Putin now has nowhere to run to

Chris Hughes (left) reports that,

"Experts are suggesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin could be on borrowed time, with some predicting his downfall through assassination due to the catastrophic war in Ukraine. The 72 year old autocrat has reportedly ramped up his security measures and is seldom seen outside his Kremlin stronghold, fearing retribution from a Ukrainian hit squad, internal dissenters, or betrayal by those closest to him." (Daily Express: 15 May2025) (my emphasis)

He further reports that,

"Adding weight to these claims, Col Hamish de Bretton-Gordon (left), former head of the UK's Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Regiment, conveyed to the Mirror: "There are analysts, people who know better than I, who believe Putin is now a dead man walking, a spent force whose war in Ukraine will cause his end." (ibid Chris Hughes)

These claims that, "Putin is now a dead man walking" seem to be supported by the facts that:-

• Putin conspicuously stayed away from his own recently called "Peace Talks" in Istanbul. As Joe Stanley-Smith reported, "Russian President Vladimir Putin will not travel to Turkey to attend peace talks with Ukraine that he himself suggested, the Kremlin announced Wednesday evening." (Politico: 14 May 2025) (my emphasis),
  
• and at  the recent Instanbul "Peace Talks" between Putin's minor acolytes and Ukraine's delegation, (i) Russia demanded Ukraine withdraw its troops from four Ukrainian regions annexed by Vladimir Putin as the price for a ceasefire, and (ii)Vladimir Medinsky, Russia’s lead negotiator, also told Kyiv that Moscow could fight for at least another 21 years." (Kieran Kelly and Joe Barnes:The Telegraph: 16 May 2025) (my emphasis)

Kieran Kelly and Joe Barnes further report that,

"Russia’s proposals were branded “detached from reality” by a Ukrainian diplomatic source in talks which appeared to end in acrimony." (ibid Kieran Kelly and Joe Barnes)"

 The bluster by Vladimir Medinsky that, "Moscow could fight for at least another 21 years" falls into the same paranoid category as Putin's premier TV host and supporter, Vladimir Solovyov (left), who recently on Russia's TV angrily pronounced that,

"With the kind of teritories that you have [the UK and France] you are incapable of preserving even one square metre of land that would not be destroyed [by Putin's Russia], if you decide to get involved ..." (Russian Media Monitor: 15 May 2025: YouTube)

 

 Russian Media Monitor: 15 May 2025: YouTube

As also reported by Andrew Osborn (left) (Additional reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Darya Korsunskaya),

"After Putin called for direct peace talks in Istanbul with Ukraine at a Kremlin news conference on Sunday, some ultra-nationalists were quick to voice their concerns.
A Russian negotiating team was in Turkey on Thursday for the talks, though it was unclear if they would happen, with Putin himself apparently not attending.

“Our war will continue until the complete liberation of Novorossiya and Malorossiya,” Konstantin Malofeyev, a nationalist tycoon who is married to a senior government official reporting directly to Putin, wrote in his blog on Monday, using terms that hark back to the Russian Empire and describe a swath of modern-day Ukraine once ruled by the Tsars." (Reuters: 15 May 2025) (my emphasis)

Given Putin's current paranoia about being 'assasinated' if he so much as steps out of his fortified Kremlin bunker, US president Trump's proposal of a "phone call"  between Putin and himself must come as some sort of minor relief for Putin from his current uncontrollable paranoid 'state of mind'. 

Sky News now reports that,

"Donald Trump has said he will speak to Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy separately on Monday in a bid to secure a ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine." (Sky News: 18 May 2025)  (my emphasis)

Whilst this may allay the fears of Putin being confronted by Ukraine's President Zelensky, nonetheless Putin's paranoia is further increased by the fact that,

"Mr Trump said he will speak to Mr Putin over the phone. He will then talk with Mr Zelenskyy and "various members of NATO", he wrote [on X]. (ibid Sky News)

Trump, it would seem, is gingerly drifting away from Putin and towards Zelensky and  "various members of NATO"

 

Oneindia News: 17 May 2025: YouTube

Given the 'bromance' between Trump and Putin, will Putin dare 'snub' Trump by not answering his call?

As Daryna Vialko (right) reported,

" …  American officials, who met with their European counterparts in Türkiye this week, expressed readiness to impose sanctions on Russia after Moscow announced it would send a low-level delegation to the talks.

