Peace
Political strategist Mykhailo Sheitelman said that Ukraine and the United States have fundamentally different views of the war: Ukraine wants protection from Russian missile attacks, while Trump wants to strike a deal, failing to understand that this is not a business negotiation, Politeka reports.
He shared these remarks on his blog.
“Many people believe Trump did not want to attend the NATO summit. According to the international press, he arrived in a bad mood, and the allies were preparing for a tense summit. Do you realize what political analysts around the world are doing? They’re tracking Trump’s mood. He came in a bad mood, with little enthusiasm,” Sheitelman noted.
According to the expert, during the press conference Trump said that Greenland should come under U.S. control, unexpectedly bringing up the issue once again. He also admitted that he was disappointed with NATO and would have skipped the summit if it had not been held in Turkey. Trump further suggested that the United States could withdraw its troops from Europe. Regarding the Russia–Ukraine war, Sheitelman said Trump stated during a meeting with Erdoğan that both Putin and Zelenskyy wanted to make a deal, adding that it was unfortunate it had taken so long, but that “something would come of it.” At the same time, Zelenskyy was meeting with Rutte and discussing the need for additional missiles for the Patriot air defense system.
“We don’t want to make a deal—we want to end the war. There’s a huge difference. We’re not trying to make a deal. We’re not doing business, and we’re not playing cards. We want to end the war. We want peace—just peace, nothing more. Ukrainians simply want Russia to withdraw all its troops from the occupied territories, pay reparations, hand over war criminals, and return the children it abducted. Nothing more,” Sheitelman explained.
He stressed that Ukraine is fighting a purely defensive war and has no intention of seizing anyone else’s territory. Therefore, he argued, it is wrong to accuse Zelenskyy of not wanting peace. Ukraine’s demands, the expert concluded, are straightforward: Russia withdraws its troops, after which the remaining issues—such as reparations—can be pursued through diplomacy and international courts. “There are no hidden conditions here,” he said.