On April 4, 2025, Donald Trump announced the dawning of a new era in American foreign policy by slapping a minimum 10 % tariff on 190 countries. Some nations like Vietnam, who had the highest trade imbalance with the U.S., now have a 47% tariff applied. Apparently, the United States “has been getting ripped off for years by everyone”, especially by allies, duping America through policies of globalisation, international development and military cooperation.

Liberation Day is a wakeup call to the world that the U.S. is no longer going to be taken advantage of. From this point on, America is coin-operated.

No quarter, no honour

Liberation Day tariffs are not only intended to restore U.S. trade balance, but all past foreign aid donations are being converted into vast debts that must be repaid through American tariffs and by “doing deals”. There’s no honour among thieves or among deal makers apparently, so from now on everyone needs to pay for America’s support and protection, dollar for dollar, past and future.

In the case of Ukraine, this means that before they get any more aid from the U.S., they need to repay the $140 billion in financial and military aid already given. It matters little that the money received was funds pledged by President Biden and confirmed by the legislative branch of government as intended in the constitution, and as written in the history books.

So how does a country at war and in desperate need of aid repay a debt it cannot possibly afford? Easy, just give the U.S. all your minerals.

Due Consideration 

Every first-year law student knows that one of the five essential components of any legally binding and valid contract is consideration. Consideration is the value being exchanged in any contract. The reason to have a contract in the first place is to exchange some money, goods or services in return for some other money, goods or services. The contract is just the paper version of a handshake agreement where two parties agree to do something for each other.

Take the Ukraine minerals-for-protection deal. Trump goes through lawyers like toilet paper, so he must really be scraping the bottom of the barrel because this ‘deal’ doesn’t even meet the basic legal bar for being valid in any court – there’s no consideration to Ukraine, which means even if Zelenskyy signed it, it would be technically invalid.

Would you sign this?

The Deal being proposed by Trump is essentially an agreement by Ukraine to give the U.S. exclusive rights to exploit $500 billion worth of natural resources - especially rare-earth minerals. In return for that $500 billion, Ukraine gets...nothing. No guns, no bullets, no cash, no peace, no guarantees. All Ukraine gets is $500 billion worth of American collective self-interest.

When asked his opinion during the Oval Office press conference announcing the deal, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy had the temerity to remark, “It will depend on what Ukraine receives in return”, the ‘consideration’, and very a logical answer. In return, America instigated the infamous public brawl in which Trump and J.D. Vance verbally attacked President Zelenskyy for not being grateful for the help he has already received.

Surely Trump understands that when he talks about doing deals, it’s fair to ask what the deal actually is. Even a vending machine displays what you receive when you put in your $2 and press B19.

Our love affair with America is truly over because we just discovered that Lady Liberty is coin operated, and she has expensive tastes. We got used to a world where globalisation, cooperation and development were our common, laudable goals. However, it seems the same results can be achieved through extortion, gambling and protection rackets.

Slava Ukraini! Heroiam Slava!