"I’m hoping that it will move next week now that Putin has failed tocome to the table. President Trump has indicated he views sanctions favorably, our European allies are very supportive, I think the moment is now," Senator Richard Blumenthal said." (RBC Ukraine: 16 May 2025) (my emphasis) 

Aware of Trump viewing more 'sanctions' against Russia favourably, and mindful of the fact that the current Russian economy is, in the words of John Varga (left),

"Russia's supply of cheap oil is running out, another major blow for Vladimir Putin as he continues to grapple with a growing economic crisis. Businesses and consumers across the country are reeling under the effects of spiralling inflation and high interest rates." (Express: 14 May 2025) (my emphasis),

Putin is totally now in the hands of Donald Trump.

Putin now has nowhere to run to.

UPDATE: 18 May 2025: GMT 13:55

  It has just been reported by Gabriela Pomeroy and Bethany Bell that,

"Pope Leo XIV is to meet the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Vatican has said after his inauguration Mass.

The new Catholic leader highlighted his concerns about the war in Ukraine in his prayer at the end of the service, saying "the martyred Ukraine is waiting for negotiations for a just and lasting peace to finally happen".(BBC News: 18 May 2025) (my emphasis) 

The pressure on paranoid Putin to "negotiate" for a "just and lasting" peace in Ukraine has just increased dramatically.

The $64 question is,

"How will this affect Trump's 'dealmaking' call to Putin?"   

 

 

 

(to be continued)

Will Putin now press the "nuclear" button?

Sami Quadri (left) reported that,

"The United States will no longer act as a mediator in peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, the State Department has confirmed, signalling a shift in Washington’s role in the ongoing conflict." (Evening Standard: 3 May 2025) (my emphasis)

Quadri further reported that, [Tammy Bruce, a spokesperson for the department, said],

 “We will continue to help, but we will no longer fly around the world as mediators in meetings,” Ms Bruce told reporters. “Now it is up to the two sides, the time has come when they must present and develop concrete ideas on how to end this conflict. It will be up to them.” (ibid Sami Quadri) 

The Sun : 3 May 2025: Youtube

Furthermore, Jonathan Landay, Gram Slattery, Erin Banco and Steve Holland report that,

"U.S. officials have finalized new economic sanctions against Russia, including banking and energy measures, to intensify pressure on Moscow to embrace U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to end its war on Ukraine, according to three U.S. officials and a source familiar with the issue.

The targets include state-owned Russian energy giant Gazprom and major entities involved in the natural resources and banking sectors, said an administration official, who like the other sources requested anonymity to discuss the issue." (Reuters : 2 May 2025) (my emphasis)

As also reported by Big News Network,

"Lindsey Graham (left) says he has wide Senate backing for a bill that includes 500% tariffs on countries buying key Russian exports

US Senator Lindsey Graham has claimed broad Senate support for a bill that would enact "bone-crushing" new sanctions on Russia and impose steep tariffs on countries purchasing its key exports." (Big News Network: 1 May 2025) (my emphasis) 

Big News Network goes on to further report that US Senator Lindsey Graham stated that,

"The goal is to help the president... He talked about being frustrated," Graham told reporters, as cited by Bloomberg. In a post on Truth Social earlier this week, Trump suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin might not want to stop the war, is "just tapping me along" and may need to be "dealt with differently, through banking or secondary sanctions." (ibid Big News Network)

 

Times of India: 4 May 2025: YouTube

Putin has been handed his "Divorce" papers by Trump, and Putin's immediate response has been to,

"President Vladimir Putin said in remarks published on Sunday that Russia had sufficient strength and resources to take the war in Ukraine to its logical conclusion, though he hoped that there would be no need to use nuclear weapons.
...
"We have enough strength and means to bring what was started in 2022 to a logical conclusion with the outcome Russia requires."" (Guy Faulconbridge (right) and Felix Light (left) : Reuters: 4 May 2025) (my emphasis)

Even Lavrov, that "dyed-in-the-wool" Soviet foreign minister, has now been forced to outline that BRICS is nothing more than the re-creation of the previous "Cold War" standoff  between the West and the former USSR.

