US President for life hopeful Donald Trump‘s outburst claiming Ukraine President Zelensky somehow caused President for life Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine echoed Russian propaganda. More importantly it was a manipulation similar to that of a girl trying to make an excuse to get rid of a boyfriend. His outburst was designed to create a reason to discontinue funding for Ukraine’s fight for freedom against Vlad’s imperialist ambitions. It’s all drama.

After being advised to tone down his rhetoric Trump has returned to the stance that the US should get something in return for helping Ukraine stand against tyranny and his bff Putin. Trump wants a deal for half of the metal reserves in Ukraine. This is another attempt to create an excuse not to continue assistance. Offering a fake and uncompromising deal draws focus to it. This in turn becomes a “reason” to assist or not assist Ukraine. He will sabotage the deal himself, blame Zelensky, and use this manufactured situation to deny aid to Ukraine. It’s all drama.

The simple fact is the US is obligated under treaty to help defend Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. Back in 1994 the US and the UK created the Budapest Memorandum. The purpose was to prevent nuclear weapons proliferation. Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine sent Soviet nuclear weapons stationed in their countries to Russia. In return they were guaranteed protection from Russian aggression.

The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances comprises three substantially identical political agreements signed at the OSCE conference in Budapest, Hungary, on 5 December 1994, to provide security assurances by its signatories relating to the accession of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The three memoranda were originally signed by three nuclear powers: Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom. China and France gave somewhat weaker individual assurances in separate documents Wikipedia

In exchange for voluntarily giving these weapons to Russia the signatory nations were provided with guarantees.

According to the three memoranda, Russia, the US and the UK confirmed their recognition of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine becoming parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and effectively removing all Soviet nuclear weapons from their soil, and that they agreed to the following:

• Respect the signatory’s independence and sovereignty in the existing borders (in accordance with the principles of the CSCE Final Act)
• Refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of the signatories to the memorandum, and undertake that none of their weapons will ever be used against these countries, except in cases of self-defense or otherwise in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations
• Refrain from economic coercion designed to subordinate to their own interest the exercise by Ukraine, the Republic of Belarus and Kazakhstan of the rights inherent in its sovereignty and thus to secure advantages of any kind
• Seek immediate Security Council action to provide assistance to the signatory if they “should become a victim of an act of aggression or an object of a threat of aggression in which nuclear weapons are used”
• Not to use nuclear weapons against any non–nuclear-weapon state party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, except in the case of an attack on themselves, their territories or dependent territories, their armed forces, or their allies, by such a state in association or alliance with a nuclear weapon state
• Consult with one another if questions arise regarding those commitments.

The first item in the list above is a guarantee from the US and the UK to help these nations keep their territorial integrity in the event of military aggression. The US signed this deal as a way to keep nuclear weapons secure and out of the hands of non state actors (terrorists). If the US reneges on an important treaty our ability to negotiate in the future will be severely hampered. This manipulative man and the fascist cult he’s in should not be allowed to damage the US further. It’s time for Congress to put their foot down.