Trump deliberately sparks White House scandal to justify halting military aid to Ukraine — economist

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

“Trump is extremely committed to the promises he made during his election campaign. He desperately needed some wins. After nearly a month in the White House, apart from a sharp rise in egg prices, he had not made any notable achievements in the minds of Americans. He needed something, and one of those things was a ceasefire on the Russian-Ukrainian front. It is important to note that he wanted to achieve this at Ukraine’s expense. He needed a reason to justify his actions. What we saw on Friday was one piece of the puzzle in the picture Trump was painting to resolve the war issue through capitulation to Russia,” Pendzyn stated.

Trump could not stop the supply of weapons that had already been paid for, contracted, and approved during Biden’s tenure. He needed a clear justification. He got that justification by provoking a scandal, the economist noted.

“Based on information from diplomats, such high-level negotiations behind closed doors often take place in a heated manner, but they are never made public. If we saw this process in the media, it means everything was properly staged. It was deliberately provoked by the U.S. vice president in front of journalists to ensure the leak reached the press. Trump did not expect such a reaction from European leaders and his own voters,” he said.

Ordinary Ukrainian citizens will feel the impact of the absence of American aid, Pendzyn warned.

“The fewer munitions there are, the more deaths will occur. Ukraine will feel this, maybe not immediately, but the overall reduction in the supply of ammunition to the front will negatively affect the ability of Ukrainians to defend their country and resist the enemy,” he added.

• On February 28, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Washington for a working visit. During a press conference, a dispute broke out between Trump, Zelenskyy, and U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance.
• Later, it was reported that the joint press conference of Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump was canceled after the disagreement.
• Following the altercation in the White House, European leaders and U.S. politicians began expressing their support for Zelenskyy and Ukraine.
• White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt announced the U.S. government’s intention to halt financial military aid to Ukraine.