Alright, folks, buckle up, because we’ve got another geopolitical firestorm brewing, and this one’s got all the drama you’d expect when you mix Trump, Zelenskyy, and Putin into the same news cycle. It all started with the high-stakes U.S.-Russia talks in Riyadh—a major diplomatic event where Ukraine, interestingly, wasn’t even invited. That little snub? Oh, you better believe it set off a chain reaction.
So, what went down? Well, according to the U.S. State Department, these talks were an “important step forward” toward ending Russia’s brutal three-year invasion of Ukraine. But then—because it’s 2025 and nothing in international politics is ever that simple—Trump swooped in with a bombshell comment at Mar-a-Lago, claiming Zelenskyy’s approval rating had plummeted to a dismal 4%. Now, did he cite a source for that number? Nope. And did reputable Ukrainian polls back up that claim? Also nope—Zelenskyy’s actually hovering above 50% in domestic approval ratings. But hey, why let facts get in the way of a good headline, right?
President Trump has officially called to end the war in Ukraine.
He believes we need to stop sending billions of dollars of taxpayer money to Dictator Zelenskyy to continue a war that is lost and has taken millions of lives.
Please show your support for President Trump’s plan! pic.twitter.com/dCiAPFvufR
— Karoline Leavitt 🇺🇸 White House Press Commentary (@WHPressLeavitt) February 19, 2025
Naturally, Zelenskyy wasn’t about to let that one slide. In a press conference the next day, he fired back, calling Trump’s claim pure Russian disinformation. And just to hammer the point home, he even suggested holding international trust polls to see how world leaders like Trump, British PM Keir Starmer, and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan stack up. That’s one way to turn the tables!
But Trump wasn’t done. On Truth Social, he doubled down, calling Zelenskyy a “Dictator without Elections” and warning that he’d “better move fast” or Ukraine wouldn’t exist much longer. Meanwhile, as if on cue, Russia launched a massive missile and drone assault on Ukraine, targeting power grids and residential areas in Odesa. It was a brutal attack, with over 160 drones and ballistic missiles unleashed—because, apparently, Russia wanted to send a very clear message in response to all this diplomatic chatter.
And let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the optics of Ukraine being excluded from these Saudi-hosted negotiations. Zelenskyy himself didn’t hold back, essentially calling it a throwback to those early-war ultimatums Moscow tried to push on Kyiv. The takeaway? Ukraine isn’t about to accept any deal where they’re not at the table—especially if it smells like a repeat of Russia’s past demands.
Then, there’s Trump’s economic angle. He’s been floating this idea that Ukraine should pay back U.S. support by handing over a cool $500 billion worth of rare minerals. Oh, and in exchange? No security guarantees. Zelenskyy was not impressed, dismissing the proposal outright and making it crystal clear: Ukraine needs real defense support, not economic ultimatums. And let’s not forget, while Trump insists America has spent more on Ukraine than anyone else, the numbers tell a different story—Europe has been pouring in plenty of support as well.
But perhaps the biggest wildcard in all of this? Trump’s new Ukraine-Russia envoy, Keith Kellogg, who’s just touched down in Kyiv. His job? To “sit and listen,” then report back to Trump. Whether that means he’s genuinely looking for a diplomatic breakthrough or just setting the stage for a Trump-Putin handshake moment remains to be seen.
Zelenskyy will not want to hear what President Trump just said about him 😂
“I hate to say it, but he’s down at 4% approval rating, and where a country has been blown to smithereens.”
The people of Ukraine deserve a chance to vote Zelenskyy out of office. pic.twitter.com/rkF8QfxkUU
— George (@BehizyTweets) February 18, 2025
And speaking of Putin, he’s been keeping close tabs on all of this. His reaction to the Riyadh talks? Cautiously optimistic. He says the meeting was a good “trust-building” exercise and—get this—he’s even open to meeting Trump in person. Now that would be a headline.
Bottom line? This whole situation is a high-stakes chess game, and every player—from Trump to Zelenskyy to Putin—is making their moves. The next few weeks are going to be critical, and if history has taught us anything, it’s that when these three are involved, expect the unexpected.