Implicit in his Soviet-style speech he outlined Putin's attempt at recreating the "old style Cold War", together with the threat of WW3 i.e. "nuclear war"

 

Times of India: 1 May 2025: YouTube

Underpinning this  "bravado" of Putin and Lavrov lies the fact that,

"Russia is on course for a "painful economic squeeze" with energy bills set to soar 40% by 2028, stubbornly high inflation and real wages stagnating, a Ukrainian former central banker has said. (Jon King (left): Express: 4 May 2025) (my emphasis)

Furthermore,

"To make matters worse, Russia slashed its 2025 oil price forecast to $56/barrel — the lowest since COVID-19. Russia is burning through its future to sustain war. And of course, the people are footing the bill". Russian media reports also suggest a sharp rise in people defaulting on their mortgages and consumer loans in the first three months of the year." (ibid Jon King)

 

Inside Russia: 4 May 2025: YouTube

Will Putin now press the "nuclear" button?

UPDATE: 7 May 2025: 08:28 GMT

Rebecca Robinson (left) and Jon King (right) report that,

"Vladimir Putin has said the need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine has not arisen and he hopes it won't." (Daily Express: 4 May 2025) (my emphasis)

They then go on to report that,

"Putin signed a revised version of Russia’s nuclear doctrine in November. It details the circumstances which would allow the Russian leader to use Moscow's atomic arsenal, the world’s largest. That version lowered the bar, giving him the option to use nuclear weapons in response to even a conventional attack backed by another nuclear power." (ibid Rebecca Robinson and Jon King)

In other words, even the UK and France, both nuclear powers, supplying Ukraine with defensive weaponry to be used in Putin's war with Ukraine now JUSTIFIES Putin using nuclear weapons against Ukraine.

Furthermore, as RTE also reports,

"The Russians are calling for a ceasefire [for 8-10 May to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies in World War Two] while striking Ukraine every single day. This is top-level cynicism: just this week alone, Russia has used over 1,180 attack drones, 1,360 guided aerial bombs, and 10 missiles of various types against Ukraine," Mr Zelensky said on the X social media platform." (RTE: 4 May 2025) (my emphasis)

Is it any wonder that Putin now threatens "nuclear war", and calls for a "ceasefire" so that his 'military parade' can, yet again, be a "puffing up of his chest" to show the world the ostensible might of the Russian armed forces, who now are desperately relying on North Korean soldiers to help in his FAILING war with Ukraine?

 

 

 

(to be continued)

It is now time for Trump to send Putin his divorce papers.

 "ACCAR" Trump simply cannot bring himself to 'upset' Putin!

As reported by ABC News,

"US President Donald Trump says he wants Russian President Vladimir Putin to "stop shooting" in Ukraine and sign a peace deal.

The declaration came one day after he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Vatican." (ABC News: 28 Aril 2025) (my emphasis)

Furthermore,

"US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday that the Trump administration might abandon its attempts to broker a deal if Russia and Ukraine did not make headway." (ibid ABC News)

Now bear in mind that 'before' Trump appointed Senator Marco Rubio as US Secretary of State, Simon Saradzhyan and Angelina Flood (right) reported Rubio as stating in 2022 that,

"There is no amount of propaganda or political scheming that can change the reality of what is happening in Ukraine," said Rubio. "Vladimir Putin is the real aggressor in this war, and he is attempting an unjustified takeover of a sovereign, democratic country. The United States cannot recognize Putin's claims or we risk establishing a dangerous precedent for other authoritarian regimes, like the Chinese Communist Party, to imitate." (CONGDP, 09.22.22)" (Davis Center: 15 November 2024) (my emphasis)

NBC News: 28 April 2025: YouTube

We now also learn from RTE that,

"Mr Trump said he thought Mr Zelensky was ready to concede Crimea, despite the Ukrainian leader repeatedly saying he never would.

"Oh, I think so," said Mr Trump in response to a question on whether he thought Mr Zelensky was ready to "give up" the Black Sea peninsula" (RTE: 28 April 2025) (my emphasis)

Marco Rubio, it would seem, now strongly believes in and accepts the deadly, deranged, and destructive ideology of Putin's delusions about "Novorossiya" in his 'fanatical' war with Ukraine

 And now, as Trump is exhorting Putin to "stop shooting", and Marco Rubio threatens 'abandoning' Ukraine, Putin's 'dyed-in-the-woool' Soviet Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov (right), has announced that,

"We will continue to target the sites used by the military of Ukraine, by some mercenaries from foreign countries and by instructors whom the Europeans officially sent to help target Russian civilian sites," Lavrov said on CBS' "Face the Nation" in an interview that was taped on Thursday after the attack." (Doina Chiacu: Reuters: 27 April 2025) (my emphasis)

Furthermore, after many months of Putin denying North Korean troops fighting alongside his forces in his war with Ukraine, Hindustan Times reports that,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin "appreciated" and thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for sending his troops to help Moscow fight Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region." (Hindustan Times: 28 April 2025) (my emphasis) 

The Trump/Marco Rubio 'so-called peace deal' being proposed to end Putin's war with Ukraine has fallen on stoney ground in Europe.

