Zelensky should take the deal, and stay away from windows

[mystery-ak]

August 12, 2025
Zelensky should take the deal, and stay away from windows
By Bill Hansmann

Volodymyr Zelensky would be wise to cut his losses and accept whatever peace proposal is advanced by President Trump in this Friday’s upcoming negotiation in Alaska. Whatever that proposal may be, it is better than the inevitable annihilation in store for Zelensky’s nation if the hostilities continue.

It is true that Ukrainians have fought valiantly in defense of their homeland against a far more powerful adversary. It also appears true that neither side is particularly concerned with the horrendous mounting casualties, estimated at over one million Russian soldiers and over 400,000 Ukrainian casualties, including between 60-100 thousand slain.

Zelensky has essentially thrown out his nation's constitution, however limited that document may have been in scope. He has suspended elections, outlawed opposition political parties, and silenced any media critics of his regime. He is also destined to discover that any promises of support from European countries will bear little, if any, fruit. Putin, of course, does what he damn well pleases.

more
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2025/08/zelensky_should_take_the_deal_and_stay_away_from_windows.html

[Timber Rattler]

Volodymyr Zelensky Winston Churchill would be wise to cut his losses and accept whatever peace proposal is advanced by President Trump Roosevelt in this Friday’s upcoming negotiation in Alaska Vichy Marseilles. Whatever that proposal may be, it is better than the inevitable annihilation in store for Zelensky’s Churchill's nation if the hostilities continue.

See the absurdity of this article?

Zelensky has essentially thrown out his nation's constitution, however limited that document may have been in scope. He has suspended elections, outlawed opposition political parties, and silenced any media critics of his regime.

And these are outright lies.

The American Thinker has become The Russian Thinker.

The author: Bill Hansmann is a dentist and dental educator with over fifty years in the profession. He continues to teach and write political blogs and semi-mediocre novels while living with his wife and cats in Georgia.

Seriously?

[Canuck Conservative]

The Russian lies & propaganda never stop.

That's why Russia is considered one of the West's most devious enemies!

[mountaineer]

Who wants an end to the war? Trump, but apparently not Putin nor Zelenskyy.

[Timber Rattler]

Who wants an end to the war? Trump, but apparently not Putin nor Zelenskyy.

Zelensky certainly wants an end to the war, by the Russians pulling all of their troops out of his country and stopping their air attacks against Ukrainian cities.

[mountaineer]

Zelensky certainly wants an end to the war, by the Russians pulling all of their troops out of his country and stopping their air attacks against Ukrainian cities.

Then perhaps I should rephrase, neither Putin nor Zelenskyy seems to be interested in negotiating an end to the war.

[Timber Rattler]

Then perhaps I should rephrase, neither Putin nor Zelenskyy seems to be interested in negotiating an end to the war.

So how can Zelensky "negotiate an end to the war" with a lying, bad-faith dictator like Putin who has broken every agreement he has ever signed.

[DefiantMassRINO]

... should also avoid balconies.

[berdie]

See the absurdity of this article?

And these are outright lies.

The American Thinker has become The Russian Thinker.

The author: Bill Hansmann is a dentist and dental educator with over fifty years in the profession. He continues to teach and write political blogs and semi-mediocre novels while living with his wife and cats in Georgia.

Seriously?

Good post!

[jmyrlefuller]

So how can Zelensky "negotiate an end to the war" with a lying, bad-faith dictator like Putin who has broken every agreement he has ever signed.

By resigning in favor of someone who is capable of stopping Putin and respecting the rights of his own country's citizens.

[jmyrlefuller]

The longer the war goes on, the longer Zelensky stays in power. Of course he doesn't want the war to end. He gets to rule over Ukraine with martial law and grift the West out of more and more borrowed money it doesn't have, all loaned from Red China.

Putin just wants to live out the glory days of the Soviet Union, which kept power by invasion. It is the Russian way.

It's a racket. The Communists profit while the republican order collapses.

[DCPatriot]

LOL! 

IMO, Putin is like the guy back in the '50s, who just won 10 minutes to grocery shop and scan your purchases before the buzzer goes off!! 
Of course back then all the contestants had to do was get the grocery cart over a taped line on the floor at the check-out!

Ukraine's new borders haven't been designated yet.

