Amid Trump’s Trial, Pompeo Visited Ukraine. Here’s How It Went.

Will trump”s propensity for revenge prevent him from inviting Zelensky for an official White House visit? Pompeo’s assertion that the US remains committed to aiding the valiant Ukraine may just be a ruse. Trump does not side with democracies but with strongman dictatorships. Zelensky should be forming ties with countries with an honest conviction for democracy.

Reminds me of the Bob Mankoff cartoon “No, Thursday’s out. How about never - is never good for you?”

Zelensky was elected to resolve the conflict with Russia. NATO expansion is the driving force behind the new US-Russian Cold War. The Obama State Department admitted that 5 billion had been spent for regime change in Ukraine in order to have a government wanting to join NATO. December 2017 the National Security Archive at George Washington University posted online declassified US, Soviet, German, British and French documents revealing promises made to Gorbachev in February 1990, that if he removed all troops from East Germany and agreed to the reunification of Germany, in the words of George H. W. Bush’s secretary of state, James Baker, “iron-clad guarantees that NATO’s jurisdiction or forces would not move eastward”. Baker, assured his Soviet counterpart, Eduard Shevardnadze, that in a post-Cold War Europe NATO would no longer be belligerent – “less of a military organization, much more of a political one, ". Immediately,the Bill Clinton administration began pushing NATO closer and closer to Russia’s borders. All Establishment media ignored the release of these inconvenient documents revealing the GHWBush administration promises to Gorbachev. 90 percent of Crimeans speak Russian. They voted to rejoin Russia, only having about 50 years of being part of Ukraine, an arrangement made when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. Trump's impeachment is because Trump has different foreign policy objectives, like resolving conflict with Russia than Washington will allow.

Pompeo is a brute, a bully, and a traitor.

I'm sure Trump and Pompeo will find time for a meeting... just as soon as the Ukrainians get around to those investigations. After all, it's in the public interest!

So... Pompeo comes bearing gifts right in the middle of the impeachment trial focused around the question of Donald Trump's demand of one thing for another, if Ukraine wanted its Oval Office visit, and its $391 billion in aid to fight Russia. I've got that straight, right? It's spelled B-R-I-B-E-R-Y.

Apparently, Russian leaders are welcome in Trump’s Oval Office, but not our allies the Ukrainians. Senate should double our aid to Ukraine to atone for letting Trumps lawyers slime Ukraine in the senate so-called trial.

Mike Pompeo was right. Most Americans know next to nothing about Ukraine, nor do they care about learning. And reporters and politicians feed ignorance as much as inform. For example, how many Americans call the country "the Ukraine" and/or spell its capital as "Kiev"? How many Americans could find the country on a map? More specifically, how many Americans know why the separatists in the Donbass region are fighting for more autonomy? The Donbass region has close ties to Russia that were threatened when the pro-Russian president of Ukraine was overthrown in a US-backed violent coup d'etat and had to flee for his life. How many Americans know that? How many people know that the then Autonomous Republic of Crimea was only loosely linked to Ukraine? Crimea had its own laws and own government, and the main connection with Ukraine was the subsidy that Crimea received. The media often says that Russia invaded and now occupies Crimea but in fact there was no invasion. The great majority of Crimeans wanted to join Russia and are happy to be there. Only 2% said in a poll that they want to go back. I don't mean to denigrate Ukraine and Ukrainians. They are a proud people, struggling with a poor (but improving) economy and a corrupt government (also improving). They need and deserve our help. But it is a complex situation. Most Americans neither know about Ukraine nor, with all the trouble in the world, care.

We all know what Pompeo is and what he represents. Unfortunately for him, he is a terrible liar. When he tries to explain away the unexplainable, as in the NPR interview, he freezes up and goes into all kinds of physical contortions and his face gets blood red. He has now turned to the Trump method of dealing with these situations by ranting. I'm sure Mr. Zelensky or any other politicians has trouble reading him. I would conclude, he is not a good match for Secretary of State. Blind loyalty should not be thee qualifying characteristic.

