Europe, the UK, and international allies now stand alone with Ukraine against Putin and Trump.

The three wise monkeys are a Japanese pictorial maxim, embodying the proverbial principle "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil".

There are at least two divergent interpretations of the maxim: in Buddhist tradition, it is about avoiding evil thoughts and deeds.

In the West, however, it is often interpreted as dealing with impropriety by turning a blind eye. (Wikipedia) i.e. ignoring of undesirable information. (Wikipedia)

 

PBS NewsHour: 17 October 2025: YouTube

As I wrote in my blog entry (17 October 2025) after Trump's call with Putin,

"It is interesting to note that, as reported by S.V. Date,

"In the days following Putin’s invasion in 2022, Trump praised the Russian leader as a “genius” and “savvy” for having sent in troops to kill Ukrainians and seize their land.

In the months to follow, including following his return to office nine months ago, he blamed Zelenskyy for his country getting invaded and former President Joe Biden for letting it happen." (HuffPost on MSN: 18 October 2025).

Following his meeting with Ukraine's President Zelensky this past Friday (17 October 2025), Trump has underscored his "admiration" of Putin for having invaded Ukraine, "killing Ukrainians and seizing their land", by urging President Zelensky to simply "give in to Putin's demands"

As Christopher Miller, Max Seddon, Henry Foy, and Amy Mackinnon report, 

"Donald Trump urged Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Russia’s terms for ending its war in a volatile White House meeting on Friday, warning that Vladimir Putin had said he would “destroy” Ukraine if it did not agree. (Financial Times: 20 October 2025) (my emphasis)

 

(Left to right: Christopher Miller, Max Seddon, Henry Foy, and Amy Mackinnon)

They further added that,

"They added that the US president tossed aside maps of the front line in Ukraine, insisted Zelenskyy surrender the entire Donbas region to Putin, and repeatedly echoed talking points the Russian leader had made in their call a day earlier." (ibid Christopher Miller, Max Seddon, Henry Foy, and Amy Mackinnon) i.e. "Trump ignoring of undesirable information" (cf. Three Wise Monkeys above)

And Gavin Blackburn (right) also reports that,

"According to Zelenskyy, Trump said during their meeting that Putin's maximalist demands, that Ukraine cede the entirety of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, was unchanged.

…

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (right) spoke by phone on Monday to discuss next steps toward ending the war, following conversations last week between presidents Trump, Zelenskyy and Putin."

…

The Russian statement described Rubio-Lavrov call as "constructive" while the US statement said that Rubio had "emphasised the importance of upcoming engagements as an opportunity for Moscow and Washington to collaborate on advancing a durable resolution of the Russia-Ukraine war." (EuroNews: 20 October 2025) (my emphasis)

 

ABC News: 20 October 2025: YouTube 

Is it, therefore, any wonder that following the Friday meeting between Trump and Co. and Zelenbsky, Tim Ross, Nette Nöstlinger, Veronika Melkozerova and Emilio Casalicchio report that,

• "Ukraine’s allies are racing to reinforce Kyiv’s position ahead of talks between Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, amid concern that the two leaders could stitch up a bad ceasefire deal that would weaken all of Europe.

• The renewed urgency among Kyiv’s allies comes after Trump once again flipped his position on the war, saying he’d be open to freezing the conflict along its current battle lines — less than a month after he suggested Ukraine could win back all its territory. His comments have revived concerns that he could force Zelenskyy to hand over territory to Russia.

• That outcome, European officials say, would be a disaster, not just for Ukraine but also for them.

• For Europeans, the big fear is that Trump will again side with Putin in determining what peace will look like and will pressure Zelenskyy to accept Russian terms — potentially ceding swaths of territory in the east of the country. They worry that Putin’s two-hour call with Trump left the U.S. president less willing to help Zelenskyy when they met in Washington last week (Politico: 21 October 2025) (my emphasis)

                                (Left to Right: Tim Ross, Nette Nöstlinger, Veronika Melkozerova, and  Emilio Casalicchio)

Putin is critically aware that these ongoing political developments are happening against a backdrop of :- 

• the Russian economy imploding faster and faster, 
• Putin's 'siloviki' more earnestly sharpening their knives, 
• Russians now experiencing long queues to obtain meagre supplies of petrol, 
• and rampant inflation causing an escalation of food prices in Russia.

