Sunday Thoughts

History is full of weird characters who rise from nowhere to become an important player in what is often a strange moment in history. Rasputin is the classic example. He was a drunken, vulgar peasant who found a way into the employment of the Czar. The Count of St. Germain is less well known, but a far more outlandish example of someone who found a way to enter elite society at a global level, despite having no reason to be invited into that world.

In time, Volodymyr Zelensky may be on that list of mercurial figures who somehow ended up on the world stage, only to come to a bad end. The former actor and comedian, who was never all that good at either role, has become both the indispensable man and the clog in the drain of history that must be removed for things to take their proper course. The great struggle now is between those two opposing realities, which helps explain last week.

The neocons turned Zelensky into a folk hero so he could be the point around which Western politicians would rally. Then he became the clearing house for cash that flowed into Ukraine, some of which flowed back out into the pockets of European and American politicians. This only worked if there was a war with Russia, so they worked with Zelensky to make negotiations with Russia impossible, short of the unconditional surrender of the Russians.

For Project Ukraine, Zelensky became the indispensable man. Trump comes to power, and he wants to wrap up Ukraine and move onto other things, but to do that he has to broker a deal between Ukraine and Russia. Of course, Zelensky cannot do this as his very existence rests on this war with Russia being a permanent feature of life. It is why his peace plans always revolve around the West joining the Ukrainians in the fight on the ground.

The blowup on Friday now creates a serious problem for the Europeans. Despite the tough talk from the soy boys and girl bosses, they cannot risk a genuine split with Washington. They think Trump is bluffing about cutting off Ukraine, but once they realize that he is not bluffing, they will confront the same issue Trump has observed. The thing clogging the pipes, preventing things from flowing in the proper direction is Zelensky, which means he will have to go.

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