Pompeo is Trump's minion, and both are shallow cowards. They represent the worst type of leader (non-leadership) where their personal ambition and need for external status blind them for the incredible responsibility and opportunity of serving all Americans. Instead they provide simple emotional answers which tap into and quell the social fears of Americans generated by a complex set of emergent problems they don't have a clue on how to solve. Pompeo, like Trumps prefer punching down whenever it will serve the political expediency of brown-nosing his boss, like throwing an experienced ambassador under a bus or bullying an experienced reporter when she delivers an uncomfortable question.These are small, hurtful men who will hopefully be sidelined in our upcoming election.

There was no verbal quid pro quo, but Pres Z has indeed not been given his WH meeting.

In the final analysis Ukraine must deal directly with Putin. No other country can make the deal for Ukraine. Ukraine will have to make concessions to get a deal. There can be no return to the status quo ante. Nor will any deal include the return of Crimea. Regardless of the verbal support for Ukraine no country will fight a war over Crimea. As for the frozen conflict in the Donbass, concessions are needed there. A large section of the population doesn't want to be part of Europe. Some form of self-rule will be needed if Kiev doesn't want angry population in that region.

When Trump backs you, watch your back.

"We think you're great, but you're not welcome here. But that has nothing to do with insisting before that unless you did what we told you, you weren't welcomed here."

Mr.Pompeo has no credibility here or in Ukraine.He appointed an experienced ambassador , William Taylor to be at the embassy and then undercut him to satisfy Trump’s push for dirt on Biden.Mr. Taylor has resigned and told the truth about the shakedown of Ukraine by Trump.Pompeo thinks that no one cares about Ukraine-he is wrong-we are not cheering on Russia’s attempt to retake Eastern Europe!

While Putin manages an elaborate game of 'whack-a-mole' to destabilize NATO and gain Poland, our guy is learning to send envoys instead of saying stupid things on recorded telephones. It would have been an amusing development if Zelensky visited the congressional hearings on his own accord. What price would Trump pay to insure his silence ? And if a newcomer like Zelensky could hold the reigns of of our president's future, how are we to believe an old hand like Vlad doen't have Donald John Trump completely under his thumb? But , never fear. A stable genius with the tact, subtlety and calculation of a nine year old has things under control. And the with "perfect" telephone calls and only smartest people like Rudolf Giuliani, what could possibly go wrong?

While there are many similarities between Trump and Pompeo, such as their lustful pursuit of the Oval Office and their constant deceit, there is one major difference between them that should send chills down the spines of the American voter: Pompeo is a very smart guy. Oh, he's underhanded and self-centered and crude and abrasive and cares nothing about the welfare of our country, just like Trump. But Pompeo is actually intelligent. If he were President, which he believes in his black heart is his destiny, he would not be impetuous or unhinged in the same way Trump is. Pompeo would be, by comparison, a coldly competent and stable President who would know how to get things done globally and would actually do them. The problem is what the things are which he would accomplish. Pompeo would be no friend to the average American. He would have his cabal of equally driven West Point pals to carry out his expansionist views of military action against our adversaries. Invade Iran? Sure. Take out North Korea? You bet. Contain Chinese economic abuses? He'll try, including military pressure. Cozy up to Putin? Well, a little. But, attack his cyber warriors? Top of the list. Oh - and forget about the domestic programs many of us depend on here at home. Sorry folks, but these wars have to be paid for somehow. We think of Trump and McConnell as the most dangerous people in America. They are, today. But in the future, it will be Pompeo. If we let him.

Not ready? What is it? They need someone to polish the silver?

Pompeo has aspirations of becoming the President. What kind of a emperor will he become now that the Senate has said that a sitting President is basically above the law. Pompeo knows the truth about trump's demands on Ukraine. His silence will hopefully seal his fate.