Having painted himself into a tight corner in Russia itself, it is imperative for Putin that he presents the people of Russia with a victory in Ukraine to prevent himself from being toppled from power.

It is now Europe, the UK, and international allies that stand with Ukraine against Putin and Trump. 

UPDATE: 22 October 2025: GMT 12:29 

Paul Kirby and John Sudworth (left) report that,

"At least seven people have been killed including two children during intense Russian drone and missile strikes on Ukraine, officials say.
… 
Hours earlier, US President Donald Trump said his plans for an imminent summit in Budapest with Russia's Vladimir Putin had been shelved as he did not want a "wasted meeting". (BBC News: 22 October 2025) (my emphasis) 

Paul Kirby and John Sudworth further report that, 

"However, Russian officials said on Wednesday that preparation for a Trump-Putin summit was continuing, disputing the US president's assessment that it had been put on hold.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a date had yet to be agreed upon and careful preparation was needed. " (ibid Paul Kirby and John Sudworth) (my emphasis)

Just as Trump, "... once again flipped his position on the war - less than a month after he suggested Ukraine could win back all its territory", he has now "flipped his position" on having a Budapest meeting with Putin, even though it is the Kremlin now denying that Trump has  'flippped'.

Furthermore, Nebraska Republican Congressman, Don Bacon (left), in a CBS interview, states that,

Interviewer: "We just learned a couple of minutes ago that the Trump-Putin meeting in Hungary  is now off. Is that a good thing or a bad thing"

Don Bacon: "Probably more good than bad. I don't see that the president has drawn a hard line with president Putin. He seems to have a 'blind spot' there."
                           …. 
                          I didn't see a whole lot of good coming out of this meeting in Budapest.
                          … 
                          I think its probably more good than bad.

Interviewer: Do you think the administration should change it's posture. It keeps toying with the idea of giving Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine but it sounds like the president tells Zelensky that it's not gonna happen.
Don Bacon: The president should be giving the best weapons that we can afford to give. …. I can't think of a better place to have them. Russia is invading Ukraine (CBS News on MSN: 22 October 2025)

 

CBS News on MSN: 22 October 2025

With Dmitry Peskov (right) proclaiming that the Trump-Putin meeting has simply been put on 'hold' seems to indicate that we can soon expect yet another Trump "flip".  

The Trump-Putin 'bromance' is far from over.      

 (to be continued)

Filled champange glasses are being raised in the Kremlin in honour of Trump.

The rapidity with which Trump is bailing out Putin simply beggars belief.

 As I wrote in my last blog entry,

"We don't know exactly what Trump and Putin are discussing, but their call comes just days after officials in Moscow raised concerns about the US potentially supplying long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.

When reporters asked Trump if he would provide Kyiv with Tomahawks on Sunday, he replied: "We'll see... I may." The missiles would be "a new step of aggression" in Ukraine's war with Russia, he added" (BBC News: 16 October 2025) (my emphasis)

Which, again, raises the question,

"Will Trump, once again, bail out Putin?"

It would seem that events are fast heading that way!    (blog entry: 16 October 2025)

  

 

Ani News: 17 October 2025: YouTube

And Sean Seddon (left), shortly after the "Trump-Putin" call yesterday, reported that,

"US President Donald Trump says "great progress" was made during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, with the pair agreeing to face-to-face talks in Hungary." (BBC News: 16 October 2025) (my emphasis)

Seddon goes on to further report that,

• Writing on his Truth Social platform after the call concluded, Trump said he and Putin "spent a great deal of time talking about Trade between Russia and the United States when the War with Ukraine is over".

