Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky just went on a PR tour with none other than Ben Shapiro, pleading with President Donald Trump to ramp up “strength” against Russia and send more American resources to save Ukraine from its own losing war. It’s the latest desperate attempt by globalists in Eastern Europe to manipulate American leadership into footing the bill for a conflict we didn’t start, don’t benefit from, and shouldn’t keep funding.
In the interview released Thursday, Zelensky made a not-so-subtle dig at Trump’s peace-first strategy, whining, “You shouldn’t be saying that Ukraine started this war.” But here’s the truth: Nobody said Ukraine started it. What Trump has said—repeatedly—is that this war is not America’s to fight, and it’s long past time to broker a deal and end the bloodshed.
The interview dropped just as the Trump administration unveiled a bold new peace proposal, one that includes formal recognition of Crimea as Russian territory—a move that predictably sent Zelensky into meltdown mode. For him, peace isn’t the goal unless Ukraine gets everything it wants. That’s not how foreign policy works under Trump. Under Biden, maybe. But not anymore.
Zelensky claimed the U.S. is a “true friend,” but a real friend doesn’t ask for billions in taxpayer dollars while lecturing Americans about our values or foreign policy. Trump isn’t interested in being Europe’s ATM. He’s interested in peace through strength—not endless war through weakness.
Trump did issue a rare rebuke of Russian strikes on Kyiv this week, calling them “unnecessary” and “very bad timing.” But even then, he directed his message to Putin: “STOP! 5,000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the peace deal DONE!”
That’s what leadership looks like. A strong America doesn’t just throw money and missiles at every overseas conflict. It uses leverage to stop the bleeding. Zelensky can stomp his feet all he wants, but Trump is focused on saving American lives and tax dollars—not Ukraine’s pride.
This tantrum from Kyiv follows a pattern. Every time Trump signals a more restrained foreign policy, the establishment panics. “Where is the ‘strength’ in ‘peace through strength’?” cried one anonymous ex-Trump official to The Post, apparently still drunk on Cold War foreign aid addiction. The answer? Strength means knowing when to stop writing checks to countries that lose wars and lecture us on diplomacy.
Zelensky says the U.S. has sent $105 billion to Ukraine so far. He insists none of it has gone to waste, that “internal audits” prove it. Right. Because the same country that ranks 116th on the global corruption index is suddenly running a squeaky-clean war budget. Color us skeptical.
Meanwhile, Ukraine claims it’s gifting America “valuable battlefield knowledge” and “drone development insights.” That’s nice. But it doesn’t justify bleeding out our defense stockpiles or mortgaging the future of American children so NATO’s eastern flank can feel secure.
Zelensky closed his interview by insisting Ukraine is a “living shield” for NATO. Here’s the problem: America didn’t sign up to be the global bank or global bodyguard. Under Trump, we won’t be. The U.S. will defend American borders, American factories, and American values. If Ukraine wants peace, it should start by putting ego aside and taking the deal.
The era of unlimited blank checks is over. No more “aid packages.” No more open-ended conflicts. No more apologizing for choosing peace. Trump is back, and that means America leads—but on our terms.