As reported by Emma Burrows (left),

"President Donald Trump [and Marco Rubio] is pushing Ukraine to cede territory to Russia to end the war, threatening to walk away if a deal becomes too difficult — and causing alarm bells in Europe about how to fill the gap.
…
Trump’s land-for-peace plan would mark a significant shift in the post-World War II order, ripping up conventions that have long held that borders should not be redrawn by force.

“It took a World War to roll back de jure annexations and 60 million people died,” said François Heisbourg, special adviser at the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris, referring to the pre-war annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany.

“Europeans will not accept it" and Ukraine will not either, he said." (AP: 29 April 2025) (my emphasis) 

 Yet Putin now has the gall to,

"Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday declared a unilateral three-day ceasefire in Ukraine next month, a move met with skepticism by Ukrainian officials who demanded the Kremlin leader immediately accept a longer truce proposal from the United States that he has so far rejected.
...
The truce would coincide with Russia’s World War II Victory Day commemorations on May 9 and the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany." (Darya Tarasova, Daria Tarasova-Markina, Edward Upright and Sana Noor Haq: CNN: 28 April 2025) (my emphasis)

 CNN: 28 April 2025: YouTube

This International 'headline grabbing ploy' of Putin, together with the 'puny' fist-waving of Lavrov, and  the declaring of a possible nuclear World War Three by Sergei Shoigu, signifies  that Putin knows he is losing in Ukraine.

It is now time for Trump to send Putin his divorce papers.

                                                                                 

        

 

(to be continued)

Trump's tariff failure with Xi Jinping is the handing over of Ukraine's sovereignty to Putin.

On 17 April, 2025, I wrote that,

"As his global "tariff" strategy accumulates ongoing failures and criticisms in the US and throughout the world, is Trump now going to ensure that Putin succeeds in demanding the complete capitulation of Ukraine in Putin's raging war with Ukraine, simply to "save face"? (blog entry : 17 April 2025)

That  "ACCAR" Trump's 'tariff' standoff with China's president Xi Jinping (right) has failed is best summed up by Lawrence O' Donnell (left), who commented that,

"Now remember way way back to last week when Donald Trump was promising that he would have a big beautiful trade agreement with China very soon, like now or sooner.

No-one in China is calling the White House... No-one!

..... Donald Trump has decided to surrender to China, without China giving Donald Trump anything in return ... absoultely nothing!

Donald Trump said today that he was going to .... at some time unknown ... cut his absurdely high tariffs on Chinese goods saying that the tariffs will, quote, "..Come down substantially but it won't be zero." (MSNBC: 24 April 2025) (my emphasis) 

 

Lawrence O' Donnell :MSNBC: 24 April 2025: YouTube

Having surrendered in his tariff war with China, "ACCAR" Trump had now set his sights on Zelensky, and the pople of Ukraine, as the 'whipping boys' that will enable him to save face from the debacle of his 'tariff war' with China's Xi Jinping. 

As Illia Novikov, Aamer Madhani and Jill Lawless report,

"President Donald Trump on Wednesday lashed out at Ukraine’s president, saying Volodymyr Zelenskyy is prolonging the “killing field” after pushing back on ceding Crimea to Russia as part of a potential peace plan.

Zelenskyy on Tuesday ruled out ceding territory to Russia in any deal before talks set for Wednesday in London among U.S., European and Ukrainian officials. “There is nothing to talk about. It is our land, the land of the Ukrainian people,” Zelenskyy said." (AP: 24 April 2025) (my emphasis)

As also reported by Michael Howie (left) and Nicholas Cecil (right),

"Trump's latest intervention on his Truth Social social media
platform came after the latest efforts in London to broker peace led by Foreign Secretary David Lammy were downgraded to technical talks, following the decision by US secretary of state Marco Rubio to not attend.