• Asked about the prospect of giving the missiles to Ukraine after his call with Putin, Trump said "we can't deplete" the US stockpile of Tomahawks, adding "we need them too... so I don't know what we can do about that". (Ibid  Sean Seddon)

 

(Full Video): Moneycontrol: 17 October 2025: YouTube

The choice of Orban's Hungary as a venue for this proposed meeting between Trump and Putin simply speaks "volumes".

As Veronika Melkozerova (left) informed us in September 2025,

"“The commander in chief reported on recent drone incidents along the Ukrainian-Hungarian border. Ukrainian forces recorded violations of our airspace by reconnaissance drones, which are likely Hungarian,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a statement after a government meeting.

“Preliminary assessments suggest they may have been conducting reconnaissance on the industrial potential of Ukraine’s border areas. I instructed that all available information be verified and that urgent reports be made on each recorded incident," Zelenskyy added, providing no further details." (Politico: 26 September 2025) (my emphasis)

It is becoming more apparent that Trump, in his obsessive desire to have the "laurel wreath crown" of the Nobel Peace Price placed upon his head, is willing to sell Ukraine out to Putin.

Trump is also distancing the US, as a member of  NATO,  from supporting Ukraine and the security of the UK and Europe against the violent and manic delusions of Putin about re-creating the collapsed USSR.

What more could Putin ask for :-

• with the Russian economy imploding faster and faster, 
• with Putin's 'siloviki' more earnestly sharpening their knives, 
• with Russians now experiencing long queues to obtain meagre supplies of petrol, 
• and with rampant inflation causing an escalation of food prices in Russia.

Konstantin Samoilov (left) previously summed up the current state of Putin's economy as "Russia Running on Fumes".

In his recent discussion on YouTube, he warns against the insidious and growing trend by Putin to ramp up mobilization in  Russia.

As he says,

"Do you have a feeling that the situation in Russia has gone too far, and it simply cannot contine like this for much longer.

…

Something big is brewing in Russia right now. I'm expecting a life-changing event that will change the direction for entire Russia" (Inside Russia: 16 October 2025) (my emphasis)

With this backdrop in mind, the phone call between Trump and Putin yesterday takes on a new dimension, especially in light of,

"Writing on his Truth Social platform after the call concluded, Trump said he and Putin "spent a great deal of time talking about Trade between Russia and the United States when the War with Ukraine is over". (ibid Sean Seddon)

Putin, however, seems to have other ideas; delusional ideas about his re-creating the old Soviet Union as his dyed-in-the-wool Soviet foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov (right), is so fond of reminding us about viz.

• Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said the crisis in Ukraine was "created artificially for purely geopolitical reasons". (BBC News: 8 March 2014)

• The world should address the “root causes” that led to the “crisis” in Europe and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine …Russia and the West need mutual “guarantees and agreements,” the minister stated, adding that “new geostrategic realities on the Eurasian continent” should be taken into account as well. According to Lavrov, a new “pan continental architecture of truly equal and indivisible security” was being formed on the continent. (Nexus Newsfeed: July 16, 2024) (my emphasis)

• The Ukrainian conflict can be resolved through diplomacy and negotiations, provided that its root causes of the conflict are eliminated, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. (Tasnim News Agency (Iranian Agency): 25 June 2025) (my emphasis)

Is it any wonder that filled champange glasses are being raised in the Kremlin in honour of Trump?  

UPDATE: 19 October 2025: GMT: 08:09  

On 24 Dec 2014, Neil Buckley (right) reported that,

"[Khodorkovsky ] is proposing himself as a “crisis manager” to bring real democracy to the country if President Vladimir Putin leaves office.

On his own potential role in Russia, the former owner of the Yukos oil company said he was “by mentality a crisis manager”.

“My personal interest is what I can do — and that’s [lead] a transitional government, which carries out political reform. And that means only one thing — rule of law.” (FT : 19 December 2014) (my emphasis)

Fast forward to today and, as reported by Sky News,

"Mikhail Khodorkovsky (left) thinks a deal could be struck between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump over Ukraine, but it might involve ceding the Donbas region to Russia." (Sky News: 19 October 2025) (my emphasis)

 

Sky News: 19 October 2025 

It is interesting to note that, as reported by S.V. Date,

"In the days following Putin’s invasion in 2022, Trump praised the Russian leader as a “genius” and “savvy” for having sent in troops to kill Ukrainians and seize their land.

