Trump Is Putin’s Ally — against Ukraine and Europe

The U.S. president takes on the language and worldview of the aggressor, throwing 80 years of U.S. global policy overboard. He clearly wants Russia to win the war.

Until Tuesday evening, it could be hoped that the U.S. U-turn on Ukraine policy under Donald Trump would lead to something good — to a cease-fire. And that while Ukraine would expect a significant loss of territory, it would still get independence and security. The concessions made by the Trump administration to Moscow leading up to the talks were questionable in terms of negotiation skills, but an acknowledgment of reality. The Ukrainian military cannot liberate the occupied territories, and a NATO membership is not required if there are other guarantees.

The U.S.-Russian negotiations in Riyadh sent the wrong signal by excluding Ukraine and the EU. But U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to calm Ukraine’s fear that it would be thrown to the Russian wolves. Russia doesn’t deserve to have its international isolation lifted by the U.S. But, if the war can be ended in this way, then it’s not entirely wrong.

But then his boss came forward in Florida to make it clear where he stands in the conflict: firmly on Vladimir Putin’s side. By twisting the facts and blaming Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the war, Trump is taking on the language and worldview of the aggressor and taking away any incentive for Putin to renounce the full achievement of his war goals.

What Putin Is Concerned About

These are not just about a large piece of the land, as the real estate man Trump believes, comparable to his own grab for Greenland. Putin doesn’t want to tolerate a Western-centric, independent Ukraine because it could threaten his own rule. He questions Zelenskyy’s legitimacy because he doesn’t want to hold a presidential election during a war — as if Putin had not thrown out all the democratic rules in his last reelection. He is not only concerned about the large neighboring country, but also about weakening Europe and breaking the trans-Atlantic alliance.

Whatever the U.S. and Russia concoct over the heads of Zelenskyy and the EU, it will not stop Putin from pursuing these goals, and while high-profile Republicans in Trump’s team do not want to drop Ukraine, the president has made it clear that Ukraine’s fate isn’t important to him, just as the future of the West isn’t. American military support is vital for the Ukrainian army. But Trump could stop it at any moment — and probably will. Europe will find it hard to fill these gaps. Putin would emerge victorious from this war, a war he orchestrated against all reason. Ukraine isn’t threatened with a dictated peace, but with annihilation as a sovereign state.

Can that be in Trump’s interest? Apparently so. Whether it is Trump’s admiration for all autocrats, or something more sinister, Putin has found a new, powerful ally in Trump, perhaps a puppet. Their common foe is liberal Europe, which is now under threat from two sides — and, given the strength of far-right parties, also from within. Now, 80 years of U.S. global policy is being tossed overboard. For Europe it’s the biggest challenge since 1945, and for the U.S., the greatest disgrace.