A follow-up to yesterday’s post1.
Ukrainian Major General Mykhailo Drapaty, appointed commander of Ukraine's land forces at the end of November, reacted to Russia’s Iskander-M missile strike on a military encampment 100 kilometers in the rear that killed dozens of military recruits.
Drapaty said certain individuals "failed to act in time."
In a post on his Telegram channel, he said "anger is eating away at me from the inside."
"War requires quick decisions, responsibility, and new safety standards—otherwise, we will lose more than we have," he said, warning: "Everyone who made decisions that day, and everyone who did not make them in time, will all be held accountable. No one will hide behind explanations or formal reports."
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky also reacted, relieving several officers of their commands and ordering an investigation.
Donald’s decision yesterday to suspend all military assistance to Ukraine has reminded me of a story from The Wrong Door, a collection of tryptychs describing what happens after the nameplates of residents in an apartment building are rearranged.
Recall Marie who mistook Leon the Sailor (the tattooist) for a fashion director she hoped would jumpstart her modeling career. The encounter is not unlike Z showing up at the 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue last week expecting a discussion about security guarantees.
What happens next is anyone’s guest. US military cargo bound for Ukraine at ports on the Adriatic coast has been held up and redirected for weeks. Trucks hauling guns and ammo trucked inland have been told to turn around, complicating an already confused logistics system.
Team USA stood up the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) — the command HQ-ed at Clay Barracks in Germany responsible for coordinating the provision of military equipment and training to Ukraine — in late 2024. Before Donald, the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command (USASAC) managed the Army property book and coordinates the delivery of equipment as part of presidential drawdowns, and the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs at the U.S. Department of State oversaw security cooperation with Ukraine, including the provision of military assistance.
The fate of platoons of CIA operatives working on the Ukraine mission is also in doubt. Tulsi has the details, minus the intel. I suspect many are hanging out at Tootsie Club re-inventing their war stories and waiting for new orders.
False friendliness in public by Donald and JD, followed by behind-the-scenes treachery, would have been much more dangerous to Ukraine, according to David, who opines that America's leaders ave revealed their animosity toward Ukraine in general and Z in particular.
The truth is ugly, but it’s necessary to face it2.
As of this writing, Donald says he wants Z to perform a public act of genuflexion and demonstrate his committment to achieving peace, whatever that means.
JD on Monday said the "door is open" for Z if he is "willing to seriously talk peace."
"If you want real security guarantees, if you want to actually ensure that [Russian leader] Vladimir Putin does not invade Ukraine again, the very best security guarantee is to give Americans economic upside in the future of Ukraine," JD said on Fox News' "Hannity." "That is a way better security guarantee than 20,000 troops from some random country that hasn't fought a war in 30 or 40 years."
According to Axios, JD said Z "showed a clear unwillingness to engage in the peace process" that Trump has said is "the policy of the American people and of their president." He also accused Z of showing "a certain sense of entitlement" at the Oval Office.
We might learn more about Team USA’s plans for Z and Ukraine during Donald’s address to a joint session of Congress this evening. If there are any.
At Least Now We Know the Truth. It’s ugly, but necessary to face (The Atlantic, February 28, 2025)