And I don't see how Russia can keep the entire Black Sea coastline access.   

[Timber Rattler]

By resigning in favor of someone who is capable of stopping Putin and respecting the rights of his own country's citizens.

Uh huh...and who exactly would that person be?  And it seems to me that the Ukrainians' rights are respected very well, considering that the country is in an existential war against a former superpower.

[Timber Rattler]

The longer the war goes on, the longer Zelensky stays in power. Of course he doesn't want the war to end. He gets to rule over Ukraine with martial law and grift the West out of more and more borrowed money it doesn't have, all loaned from Red China.

More assertions made without a shred of proof...

[Hoodat]

Who wants an end to the war? Trump, but apparently not Putin nor Zelenskyy.

Russia has given no guarantee that their war against Ukraine will end even if Ukraine capitulates and gives in to every one of Russia's demands.  Ukraine has no choice but to continue it's defense against Russian aggression.

[jmyrlefuller]

Russia has given no guarantee that their war against Ukraine will end even if Ukraine capitulates and gives in to every one of Russia's demands.  Ukraine has no choice but to continue it's defense against Russian aggression.

You act as if they also haven't invaded Russian territory that country has never held before. There's no guarantee Zelensky will declare victory even if Russia somehow were to stop.

[jmyrlefuller]

More assertions made without a shred of proof...

What do you mean, no proof? He's been begging for tens of billions a month for three years now, very publicly and openly.

This is a fake war. The Ukrainians and Russians put up with it because the women are misandrists and don't want to deal with men, so they send them to war to die. More dead men means women have more say and the birth rate goes down even further. So the women love war. No responsibility.

[Timber Rattler]

What do you mean, no proof? He's been begging for tens of billions a month for three years now, very publicly and openly.

No, he's been begging for the weapons needed to push the Russians out of his country, and well as financial support for the Ukrainian government.  You know, the very same things that France did for the U.S. during the Revolutionary War against Britain?  So how is that proof of corruption?

This is a fake war. The Ukrainians and Russians put up with it because the women are misandrists and don't want to deal with men, so they send them to war to die. More dead men means women have more say and the birth rate goes down even further. So the women love war. No responsibility.

Now this is just plain crazy conspiracy theory nonsense. 

[MeganC]

More assertions made without a shred of proof...

Remember the Russian legal principle that "it's not about the truth, it's about the seriousness of the charges!"

Truth does not matter to these people. They have an agenda and that's all that matters to them.

[Cyber Liberty]

More assertions made without a shred of proof...

Just a ton of missing cash while Zelinskyy lives large and buys mansions and villas all over the world, including in the USA.  Just a coincidence I'm sure....

[Timber Rattler]

Just a ton of missing cash while Zelinskyy lives large and buys mansions and villas all over the world, including in the USA.  Just a coincidence I'm sure....

Just a ton of missing cash while Zelinskyy lives large and buys mansions and villas all over the world, including in the USA. 

The missing cash, such as it is, never left the U.S. (which is not Zelensky's fault), and he also hasn't done any of the things you are accusing him of.

So what are your sources for that assertion?

[Cyber Liberty]

Just a ton of missing cash while Zelinskyy lives large and buys mansions and villas all over the world, including in the USA. 

The missing cash, such as it is, never left the U.S. (which is not Zelensky's fault), and he also hasn't done any of the things you are accusing him of.

So what are your sources for that assertion?

You prove the all of the cash disappeared in the US first.

[catfish1957]

I understand the nuances and likely give and take of war negotiations, but in the case of Putin, do we really need to give any air of giving him any reason to reward bad behavior?  He is basically the proverbial Lucy with the football.

I have said it a 100 times on this forum .....  All Trump has to do is have a focus and obsess on getting the world oil prices down to sub $50/bbl for a year.  Russia will collapse financially then or soon afterwards.  Easy cheap solution, with minimal bloodshed.

[mountaineer]

The missing cash, such as it is, never left the U.S.

Sure.

[cato potatoe]

Who wants an end to the war? Trump, but apparently not Putin nor Zelenskyy.

Trump knows he inherited a humiliating loss from Joe non copmos mentis, but he does not want to be blamed if the Ukes collapse. 
Wild guess -- Putin may be willing to negotiate in good faith once he has all of Donetsk.  The remainder of Ukraine would be a nightmare to manage. 
Zelenskyy will keep trying to drag America into a direct conflict until he is forced to flee the country.