In the months to follow, including following his return to office nine months ago, he blamed Zelenskyy for his country getting invaded and former President Joe Biden for letting it happen." (HuffPost on MSN: 18 October 2025).

Underscoring Khordokovsky that a 'peace' deal between Putin and Zelensky might involve ceding the Donbas region to Russia,

Sam Kiley (left) and Arpan Rai (right) report that,

"Vladmir Putin demanded that Ukraine surrender key territory in a call with US president Donald Trump earlier this week, according to reports.

The Russian president wants Kyiv to give up Donetsk, a key military objective in eastern Ukraine that has been fiercely defended throughout the conflict, as reported by WaPo." (The Independent on MSN: 19 October 2025) (my emphasis)

Furthermore,

"Putin made the request to Trump on Thursday, just a day before Volodymyr Zelensky flew into Washington DC on Friday for a high-stakes meeting with the US president." (ibid Sam Kiley and Arpan Rai)

In the proposed meeting btween Trump and Putin in Hungary (cf: Paul Kirby) , it would now seem that Trump will be reverting to his former position of ceding Ukraine territory to Putin.

As Gideon Rachman (left) earlier reported,

"Donald Trump’s loose talk of “land swaps” has also [already]  set off alarm bells in Ukraine and across Europe. The fear is that a vain and vague Trump will be easily manipulated by Putin — a steely, detail-oriented dictator." (The Financial Times: 11 August 2025) (my emphasis)

Forget 'Tomahawks'.

Like Trump, even Khordokovsky is now willing to give Putin the land that he has stolen from Ukraine, and 'illegally' occupies.               

 (to be continued)

Will Trump, once again, bail out Putin?

Now that the war in Gaza has been concluded, Trump has now set his eyes on the war in Ukraine. (for FULL Trump Knesset speech)

 

 OneIndia News: 13 October 2025: YouTube

"As Olha Hlushchenko (left) reports,

"US President Donald Trump has called his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan a leader who could help in resolving Russia's war against Ukraine.

Source: Trump speaking aboard Air Force One returning to the US after his visit to the Middle East, as reported by Ukrinform

Details: "Erdoğan can," Trump replied when asked whether other leaders, including the Turkish president, could assist in resolving Russia's war against Ukraine.

He believes that Russia respects Erdoğan." (Ukrayinska Pravda on Yahoo News: 14 October 2025) (my emphasis)

What makes this a rather interesting comment from Trump is the fact that Putin has decided to "take on NATO", of which Turkey is a member. 

Furthermore, as reported by Joe Barnes (right),

"Donald Trump is preparing to arm Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles as he turns his attention to ending its war with Russia.

 …

World leaders used a subsequent summit in Sharm El-Sheikh to back Mr Trump to solve the conflict in Ukraine. The US president will meet Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Friday.

The two leaders are due to discuss their “visions” for how the long-range Tomahawk missile could bring Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, according to Mr Zelensky." (The Telegraph on Yahoo News: 13 October 2025) (my emphasis)

And as Sasha Vakulina (left) also reports,

"Recently Trump has voiced the possibility of supplying Ukraine with Tomahawks, long-range cruise missiles capable of striking targets at a range of 1,600 to 2,500 kilometres.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov (right) said that "the topic of Tomahawks is of extreme concern" to Moscow.

"Now is really a very dramatic moment in terms of the fact that tensions are escalating from all sides," he said in remarks carried by Russian state media. (EuroNews: 14 October 2025) (my emphasis)

Guy Faulconbridge (left) earlier reported that,

"The topic of Tomahawks is of extreme concern," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian state television reporter Pavel Zarubin in remarks published on Sunday. "Now is really a very dramatic moment in terms of the fact that tensions are escalating from all sides."

