I'm glad that the whole video was posted. It really adds a lot of context. It was surprising how quickly it fell apart in the last 8 minutes.
I haven't been following the situation all that closely but from this video it felt like Zelensky was fighting to maintain the fact that Russia invaded Ukraine and that Ukraine is defending itself and not let the narrative shift to a this being a fight between two nations.
It was also feeling like the US is mainly there to exploit the situation to gain mineral rights. I get that they are looking out for their country and they are there to make a deal as he kept saying throughout the interview. That part makes Vances strong stance Zelensky saying "thank you" a little odd. It sounds like a transaction is being made, that the Ukraine is buying US military support with allowances for them to mine the land. When it's a two way interaction, buying something at a store or making a trade, usually both parties thank each other. The Ukraine does have the higher need for US help than visa versa, but he does have "cards" as Trump put it if he's selling mineral rights.
Unless I misunderstood that part.
The suit comment was idiotic to me. I hate it when people waste everyone's time with bullshit that doesn't matter. Like when they ask stupid questions in presidential debates like "who's your favorite band" 😐😑😐 *blinks slowly
Its like "why are you here? can we have have a question from someone who's not a complete moron please and keep this thing moving" 🙄
I don´t agree that the suit thing is BS. To visit the most powerful man, everybody has to wear a suit, otherwise it is disrespectful. Selensky often poses in military uniform although he never dared to go to the front, he is just acting. No wonder, he is an actor by profession.
He indeed should be more thankful, so far the US didn´t mine anything, the deal is not even arranged, so what for should the US thank him?
And he lied several times bluntly, e.g. when he said that Russia is invading his country since 2014.
I think your opinion on him not wearing a suit is valid. When it comes to human behavior and cultural norms between people, such things are subjective, everyone has a different opinion and there is no true rule book to life, so right and wrong become value based. As such, simple words and gestures can be very offensive to different people. I accept his reasoning for not wearing a suit as being a sign of solidarity to his military. Others do not, obviously. Such is life.
To clarify, I'm not saying that the US should thank him, just pointing out my confusion why Vance made such a big thing out of it given the deal that the US is asking for is $300 billion in backpaymemt for past support and an additional $200 billion with no guarentee for future support from the US. The Ukraine was asking for future support and the US wasn't confirming that, so whats the additional 200 billions for - interest? To be clear, this isn't an act of good will the US seems to be treating it like a loan. That's how it appears to be at least.
Zelensky was referring to 2014 when Russia annexed the Crimea.
The suit thing is NOT VALID
Give me a fucking break. Leaders during a time of war rarely wear business costumes. Off the top I can think of Churchill at the Whitehouse.
And if I follow your logic of the "most powerful man", Musk must be the more powerful of the two because I don't remember seeing any comments about him not wearing a business costume when he was in the Oval office.
I don't know if this is directed at me but I also outlined above that I felt the suit issue was not valid. It felt like it was meant as an ambush more than anything.
To be honest I'd rather society not even debate the suit comment. The philosopher Noam Chompsky outlines it nicely
The suit debate feels like that type of situation to me. Allow people to argue over nonsense while the real issues get swept away. The rest of Chompsky's speech is interesting as well because it speak about how such issues and debates lead to division in society
The Crimea was always Russian, since centuries, plus there was an election. The people there feel as Russians, that´s undoubted.
It's not undoubted. Both sides of the conflict say something different so it really depends on who the individual sides with.
Then on the United Nations website the March 2014 "UN general assembly voted not to recognize the referendum held in autonomous Crimea" - 100 votes in favor to 11 against.
So at least 100 UN countries are doubting the validity of the referendum.
I found the same account of events on the US Embassy website, Wikipedia, Britanica, and several North American news sites. My point is not to be argumentative but the messaging will be different on both sides of the conflict, as these things always are. So Zelensky isn't "lying" since he and at least 100 other nations believe what he's saying.
Fuck off, it wasn't.
The borders were drawn during the fall of the soviet union. By this logic Texas, California, etc should be Mexico, and if they decided to launch an invasion the USA should just immediately surrender.
I mean, the people there feel as Mexican, that's undoubted.