[Cyber Liberty]

I understand the nuances and likely give and take of war negotiations, but in the case of Putin, do we really need to give any air of giving him any reason to reward bad behavior?  He is basically the proverbial Lucy with the football.

I have said it a 100 times on this forum .....  All Trump has to do is have a focus and obsess on getting the world oil prices down to sub $50/bbl for a year.  Russia will collapse financially then or soon afterwards.  Easy cheap solution, with minimal bloodshed.

Well, when someone refers to Zelenskyy as a "nice guy" I am compelled to point out he's no Gentleman Jim either.  A pox on both their houses!

[MeganC]

You prove the all of the cash disappeared in the US first.

Since 2022 the US has provided $30bn in direct assistance to Ukraine. Much of that money is then spent in the US paying debts owed to US banks.

With regards to munitions the US has yet to provide any new arms to Ukraine. What we do provide are either surplus or obsolete weapons whose replacements have already been funded. And the grift has taken place when Congress or the Biden regime has charged the taxpayer new prices for equipment that was going to be thrown away.

[catfish1957]

Well, when someone refers to Zelenskyy as a "nice guy" I am compelled to point out he's no Gentleman Jim either.  A pox on both their houses!

Agree 100%.  In fact I have called Z a grifter here at least a 1000 times.  Lesser of evils iMO.  Plus bonus points for the POS Zellinskyyyyyy calling JDV a bitch to his face. 

F___. Zellinsky and Putin both.

[Cyber Liberty]

Trump knows he inherited a humiliating loss from Joe non copmos mentis, but he does not want to be blamed if the Ukes collapse. 
Wild guess -- Putin may be willing to negotiate in good faith once he has all of Donetsk.  The remainder of Ukraine would be a nightmare to manage. 
Zelenskyy will keep trying to drag America into a direct conflict until he is forced to flee the country.

I think that's a fair conjecture.  No matter what the final result, Trump will get a black eye so he's gaming for as small a one as possible.  He knows a lose-lose scenario when he sees one.

[Cyber Liberty]

Since 2022 the US has provided $30bn in direct assistance to Ukraine. Much of that money is then spent in the US paying debts owed to US banks.

With regards to munitions the US has yet to provide any new arms to Ukraine. What we do provide are either surplus or obsolete weapons whose replacements have already been funded. And the grift has taken place when Congress or the Biden regime has charged the taxpayer new prices for equipment that was going to be thrown away.

Meanwhile Z has acquired a lot of property without a rational explanation of where he got the money.  It's not a stretch to impute it was ill-gotten gain, and likely from US taxpayers.

[Timber Rattler]

You prove the all of the cash disappeared in the US first.

So you're asking me to prove a negative as it concerns Zelensky?

Regardless, here is the analysis from the Conservative American Enterprise Institute:

https://www.aei.org/foreign-and-defense-policy/the-consistent-wisdom-of-supporting-ukraine/

https://www.aei.org/op-eds/aiding-ukraine-has-been-a-great-investment-for-the-us/

https://www.aei.org/ukraine-assistance-at-a-glance/

And here's the Inspector General's report on U.S. aid to Ukraine:

https://www.ukraineoversight.gov/Funding/

Here's a Support Tracker:

https://www.ifw-kiel.de/topics/war-against-ukraine/ukraine-support-tracker/

And here's Congress itself...

https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF12040

So, that aside, what about all those "mansions and villas' that you believe Zelensky has bought all over the world and in the U.S. as well as his alleged "large living?"

What are your sources for those claims?

Here's Zelenksky in 2019 after his election as President:



And here's Zelensky now, after three years of war:



Does he look like a man who's "living large" in luxury mansions and villas?

[Timber Rattler]

I think that's a fair conjecture. 

But that's only conjecture and not proof of anything, no?

[Timber Rattler]

Meanwhile Z has acquired a lot of property without a rational explanation of where he got the money.  It's not a stretch to impute it was ill-gotten gain, and likely from US taxpayers.

So what specific property or properties has he supposedly acquired, and what is your source, or sources, for making such a claim?

