A “day of shame” for American history: Macron exposes Trump’s lies, the US votes at the UN with dictators

Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump on Monday once again played out the well-known scenario of diplomatic friendship, honed during the years of the Republican’s first term. Firm handshakes, jokes, compliments – everything, like in the good old days.

But behind this ostentatious warmth hides a deep split in views on the war in Ukraine. Macron clearly called Russia an aggressor, while Trump insists on a different version of events – he puts Ukraine and Russia on the same level, and sometimes even blames Zelensky for resolving the conflict.

This difference in approaches was also manifested in the international arena. The United States, together with Russia and North Korea, voted against the UN General Assembly resolution confirming support for Ukraine and its territorial integrity.

On the same day, Volodymyr Zelenskyi gathered a dozen Western leaders in Kyiv, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “This year should be the beginning of real and lasting peace“, he said, emphasizing the importance of international support.

“I do not use such words lightly”

Trump’s refusal to call Putin a dictator for Ukrainians was probably one of the biggest shocks of yesterday – the third anniversary of the beginning of the great war in Ukraine. During a meeting with Emmanuel Macron at the White House on February 24, Trump was asked by reporters if he agreed to call Putin a dictator after he himself applied the term to Volodymyr Zelenskyi. The American president replied that he usually does not use such words without serious reasons and believes that it is necessary to wait to see how the situation develops.

In addition, during the meeting with Macron, Trump statedthat Putin “has no problems” with the placement of European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine. “Yes, he will accept it“, said Donald Trump, adding that he asked Putin personally. Trump emphasized that the Russian president does not seek a world war.

However, statements from the Kremlin were completely different. The spokesman of the President of Russia, Dmytro Peskov, emphasized that such an initiative is unacceptable for Moscow. At the same time, the Russian ambassador to Great Britain, Andriy Kelin, said that Moscow categorically rejects the idea of ​​introducing British troops into Ukraine in the post-ceasefire scenario.

These events underscore the differences between the US and its European allies regarding approaches to the resolution of the conflict in Ukraine and the assessment of the actions of the Russian leadership.

“Multiply deals”

Three years ago, Emmanuel Macron tried – unsuccessfully – to dissuade Vladimir Putin from invading. Now he took on an equally difficult mission – to convince Donald Trump.

Trump, who has always admired authoritarian leaders and avoided complex multilateral negotiations, takes a purely pragmatic approach to diplomacy. On Monday, he again hinted in his social networks about possible “important” economic agreements with Russia – despite the sanctions that the USA has introduced against it.

“I make deals. This is what I’ve been doing all my life. I’m the best at itTrump repeated, as if promoting his brand.

In Moscow, Putin picked up on this rhetoric, saying that American and Russian companies are already in talks and even considering the possibility of investment … in Ukrainian territories captured by Russia.

Trump, for his part, assures that he is decisively breaking with the “past” foreign policy of the USA, which after 1945 positioned itself as the defender of democracy and European security through NATO and the nuclear arsenal.

“There is a way”

Despite deep differences of opinion, Emmanuel Macron assured on Monday that he sees a “path” to ending the war in Ukraine – even with Donald Trump. At the same time, he made it clear: a peace agreement cannot mean the “surrender” of Kyiv. Speaking at the White House, Macron stressed that without security guarantees, the risk of a new attack by Putin would remain too high.

“We want a quick deal, but not one that falls apart on the first try“, the French leader emphasized.

The US insists on its resolution in the UN

On the third anniversary of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the UN General Assembly considered two resolutions. Ukraine and more than 50 countries promoted a document demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops and recognition of the Russian Federation as an aggressor. The US proposed its own resolution – without mentioning aggression, with a call for a “quick end to the conflict”. Washington also pressured Kyiv to withdraw its document, but to no avail.

The Ukrainian resolution passed with 93 votes for, 18 against, and 65 abstentions. The USA voted “against” along with the Russian Federation, Belarus and North Korea. European countries refined the American resolution before the vote, adding clear wording about the Russian invasion and the territorial integrity of Ukraine. As a result, it was supported by the same 93 countries, and the USA abstained from voting for its own document.

In the Security Council of the United Nations, the United States achieved the adoption of its resolution, but without the amendments of the General Assembly. The document calling for peace was supported by 10 out of 15 members of the Security Council, including the Russian Federation and China. However, it does not contain any implementation mechanisms.

The result of the diplomatic battle: Ukraine won in the General Assembly, but the USA won back in the Security Council, where a resolution with soft wording was adopted.

A day of shame for American history

Lawrence O’Donnell, a renowned American journalist and MSNBC host whose career spans decades of political analysis and reporting, today called the day a shameful moment in American history.

“Donald Trump entered history, but not as a leader, but as the one who for the first time refused to support the fundamental principles of American democracy“, O’Donnell said in his ether. He emphasized that today Trump rejected the position of all his predecessors, starting with Franklin Delano Roosevelt – the president who not only led the USA to victory in the Second World War, but also laid the foundation of the international order in which America always stood on the side of freedom.

“Leader of the free world is a role that American presidents have played since Roosevelt. Each of them, up to Trump, supported this principle, especially in the international arena, in the UN“, the journalist emphasized.

O’Donnell recalled that the UN was created under Roosevelt’s vision as an instrument of peace, and that after World War II, every American president spoke against dictatorships and aggressors. “For decades, the United States, along with the free world, has voted against the most brutal regimes, – he said. – But today, for the first time, America did not stand up for freedom.“

He emphasized that the US has always condemned the Kremlin’s aggression, especially after Putin took a course to turn Russia into a dictatorship. “Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine exactly three years ago, the UN has adopted resolutions condemning Russian aggression. And the US has always voted with the free world.

Until today. Today, the UN again approved a resolution condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine. And for the first time in history, the USA did not stand on the side of freedom. For the first time, America voted with a dictator. Against the free world.“

Lies on lies, and lies are covered

Next up is Lawrence O’Donnell aggravated focus on an even more humiliating moment – ​​the public exposure of Donald Trump’s lies.

During a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, Trump said that Europe provides financial assistance to Ukraine in the form of repayable loans. Macron immediately denied the claim, stressing that much of European aid consists of grants and financial support that do not need to be repaid. And what did Trump do? He lied again.

When Trump was asked about his plans to impose new tariffs against Canada and Mexico. He replied that such measures were necessary because of the “terrible trade agreement” between the three countries that had been agreed earlier. “I looked at this document and I can’t even imagine who signed such a bad deal“, Trump said. And who signed it? O’Donnell and his team checked the facts. It turned out that this document was personally signed by Donald Trump during his first term. They have a photo of the signing. Then Trump called this agreement “the best trade deal of all time“.

“This is the reality, these are the facts“, O’Donnell concluded, demonstrating yet another example of Trump’s shameless lies.