In response to the recent expose between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, I was initially surprised by Trump’s assertion that a failure to sign whatever the proposed agreement was would potentially be the cause of World War III. Why did he say that?

We don’t know what was in that proposed agreement, but what if:

1. The U.S. and Ukraine had a signed arrangement: minerals for support; would that make the two countries partners? If one were attacked the other would respond? Would that constitute U.S. troops on the ground in support of Ukraine?

2. Would such an agreement mean that if Putin were to continue the current aggression against Ukraine, the U.S. is ready to unleash its armed forces against Russia (right now)? Or (are we assuming) he would accept defeat, retreat and go home to lick his wounds, planning to try again another day, or …

3. Would Putin persist and possibly enlist support from China, North Korea and others? This would indeed lead to World War III.

We don’t know what was in the agreement. We have to assume that the agreement Zelenskyy came to sign was somehow different than the one he was previously presented with. Whatever the change was, Zelenskyy was unwilling to sign it. It’s a shame our current leadership couldn’t accept his decision more gracefully.

Priscilla Phelps

Greenfield