[Cyber Liberty]

So what specific property or properties have he supposedly acquired, and what is your source, or sources, for making such a claim?

I am afraid I don't have the resources you used to compile that excellent list, I just saw stories about his US mansion and possibly a yacht.  I have to give you a lot of credit for this post, to be honest with everyone here!  I just cannot get over the niggling feeling there is something wrong here.

Then there is the possibility Ukraine just doesn't have the "stuff" to compel a surrender from the much larger Russia.  My hope is that Russia will bleed enough blood and Treasure to keep them out of adventures for a while so we can recover militarily from the dozen dark years of O'bastard and Biteme.

ETA:  Trump could very well walk away and tell Europe it's their problem now and wash his hands of the Biteme mess.  We can still sell arms to NATO.

[mountaineer]

And here's Zelensky now, after three years of war:Does he look like a man who's "living large" in luxury mansions and villas?

He looks like a man who's gotten a few years older than in the first photo, wearing a military-type costume.

[Canuck Conservative]

I just saw stories about his US mansion and possibly a yacht

And those "stories" were part of the widespread & systematic Russian lies-and-propaganda campaign underway since 2014.

You've been lied to.

[MeganC]

Meanwhile Z has acquired a lot of property without a rational explanation of where he got the money.  It's not a stretch to impute it was ill-gotten gain, and likely from US taxpayers.

So far he's been accused of...

* Owning two or more Italian villas. Hoax.
* Owning two or more superyachts. Hoax.
* Owning several private jets. Hoax.
* Owning a Bugatti Veyron. Hoax.

What he did have was a net worth of about $3m when he came into office as a result of his work in the entertainment industry...some of which was in Russia.

His 2025 estimated net worth is still around $3m.

https://washingtonmorning.com/2025/04/18/how-much-money-did-volodymyr-zelensky-keep-for-himself-a-look-at-wealth-war-and-speculation/

What Do We Know About Zelensky’s Wealth?
Before entering politics, Zelensky was a successful entertainer, actor, producer, and co-owner of Kvartal 95, a media production company. Public financial disclosures prior to his presidency indicated a personal net worth in the ballpark of $1.5 million to $3 million, primarily from entertainment earnings and property investments in Ukraine and abroad, including in Italy.

As president, Zelensky’s salary is modest by global standards—about $12,000 annually—though he still benefits from official state housing and security. His most recent asset declarations continue to reflect wealth from his media days, with no significant unexplained surges.

[Timber Rattler]

I am afraid I don't have the resources you used to compile that excellent list, I just saw stories about his US mansion and possibly a yacht.

 

Well, deep historical research and analysis is what I do for a living, and MeganC, Canuck, Bob, and Hoodat have been wrestling with all of this for the past three years.  The stories you saw about those properties and a supposed yacht, as well as Zelensky's wife going on a shopping spree in Europe, were planted in the western media by the Kremlin to try and discredit him.  They were quickly debunked but then revived time and time again by the likes of Tucker Carlson, Alexander Mercouris, Martin Armstrong, Douglas McGregor, Scott Ritter, and those podcasters (like Tim Pool) who were found to be on Putin's payroll via a third party front media company.  And there were the fake news sites, pretending to be legitimate, that were ultimately traced back to Moscow.  here are the story links about all of this:

A Bugatti car, a first lady and the fake stories aimed at Americans

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c72ver6172do

Fact check: Did Zelenskyy buy King Charles' Highgrove House?

https://www.dw.com/en/fact-check-did-zelenskyy-buy-king-charles-highgrove-house/a-68777844

Hotel Taking 'Legal Action' Over Fake Claims That Zelensky Bought It

https://www.newsweek.com/legal-action-over-claim-zelensky-bought-cyprus-casino-1909740

Oceanfront Florida mansion whose ownership was falsely tied to Zelensky heads to auction

https://nypost.com/2024/02/21/real-estate/mansion-once-falsely-tied-to-zelensky-heads-to-auction/

Fact Check: The facts behind resurfaced claim that Zelenskyy has multiple homes, planes, offshore accounts

https://www.yahoo.com/news/fact-check-facts-behind-resurfaced-231800640.html

Debunked: Video alleging fraud cites baseless claims about Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s assets

https://www.thejournal.ie/zelenskyy-zelensky-corruption-property-miami-israel-london-fraud-disclosure-6181533-Sep2023/

Conservative Podcasters Respond to Russian Influence Allegations

https://www.newsweek.com/tim-pool-benny-johnson-dave-rubin-respond-russian-interference-allegation-us-presidential-election-1949063

I have to give you a lot of credit for this post, to be honest with everyone here! 