The US administration is urging Kyiv to accept Russia's continued control of occupied Ukrainian regions and to accept Moscow's ownership of the Crimean peninsula as part of a peace settlement." (Evening Standard: 24 April 2025) (my emphasis)

Let us recall that in 2015,

"Vladimir Putin has admitted for the first time that the plan to annex Crimea was ordered weeks before the referendum on self-determination.

Crimea was formally absorbed into Russia on 18 March, to international condemnation, after unidentified gunmen took over the peninsula.

Mr Putin said on TV he had ordered work on "returning Crimea" to begin at an all-night meeting on 22 February.

The meeting was called after Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted." (BBC News: 9 March 2015) (my emphasis)

 

 CGTN: 2015: YouTube

 

Imperial War Museums: 2023: YouTube

 What we now have is "ACCAR" Trump, together with the motley crew of subordinates in his administration, including,

• Steve Witkoff (American billionaire real estate investor, and Trump's US Special Envoy to the Middle East),  
• Keith Kellogg (American diplomat and retired lieutenant general in the United States Army), 
• former Fox News presenter, (Trump's Secretary of Defence) Peter Hegseth, 
• and Marco Rubio (US Senator and now US Secretary of State), 

are ALL, likewise, demanding that Zelensky hand over Ukraine's Crimea to Putin as a prelude to any ceasefire in Putin's war with Ukraine.

 

(left to right: Witkoff, Kellog, Hegseth, Rubio)

Shannon Cook (left) reports on the conditions of "ACCAR" Trump's administration's so-called 'peace plan' for a 'ceasefire' in Putin's  war with Ukraine viz.

"The condition is reportedly part of a 'seven-point' plan to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

•  The plan, which will be discussed in London on Wednesday, leaves Ukraine devoid of a clear US security guarantee.
•  The proposal involves the US offering formal recognition of Russia's sovereignty over Crimea.
•  It also implies de facto recognition of other occupied territories.
•  The proposal would mean freezing the existing front line - enabling Putin to keep 'almost all' the land Russia has gained, reports The Telegraph.
•  However, in Ukraine's favour, Russia would relinquish two small areas that it is currently occupying.
•  Ukraine would recover unobstructed access to the mouth of the Dnieper River.
•  Meanwhile, Russia would withdraw from a second area of Kherson province.

US envoy, General Keith Kellogg, intends to gain Ukraine's agreement to the proposal on Wednesday.

Fellow US envoy Steve Witkoff would then present the proposal to Putin in Moscow. 

"ACCAR" Trump's failure in his tariff war with Xi Jinping is his handing over of Ukraine's sovereignty to Putin on a silver platter.

UPDATE: 24 April 2025: 15.43 GMT 

As Trump and Co. are pressuring Zelensky to hand over Ukraine's sovereignty to Putin, Putin continues to,

" ... launch huge missile and drone attacks on Kyiv, [last night] killing at least eight people and injuring dozens." (Kim Hjelmgaard : USA Today: 24 April 2025) (my emphasis)

This has somewhat rattled Trump.

As reported by the BBC,

"US President Donald Trump condemns Russia's overnight attack on Ukraine as "very bad timing", adding "I am not happy"

Ukraine's President Zelensky branded the strikes, which killed at least 10 in Kyiv, as "difficult" and "impudent"

In an update on social media, Trump spoke directly to Russia's President Putin: "Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!" (BBC: 24 April 2025) (my emphasis)

Trump is exhorting Putin to, "Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!",

In other words, "Take our deal, which destroys Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and, to boot, gives us control of Ukraine's riches under its soil, and stop the bombing ... "

But Putin, emboldened by Trump and his motley crew of subordinates gifting him with Ukraine's Crimea, has decided that,

"...  Moscow might consider a nuclear strike if threatened." (ibid Kim Hjelmgaard)

No doubt this threat was specifically aimed at the UK's Keith Starmer and France's Macron.

As Olivia AllHusen (left) and Will Stewart (right) report,

"Russia has warned Britain against deploying a 'coalition of the willing' in Ukraine, declaring it could lead to a nuclear World War Three.

Putin hawk Sergei Shoigu, secretary of the powerful Russian security council and ex-defence minister, said Russia rejected Western boots on the ground in the war-torn country." (Mail Online: 24 April 2025) (my emphasis)

What is disconcerting about this threat is that it comes from  Sergei Shoigu rather that from the infantile rantings of  Putin's 'glove puppet', Dmitry Medvedev.

