Ukraine is Now a Discarded Piece

Shortly after the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, the program China Now made this assessment of the conflict’s trajectory: “There is no doubt that Ukraine is the biggest loser in this conflict. It has become a ‘pawn’ manipulated by the United States. The flames of war burn on Ukrainian soil, countless lives have been lost, vast wealth destroyed in Ukraine, and ultimately, it may become a ‘discarded piece’ by America.” Recently, Bilibili, a popular online platform among young people, re-released our episode from three years ago, which garnered over a million views on the same day. Many netizens praised us for our “incisive and precise judgment” and “prophetic foresight,” which naturally pleased us.

On February 28, US local time, the world witnessed Ukrainian President Zelenskyy engage in a heated argument with US President Trump and Vice President Vance in the White House Oval Office. Vance said: “Mr. President, with respect, I think it’s disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office to try to litigate this in front of the American media. Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the president for trying to bring an end to this conflict.”

Zelenskyy’s retort to Vance clearly angered Trump when he stated: “during the war, everybody has problems, even you. But you have nice ocean and don’t feel now. But you will feel it in the future.” These words, sounding like a curse on America, triggered Trump’s outburst: “Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel. We’re trying to solve a problem. Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel..We are going to feel very good and very strong…You don’t have the cards right now. With us, you start having cards.”

Zelenskyy responded: “I’m not playing cards.” Trump retorted furiously: “ou’re playing cards. You’re gambling with the lives of millions of people. You’re gambling with World War III…You’re not winning this. You have a damn good chance of coming out OK because of us.”

Zelenskyy argued: “we are staying in our country, staying strong. From the very beginning of the war, we’ve been alone.” Trump roared back: “If you didn’t have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks.”

Regarding a ceasefire, Zelenskyy said: “Ask our people about a ceasefire, what they think.” Trump snapped: “That wasn’t with me. That was with a guy named Biden, who is not a smart person…That was with Obama.” The scene was ugly. As Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova remarked: “How Trump and Vance held back from hitting that scumbag is a miracle of restraint.”

The meeting ended in acrimony. Zelenskyy was kicked out of the White House, and the mineral deal was called off. US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz later disclosed details, stating that after the clash, senior US officials “almost unanimously” recommended cutting off further contact with Ukraine, declaring Zelenskyy “no longer welcome.” Though Zelenskyy seemed oblivious to the severity, his team nearly broke down. Waltz compared him to “an ex-girlfriend arguing over every word spoken nine years ago” instead of moving forward.

In fact, as early as February 19, Trump had posted on social media: “Think about it—a moderately successful comedian, Zelenskyy, convinced America to spend 350 billion on an unwinnable war.” Yet Zelenskyy claims that while US Congress approved 177 billion in aid, Ukraine received less than half.

Unsurprisingly, after the clash, Elon Musk weighed in: “Zelenskyy has ruined his image in the eyes of Americans” and “It’s time to track where the hundreds of billions sent to Ukraine went.” Since Trump and Musk began exposing US institutional corruption, massive rot has been revealed. Musk noted that over 1.1 million people aged 120 years and older- including millions over 200 years old- remain on pension rolls, exposing the chaos in US government auditing.

Following the dispute, a Fox News host delivered an arrogant and blunt commentary: “This is America’s world. Zelenskyy is America’s puppet. When America says it’s over, it’s over. If Zelenskyy wants to continue, let him do it alone.” This starkly encapsulates Ukraine’s tragic transition from “pawn” to “discarded piece.”

For geopolitical needs, successive US administrations supported Ukraine against Russia, turning it into a “pawn.” Now Trump, seeing America overstretched and unwilling to fund Ukraine’s “bottomless pit,” combined with his vendetta against Biden, has reduced Ukraine to a “discarded piece.”

Zelenskyy may not yet grasp this. A telling detail: Ukraine’s ambassador to the US stood bowing his head helplessly, likely realizing that even if Zelenskyy becomes a hero to some, his nation is now in a far more tragic position- “meat on the chopping block.”

Zelenskyy’s original purpose in visiting the US was to sign an agreement selling Ukraine’s natural resources—part of his so-called “Victory Plan” to exchange resources for Western “security guarantees.” Countries like France began discussing resource deals, attracting Trump’s interest. Zelenskyy hoped to trade resources for protection but encountered Trump’s brazen demand: “This is repayment for past US aid, unrelated to future security.”

As we’ve repeatedly stated on this program: To America, the Ukraine war is a business. Biden and Trump differ only in that Biden thinks America profited (the military-industrial complex certainly did), while Trump claims America lost heavily and must cut losses. Ultimately, Zelenskyy capitulated. On March 4, he publicly expressed regret over the failed White House meeting and declared Ukraine “ready to achieve peace under Trump’s leadership.”

Yet Zelenskyy’s audacity to confront Trump publicly before backing down reflects a post-American era- Western unity is crumbling, and Trump’s global tariff wars isolate America further as its economy reels.

Looking back to 2022, our program repeatedly analyzed the Ukraine conflict, noting US provocations and NATO’s five eastward expansions as root causes. America’s “color revolutions” in Ukraine ultimately made it a US puppet.

After Zelenskyy took office in 2019, he escalated tensions with Russia. His predecessor, recognizing the West wouldn’t help reclaim Crimea, downplayed Crimea and focused on eastern Ukraine, signing the 2015 Minsk Accord to grant autonomy to Donetsk and Luhansk. But Zelenskyy, backed by the US, linked Crimea to eastern Ukraine and pushed for NATO membership, resulting in Russia’s special military operation.

Three years of war have devastated Ukraine—countless lives lost, families shattered, territory and sovereignty violated, wealth destroyed—all while being ruthlessly manipulated by America’s “deep state.”

History shows the tragic fate of US “discarded pieces”: South Korea after the 1950s Korean War, South Vietnam post-1975, Afghanistan in 2021. As Kissinger famously said: “It may be dangerous to be America’s enemy, but to be America’s friend is fatal.” Every day of Trump’s second term reinforces this truth.

Editor: yanghanyi