Well, thank you very much!  I know that you're not one of *those* pro-Kremlin brigand trolls like those at TOS but a TBR friend, which is why I responded in a completely different tone than I would normally take on a thread like this one.  I actually appreciate an honest debate about this subject, and there are indeed good-faith Conservative arguments as to why the U.S. should not be involved in the war at all, i.e. "we can't afford it," or "entangling alliances" or "we're just too war weary after GWOT and Afghanistan " I disagree, respectfully, with those arguments, based on the historical precedents of the 1930s with appeasement and isolationism, as they led directly to World War II. 

And I think that if we let Putin get away with what he's doing in Ukraine, then we will be setting ourselves up for another horrible world war, one that my kids and grandkids will have to fight in Eastern Europe, East Asia, and the Western Pacific.  That's why I am all for stopping the Russians in their tracks and evicting them from Ukraine to 1) defang them for the decades to come, and 2) make an example of what happens if the ChiComs and Norks try such a thing. The Iranians have already learned that lesson at the expense with their now mostly destroyed nuclear weapons program. 

And let's be honest, the atrocities that the Russians have committed in Ukraine are analogous to those of World War II, and are just pure evil, and must be answered for.  The Russians would do to Americans what they did to the Ukrainians in a heartbeat, if they ever developed the power and means to somehow invade our country (like in the "Red Dawn" and "Amerika" scenarios of the 1980s)

I just cannot get over the niggling feeling there is something wrong here.

Well, to be honest, there probably is something wrong somewhere, but I don't think it is with Zelensky.  There's nothing in his background and personal history that suggests that he is a crooked conman and grifter, as the usual accusation goes, and if he was, then he would have slunk out of town in the middle of the night like Putin's toadie Yanukovych did in February 2014 (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/24/fugitive-viktor-yanukovych-balaclava-sevastopol-ukraine).  But Zelensky didn't...instead he chose to stay and fight even though it appeared in that moment that Kyiv was going to fall within days and that he would not make it out alive. 

Since then, all I've seen is a man who loves his country struggling to save it from the Russian onslaught and doing what he has to in order to achieve that goal, despite the strong headwinds and even backstabbing he gets from Washington DC. 

I believe that all the hate on Zelensky stems from Trump's phone call in September 2019 in which Trump tried to drag Zelensky into the U.S. presidential election mess by spilling dirt on Biden and investigating him (https://edition.cnn.com/2019/09/25/politics/donald-trump-ukraine-transcript-call), which in turn led to Trump's first bad-faith impeachment.  Zelensky has been in the Conservative doghouse ever since. 

I also believe that the uninformed confuse Zelensky with his predecessor Petro Poroshenko, who really is a corrupt oligarch, and who Zelensky defeated in April 2019 in a landslide.  Zelensky wasn't even in government in 2014 when the war started but was then enjoying his comedy and acting career, in which he made his money.

Then there is the possibility Ukraine just doesn't have the "stuff" to compel a surrender from the much larger Russia.

That's true enough, but the Ukrainians are exacting a heavy price from the Russians because of Putin's "Special Military Operation," and I do think that if the Russian economy does collapse, Putin will fall, and the war will thus end that way.

My hope is that Russia will bleed enough blood and Treasure to keep them out of adventures for a while so we can recover militarily from the dozen dark years of O'bastard and Biteme.

Me too!

ETA:  Trump could very well walk away and tell Europe it's their problem now and wash his hands of the Biteme mess.  We can still sell arms to NATO.

That he may, and I think it would be a big mistake. 

And I'm all for selling arms to NATO and making the Europeans pay their fair share for defending their countries against the Russians.  I have no doubt that Putin's original plan was to invade Ukraine, decapitate the Ukrainian government, and re-install Yanukovych as President, and then set his sights on Moldova, via Transnistria, to be followed by the Baltic States.  He had a larger strategy in mind before the invasion but the pesky Ukrainians screwed it all up by fighting back and stopping the Russian army outside the gates of Kyiv.