The war in Ukraine, Europe's deadliest since World War Two, has sparked the biggest confrontation between Russia and the West since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, and Russian officials say they are now in a "hot" conflict with the West.

…

Peskov said that if Tomahawks were launched at Russia, Moscow would have to take into account that some versions of the missile can carry nuclear warheads.

…

Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier this month that it was impossible to use Tomahawks without the direct participation of U.S. military personnel and so any supply of such missiles to Ukraine would trigger a "qualitatively new stage of escalation". (Reuters: 12 October 2025) (my emphasis)

Trump's threat to Putin of supplying Zelensky with Tomahawks missiles has, once again, sparked the old 'mantra'  of Putin of threatening "nuclear" armageddon. 

This time around, however,

• with the Russian economy imploding faster and faster, 
• and with Putin's 'siloviki' more earnestly sharpening their knives, 
• and Russians now experiencing long queues to obtain meagre supplies of petrol, 
• and with rampant inflation causing an escalation of food prices in Russia,

Putin desperately needs a war to survive.  

And as Jorge Liboreiro (left) also reported earlier,

"The European Union is considering a proposal that could potentially restrict the movements of Russian diplomats across the bloc's territory, according to a document added to the latest round of sanctions and seen by Euronews.

The plan would concern members of Russia's diplomatic and consular missions, including administrative and technical staff as well as family members. (Euronews: 7 October 2025) (my emphasis)

This could severely 'clip the wings' of that dyed-in-the-wool Soviet  Foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov (right), to his and Putin's utter dismay. 

As I wrote in my previous blog entry,

"Visibly turning into "a political puddle of madness", we should not underestimate that Putin will, indeed, press the nuclear button that will set off WW3." (blog entry: 25 September 2025)

The world now awaits the confrontration between Trump and Putin.

Will Trump, once again, bail out Putin?  

UPDATE: 16 October 2025: GMT: 17:37 

As if on cue, 

Donald Trump says he's speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin now.

As reported by Paul Kirby (left), 

"We don't yet know if it was Trump or Putin who initiated today's conversation, but coming on the eve of Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the White House, it is clearly an important moment.

…

It's unlikely Putin's maximalist demands to end the war have changed, but Russia is clearly concerned that Trump is now considering handing the Ukrainians long-range Tomahawk missiles that could reach Moscow." (BBC News: 16 October 2025) (my empahasis)

Furthermore,

"The US president writes on social media: "The conversation is ongoing, a lengthy one, and I will report the contents, as will President Putin, at its conclusion" (BBC News: 16 October 2025) (my emphasis)

BBC News further reports that,

"We don't know exactly what Trump and Putin are discussing, but their call comes just days after officials in Moscow raised concerns about the US potentially supplying long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.

When reporters asked Trump if he would provide Kyiv with Tomahawks on Sunday, he replied: "We'll see... I may." The missiles would be "a new step of aggression" in Ukraine's war with Russia, he added" (BBC News: 16 October 2025) (my emphasis)

Which, again, raises the question,

"Will Trump, once again, bail out Putin?"

It would seem that events are fast heading that way!                              

 (to be continued)

Can a war with NATO now save Putin from his own political demise?

Following the recent rather bizarre "stream of consciousness" (cf. Wikipedia) speech delivered by Trump to the assembled Heads of State at the UN, and which included a UN escalator and tele-propmpter, the Nobel Peace Prize, and bringing up an old grievance at not getting a contract to refurbish the UN complex in New York (Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy : USA Today: 23 September 2025), 

 

FULL Trump UN Speech: C-Span: 24 September 2025: YouTube

Trump and Zelensky afterwards held a press conference at which Trump pronounced that (cf video below):-

•  Question: Mr. president, do you think that NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft if they enter their airspace? 

         Trump: Yes I do.

• Question: Mr president .... on president Putin, and do you still trust him?

         Trump: I'll let you know in about a month.

• Question: President Trump, your message to president Orban whose refusing and still buys Russian oil.

