Ukraine Crisis and Putin: Is Trump Putin's 'Manchurian Candidate'?

In 1959 Richard Condon (left) published a political thriller, "The Manchurian Candidate", about the son of a prominent U.S. political family who is brainwashed into being an unwitting assassin for a communist conspiracy.

In the novel,

"It is revealed that the Communists have been using Shaw as a sleeper agent who, activated by a post-hypnotic trigger, immediately forgets the assignments he carries out and therefore can never betray the operation either purposely or inadvertently. In Shaw's case, the suggestion that he play solitaire is the trigger. Seeing the queen of diamonds playing card transforms him into an assassin who will kill anyone at whom he is directed. Shaw's KGB handler is his domineering mother, Eleanor. Married to McCarthy-esque Senator Johnny Iselin, Eleanor has convinced the Communist powers to help install her husband as president and allow them to control the American government through him." (Wikipedia)

Fast foreward to 2025 and we have an American president, Donald Trump, whose public pronouncements about Putin's current war with Ukraine, seems to be emanting straight from the mouth of Putin himself.

In his most recent pro-Russia pronouncements about Putin's war with Ukraine, Trump proclaimed that,

" “The G7 used to be the G8,” Mr. Trump told reporters, referring to the group’s decision to eject Russia in 2014, after it attacked Ukraine and “annexed” Crimea, a prelude to its full-scale invasion.
...
“I would say that was a mistake,” Mr. Trump said, “because I think you wouldn’t have a war right now.”
….

The scene on Monday illustrated how even more aligned Mr. Trump has grown with the Russian autocrat since his first time in office, and how alienated Mr. Trump has become from American allies who have rallied around Ukraine." (Erica L. Green and Zolan Kanno-Youngs (right): New York Times: 16 June 2025) (my mphasis)

CNN: 17 June 2025: YouTube

The current war between Israel and Iran now occupies the mind of Trump, and has conveniently allowed Trump to simply ignore the continuing brutality of Putin against the people of Ukraine.

This 'betrayal' of Ukraine by Trump has given Putin "carte blanche" to do as he wishes in his war with Ukraine, and an emboldened Putin has now stated that,

"During a Q&A at Russia's flagship investment event in St Petersburg, the Kremlin leader was asked what his end game was in the conflict [i.e. his war against Ukraine].

He replied: "I have said many times that I consider the Russian and Ukrainian people to be one nation. In this sense, all of Ukraine is ours. " (Ivor Bennett (left): Sky News: 21 June 2025) (my emphasis)

DawnNews English: 20 June 2025: YouTube

Let us recal that in 2016 the "Steele Dossier" emerged which argued that,

Russian regime has been cultivating, supporting, and assisting Trump for at least 5 years. Aim, endorsed by Putin, has been to encourage splits and divisions in western alliance
So far Trump has declined various sweetener real estate business deals offered him in Russia in order to further the Kremlin's cultivation of him. However, he and his inner circle have accepted a regular flow of intelligence from the Kremlin, including on his Democratic and other political rivals.
Former top Russian intelligence officer claims FSB has compromised Trump through his activities in Moscow sufficiently to be able to blackmail him. According to several knowledgeable sources, his conduct in Moscow has included perverted sexual acts which have been arranged/monitored by the FSB"