[Cyber Liberty]

An excellent summary, @Timber Rattler, many things for me to think about, old friend!  I must admit that I have been laboring under some misconceptions about this whole affair!

[jmyrlefuller]

Does he look like a man who's "living large" in luxury mansions and villas?

So who did he inherit that dictator's outfit from, Fidel Castro or Yasser Arafat?

[Hoodat]

Just a ton of missing cash while Zelinskyy lives large and buys mansions and villas all over the world, including in the USA.  Just a coincidence I'm sure....

@Cyber Liberty

Please show me one of these US mansions.  Been waiting to see one for well over two years now.  Can you provide a link?  Also, anything to back up that 'living large' characterization.  Thanks.

[Hoodat]

Russia has given no guarantee that their war against Ukraine will end even if Ukraine capitulates and gives in to every one of Russia's demands.  Ukraine has no choice but to continue it's defense against Russian aggression.

You act as if they also haven't invaded Russian territory that country has never held before. There's no guarantee Zelensky will declare victory even if Russia somehow were to stop.

Moral relativism?  Seriously?  You want to equate Russia's war on Ukraine with a feint offensive into Kursk to remove pressure off the Southern front?  You think Ukraine did that to subjugate the Russian people and steal their resources?  That may be the most asinine thing you have ever posted on this forum.

And for the record, Zelenskiy isn't trying to claim victory here.  He simply wants Russia to get the hell out of his country.  There is no victory for Ukraine here.  There is only the possibility of an end to their persecution.

This is Vovchansk.  Russia's destruction of this city began three months BEFORE Ukraine crossed the Kursk border.  Take a close look.


There is no equivalence here.  There is NOTHING Ukraine has done in the past millennium that compares to what Russia has done in the last century.

And you still ignore this sobering point.  Russia has given no guarantee that their war against Ukraine will end even if Ukraine capitulates and gives in to every one of Russia's demands.  So what is there to negotiate here?

Ukraine has no choice but to continue it's defense against Russian aggression.

[Hoodat]

So who did he inherit that dictator's outfit from, Fidel Castro or Yasser Arafat?

Good question.



Estimated net worth - $200 billion.

[Hoodat]

https://twitter.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1955616489123270730

[jmyrlefuller]

You act as if they also haven't invaded Russian territory that country has never held before. There's no guarantee Zelensky will declare victory even if Russia somehow were to stop.


Moral relativism?  Seriously?  You want to equate Russia's war on Ukraine with a feint offensive into Kursk to remove pressure off the Southern front?  You think Ukraine did that to subjugate the Russian people and steal their resources?  That may be the most asinine thing you have ever posted on this forum.

And for the record, Zelenskiy isn't trying to claim victory here.  He simply wants Russia to get the hell out of his country.  There is no victory for Ukraine here.  There is only the possibility of an end to their persecution.

This is Vovchansk.  Russia's destruction of this city began three months BEFORE Ukraine crossed the Kursk border.  Take a close look.

There is no equivalence here.  There is NOTHING Ukraine has done in the past millennium that compares to what Russia has done in the last century.

And you still ignore this sobering point.  Russia has given no guarantee that their war against Ukraine will end even if Ukraine capitulates and gives in to every one of Russia's demands.  So what is there to negotiate here?

Ukraine has no choice but to continue it's defense against Russian aggression.

His country? HIS country? It's not HIS country, it's a nation of tens of millions of Ukrainians.

But he thinks it's his country to run and live in forever, just like his foil and sparring partner Putin. It is in neither leader's interest for the invasion to end. There is nothing to negotiate. They want war. And until one of those two tinpots dies, there will always be war.

[jmyrlefuller]

Good question.

Estimated net worth - $200 billion.

And what does that have to do with Zelensky? Even if that totally fabricated "estimate" were true.

[Hoodat]

And what does that have to do with Zelensky? Even if that totally fabricated "estimate" were true.

It's your hypocrisy that was being addressed.

[Hoodat]

If Zelenskiy is really that corrupt, then why doesn't Putin simply bribe him like he did with Yanukovych?

[Hoodat]

Still waiting to see one of these 'Zelenskiy mansions'.  Or in lieu of that, a retraction.