         Trump: Well, he's a friend of mine. I have not spoken to him but I have a feeling if I               did he might stop.

 

Sky News: 24 September 2025: YouTube

But as Steve Benen (left) points out,

"Part of the problem with Donald Trump’s humiliating failures in addressing Russia’s war in Ukraine is the fact that the president has struggled to settle on a strategy and stick to it.

…

• Trump said he’d resolve the conflict quickly, and then he reversed course. 
• He said the war was nearly over, and then he reversed course. 
• He said he was poised to impose new economic sanctions on Vladimir Putin’s regime, and then he reversed course. 
• He said a ceasefire would have to be secured before peace negotiations could begin in earnest, and then he reversed course." (MSNBC: 24 September 2025) (my emphasis)

Nicholas Vinocur, Clea Caulcutt and Gabriel Gavin (right) also pose the critical question, 

""Has Donald Trump suddenly converted to being a fervent Ukraine supporter?"

The question quickly dominated chatter Tuesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York after Trump caught officials off guard with his most pro-Ukraine statement to date — a bold assertion that Kyiv can not only win its war against Russia, but also take back every inch of territory it’s lost." (Politico: 24 September 2025) (my emphasis)

As Rob Crilly (left) suggests,

"Rather than pledging fresh support to Ukraine or loading up action on Russia, Mr Trump appears to be handing things over to Europe and Nato.

…

It sounds as if he may have had enough." (The Telegraph: 23 September 2025) (my emphasis)

And whilst, "Trump caught officials off guard with his most pro-Ukraine statement to date", and  "Trump has struggled to settle on a strategy and stick to it", Putin continues to :-

• try and intimidate the people of Ukraine into submission, is his deperate attempt to conceal that the four  walls of his bunker are relenlessly closing in upon him
• and to try and draw NATO countries into reacting to his dangerous strategy of 'goading' a NATO reaction to his "airspace incursion" of some NATO countries with his drones and fighter aircraft.

Putin is now desperately trying to 'fully rally the Russian people' behind his delusional and Quixotic attempts to re-create the old USSR as the Russian economy begins to implode, and long queues at petrol pumps becomes the new normal in Russia.

Putin needs war to survive the 'sharpening of the political knives' as a prelude to unseating him should he fail in his war with Ukraine, particularly amongst his 'siloviki' and sundry Russian oligarchs

As stated before (previous blog-entry: 22 September 2025 ),

"Like Russia, Putin is now also running on 'fumes'."

Even in his delusions about recreating the old USSR, Putin is now aware that only a war with NATO can save him from his own demise. 

UPDATE: 25 Septemner 2025: GMT: 17:14 

BBC News has just reported that,

"President Donald Trump is hosting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House for talks, with a private meeting under way

Turkey could help bring Zelensky and Putin to the negotiating table - Trump

The focus again shifts to the war in Ukraine when a reporter asks: how can Erdogan help bring Putin and Zelensky to the negotiating table?

Answering the question, Trump says the Turkish leader is "very respected by both of them" and could be a "big influence" if he wanted, although right now he is "very neutral". 

The best thing [President Recep Tayyip Erdogan] could do is not buy oil and gas from Russia, says Trump." (BBC News: 25 September 2025) (my emphasis)

But the critical question is:-

"Will Turkey stop buying Russian oil?"   

And we have just heard from Ellen Mitchell (left) that,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin made new threats Wednesday to use nuclear weapons against the West, suggesting any nuclear power supporting a country that attacks Russia would be seen as participating in the aggression.

Addressing Russia’s Security Council, Putin said the country’s nuclear doctrine has been revised in light of an “emergence of new sources of military threats and risks for Russia and our allies.” " (The Hill: 25 September 2025: GMT 17:41) (my emphasis)

This new 'threat' of Putin underscores that he is now aware that only a war with NATO can save him from his own demise. 

Visibly turning into "a political puddle of madness", we should not underestimate that Putin will, indeed, press the nuclear button that will set off WW3.

                                         

 

 

(to be continued)