What does this tell us?     

And where does it leave "ACCAR" Trump and his motley crew of subordinates?

                                                                                 

        

 

(to be continued)

Trump gives Putin the "green light" over his war with Ukraine

In my last blog entry I wrote that,

"As his global "tariff" strategy accumulates ongoing failures and criticisms in the US and throughout the world, is Trump now going to ensure that Putin succeeds in demanding the complete capitulation of Ukraine in Putin's raging war with Ukraine, simply to "save face"? (blog entry : 17 April 2025)

It is now reported by Alice Scarsi (left) and Jon King (right) that,

"Details of Donald Trump's plan to bring peace to war-torn Ukraine have reportedly been unveiled. The proposals were revealed hours after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested the White House was ready to "move on" from its efforts to end the conflict should progress not happen quickly.

An outline of the plan was shared during talks in Paris on Thursday, according to European officials cited by Bloomberg. According to the same publication, Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia would remain under Moscow’s control. Kyiv’s aim to join NATO would be off the table. The plan also includes easing sanctions on Russia if there is a lasting ceasefire." (Express : 18 April 2025) (my emphasis)

Sky News: 18 April 2025: YouTube

And as "ACCAR" Trump reveals his plan of the complete capitulation of Ukraine to Putin's demented 'Novorossiya' demands in his proposals for a 'peaceful' end to Putin's war with Ukraine,

• 
  James Saunders (left) reports that, "Donald Trump is ready to recognise Crimea as Russian soil in a major blow to Volodymyr Zelensky's post-war hopes, according to fresh reports.
  
  Sources familiar with negotiations have revealed that formally handing the territory to Vladimir Putin, 11 years after his troops invaded it, is set to form part of a broader peace deal between Russia and Ukraine." (GB News: 18 April 2025) (my emphasis),
• and Putin's 'glove puppet', Dmitry Medvedev, once again ranted that, "...... any European peacekeepers sent to Ukraine would return in coffins. Dmitry Medvedev issued the warning after US officials met with a coalition of European leaders in Paris to discuss security in Ukraine. (Sarah Barltrop: Express: 18 April 2025) (my emphasis)
  

Most significant of "ACCAR" Trump now preparing to give the "green light" to Putin to do as he now wishes with Ukraine is the fact that,

"Kyiv and Washington have a signed a memorandum of intent (Reuters: Full Memorandum Text) pledging to advance an agreement on an investment fund for Ukraine’s natural resources and energy assets, officials familiar with the matter told the Financial Times.

The officials said the memorandum had been signed “virtually” and they hoped to finalise the full economic accord as early as the end of next week." (Christopher Miller and Guy Chazan: Financial Times: 17 April 2025) (my emphasis)

 I am somewhat reminded of the late Auberon Waugh, who recounted the dilemma of the Chinese button viz.,

“Press the button and a Chinese man drops dead in China. Nobody will ever tell you his name or worry you about the circumstances, but you will receive £1 million in the post the next day. Do you press the button?” (Melanie McDonagh (left): The Times: 15 August 2007)

Trump, practically giving Putin the "green light" to continue with his barbaric war in Ukraine (cf Sky News: Sumy bombing by Putin) and causing untold Ukrainian people to die, is akin to him "pressing the button" and causing the deaths of those Ukrainians", simply to receive the riches of the mineral wealth beneath the soil of Ukraine.

Al Jazeera: 14 April 2025: YouTube

UPDATE: 19 April 2025: 10.38 GMT 

It has just been reported by James Waterhouse (left) that,

"It had been hoped by Ukraine that America's growing impatience with Russia would translate into further sanctions for Moscow. Instead, the threat of the US washing its hands of the ongoing peace efforts suits the Kremlin more than Kyiv.
…
What it has done is launch some of the deadliest missile strikes on civilians in recent days (cf Sky News: Sumy bombing by Putin). In Kharkiv in the north-east, more than 100 people were injured and one person was killed after three struck a residential part of the city.
…
But [Putin's] attacks have not brought the slightest condemnation from the White House, which has continued to use more of a stick with Kyiv, by pausing military aid, and a carrot with Moscow, by improving relations, to get both sides to mirror its appetite for peace." (BBC News: 19 April 2025) (my emphasis)

'ACCAR' Trump and "The Button".

 

 

 

(to be continued)