This kind of reporting misses the mark. Yes, Ukraine is in a difficult position, battling corruption in its own internal government and business and fighting (literally) Russian-backed militants in Ukraine's Donbas region. But the United States is not in a war with Russia, literally or even figuratively, with Ukraine being the front lines. We back Ukraine, but we're staying out of the fight. Why? Because our interests in the fight are not significant enough. Bloviating aside, Russia is not our enemy. We oppose many of Russia's actions, but our interests often do coincide. We are no more at war with Russia than with China. It's sad that Ukraine has become the flash point of the Democrats' failing push to remove Donald Trump from the presidency. That's all Ukraine needed -- to become a country that Donald Trump now has no incentive to get involved with again.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky needs to confront the duplicity and continued perfidy of Donald Trump. It should be clear by now that Trump only seems to have Vladimir Putin’s and Russia’s interest at heart and not Ukraine’s. If there was ever a moment for President Zelensky to speak out about Trump’s treachery, it is now before the Senate grants him an acquittal to continue to deny Ukraine the support they need. Zelensky is the most important witness who should speak out in defense of his national interests before Trump completely sells him out to Putin.

Secretary Pomposo has to choose his phrases well. Zelensky has already met with Putin without a clear statement of American support. He was asked by your people to admit to Ukraine interference in the 2016 US election in order to receive the foreign aid requested by the President and authorized by Congress. Treated like a hungry puppy shown his meal, he waited from February until June until an unknown American defined his predicament and caused the release of part of the aid in August just 3 weeks before it would have disappeared until reauthorized in 2020. How can Secretary Pomposo convince this leader that the US is truly has his back? Perhaps all of the aid will be released. Perhaps Zelensky has not read that the Congress determined that baiting a foreign leader is not considered bad. But if he reads that baiting, bribing, or horsing around with support for an ally under attack is considered acceptable if it in the self interest of the President of the US, I think he would seek other support for his country like accepting Putin's suggestion for a ceasefire effectively ceding a portion of his country back to Russia. Perhaps the Secretary will restore his confidence. Perhaps he will name an ambassador for Ukraine. However, the Prime Minister may believe Mr. Putin's plan to recreate the USSR is moving forward with the help of his friends in Washington who are more worried about their own self interest than his.

Pompeo is probably using this trip to “examine the evidence” against Biden and make sure they’ve produced enough to thwart Bidens campaign.

Caveat emptor President Zelensky. No visit as Trump tosses you under the bus where you join many others. Such is Trump's word - not to be trusted - moreover meeting with you at the White House would be to incur the wrath of his good friend Vlad.

Trump is afraid of Zelensky because Trump is afraid of comedians! The perjuring GOP senators bailed him out this time, but Trump will be fodder to comedians - for ever!

Wait a minute...Trump’s lawyers just said a few short days ago that the White House was looking forward to a Zelensky visit. There was no quid pro quo. What happened?

Mike Pompeo is not qualified by temperament to be our chief diplomat, and his timing on dissing Ukraine is terrible. Shame on Congress for sanctioning and even endorsing unfettered perfidy.

Of course there hasn't been a White House visit; Zelensky didn't deliver the quid pro quo. It will never happen and we can anticipate there will be some hidden retaliation. Ukraine deserves the best of America; Trump will give them the back of his hand. A win-win for Putin. We should all be SO happy.

Whatever Pompeo says, Trump's Yes-man, cannot be credible, as his lying and distracting is becoming overwhelmingg. What an abuse of power; is this democracy for real, it's leaders representing people's interests and wishes...in the hope of instilling justice, and peace, in society? Most doubtful when we have a mafia installed in government, dangerously irresponsible...and self-serving.

Actions speak louder than words. This administration can bluster, balk, rant and distract, but it doesn't change the fact that they will do nothing for Ukraine unless it benefits them - not us - not Ukraine - them.

Doubtless, the purpose of Pompeo’s visit was add new threats to Ukraine. An admission of past threats at this time would be disastrous for the Trump administration. Pompeo likely reminded them of their “obligation” to remain silent on the topic.

Once the Senate "acquits" Trump, he can go back to asking favors of foreign leaders again. Look for some upcoming "investigations" of Democratic candidates, followed by foreign visits to the White House. The Republicans hated Trump when he was running in their primary, and do you think they like him now? Nope, they are just fearful that if they go against him, the Trump voters will stop supporting them.

"Mr. Pompeo did not give Mr. Zelensky...an invitation to meet President Trump at the White House, which would be an important signal to Russia of American support for Ukraine." So, Mr. Pompeo gave an important signal to Russia about the administration's lack of support for Ukraine? Got it.