Putin is preparing to start another war in Europe.

If one were to sum up the extent to which Putin played Trump at their meeting in Alaska yesterday (15 Aug 2025) one need to look no further than Laura Gozzi (left), who wrote that,

"The fact that the Alaska summit happened at all was a victory for Putin. But this welcome would have surpassed the Kremlin's wildest dreams. In a short six months Putin went from being a pariah in the eyes of the West to being welcomed on US soil like a partner and friend." (BBC News: 16 August 2025) (my emphasis)

 

 CNN: 16 August 2025: YouTube

Laura Gozzi goes on to report that,

"Yet it was only minutes after landing in Alaska that one journalist shouted in his direction: "Will you stop killing civilians?" If the question bothered him, he [Putin] didn't show it, appearing instead to shrug and diverting his gaze." (BBC News: 16 August 2025) (my emphasis)

After Trump and Putin's 12 minute press conference after the meeting,  Nikki Schwab (right) reported that, 

"What was clear was that there was no immediate ceasefire or peace deal to end the Ukraine war out of Friday's Anchorage, Alaska talks at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson." (Daily Mail: 16 August 2025) (my emphasis)

Furthermore, 

"Putin's comments were mostly backward-looking, a glaring indication that the U.S. and Russia remained apart on the crucial issues that could lead to a ceasefire in Ukraine. 

The Russian leader didn't back down on his claims that the Ukrainian invasion was justified." (ibid Nikki Schwab) 

 

WFAA: 15 August 2025: YouTube 

In other words, Putin did not back down from his demented mindset about his Novorossiya dreams, nor about re-creating the old USSR.

Underscoring these demented dreams and aims of Putin, we had Lavrov (left), that dyed-in-the-wool Soviet foreign minister,

"In what's seen as a not-so-subtle act of trolling, the Russian Foreign Minister was seen wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with “CCCP”, the Russian initials for the USSR.

Seventy-five-year-old Lavrov's attire is being seen as a nod to Kremalin's imperial ambitions, forwarding Putin's long-running narrative: Russians and Ukrainians are “one people” -- a claim that denies Ukraine's legitimacy and territorial integrity while promoting a broader notion of unity with Russia." (Sanstuti Nath : NDTV World: 16 August 2025) (my emphasis)

Thus, as James Matthews (right) of Sky News reports, 

"Putin's statement about the fundamental causes - to make this settlement lasting and long term, we need to eliminate the primary cause to consider all legitimate concerns of Russia. That's been Russia's starting point and it's been the sticking point throughout this whole process." (Sky News on MSN: 15 August 2025) (my emphasis)

He further reports that,

"For Putin to stand on that stage alongside Trump and have the confidence to articulate that tells me that that resonates with Trump, and Putin is welded to that as an ongoing position - a position which is unacceptable to Ukraine." (ibid James Matthews)

In other words, "Putin played Trump!" on the world stage.

 

 MSNBC: 16 August 2025: YouTube

And to intimidate European leaders, we learn from India Today that,

"Russia is preparing to test its new nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered cruise missile and if successful, plans to use the results to bolster its negotiating position with the West, Ukrainian military intelligence said on Friday." (India Today: 16 August 2025) (my emphasis) 

Furthermore,

"The White House did not comment directly on whether a test was being prepared, saying in response to a question about it that Trump wanted peace in Ukraine" (ibid India Today) 

As I wrote in my blog entry of 11 August 2025, 

 

"Whither now the UK and the EU?" 

 

takes on an urgency for the UK and the EU, whose decisions and actions regarding Putin's war with Ukraine will either lead to a JUST PEACE for Ukraine on Friday, or precipitate the start of a possible war between Putin, the UK, and NATO members of the EU." (blog entry : 11 August 2025)  

In light of Putin preparing to test his new nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered cruise missile, and in light of Putin not backing down on his claims that the Ukrainian invasion was justified; the start by Putin of a war in Europe is now not as fanciful as it first seems.  

Putin is preparing to start another war  in Europe.

UPDATE: 18 August 2025: GMT 08:21

True to form, it now emerges that,

"Donald Trump has told Volodymyr Zelensky that he can “almost immediately” end Russia’s war on Ukraine if 

• he abandons his Nato ambitions 
• and agrees not to reclaim Crimea.

The US president made the demands when he took to his Truth Social platform with a preview of the message he will deliver his Ukrainian counterpart at their high-stakes meeting in Washington on Monday." (The Telegraph: 18 August 2025) (my emphasis)

This is precisely what Putin wants, and what he left with in his political bag when he flew back to the Kremlin after his meeting with Trump on 15 August 2025 in Alaska.

The Putin-Trump 'bromance', which most pundits thought had fallen on rocky ground, now emerges as a 'near passionate' flame once again re-ignited.

This was the crux of the the Trump offer to Putin, relayed to him by Witkoff in his dash to the Kremlin on August 6, 2025. 

 

 

Times of India: 17 August 2025: YouTube

Let us once again recall that,

"…..[Witkoff]  was tasked with negotiating an end to the Russia-Ukraine War, and he met with Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin on several occasions. Witkoff’s proposed peace plans have featured several Russian demands, including the ownership of five regions in Ukraine. That point was rejected by Ukraine."(Britannica)

So what, really, was the point of that Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska, except for Trump to re-introduce Putin onto the international political stage? 

The illusion that it was all about 'peace', emblazoned behind their so-called 'press conference' after their meeting, now becomes, in retrospect, evident of the "Putin-Trump sham" for all to see.

So, in light of the upcoming meeting to-day (18 August 2025) between Zelensky and Trump, including leaders of the UK and the EU what, really, is this meeting all about?

As Kevin Liptak (left) reports,

"On the eve of highly consequential talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a large delegation of European leaders, President Donald Trump on Sunday previewed the message he’ll deliver to his White House visitors: Zelensky must agree to some of Russia’s conditions for the war in Ukraine to end." (CNN: 18 August 2025) (my emphasis)

As I wrote in my blog entry of 11 August 2025, 

 

"Whither now the UK and the EU?" 

 

takes on an urgency for the UK and the EU, whose decisions and actions regarding Putin's war with Ukraine will either lead to a JUST PEACE for Ukraine on Friday, or precipitate the start of a possible war between Putin, the UK, and NATO members of the EU." (blog entry : 11 August 2025)  

Hunter News: 18 August 2025: YouTube 

 

 

 

(to be continued)

Putin is, yet again, playing Trump.

There is an 'elephant in the room' in UK and EU discussions about the upcoming Trump-Putin meeting.

Indeed, one could say that political discussions reverberating around the world concerning this meeting likewise have an 'elephant in the room'.

Gergana Krastevan (left) has identified this 'elephant in the room' that overshadows the political discussions reverberating around the world concerning the upcoming Trump-Putin meeting..

As she writes in Metro,

"Forget geopolitics or alliances. In the looming negotiations between the US and Russia on Alaskan soil, Donald Trump appears to be backing only one side – his own.
… 
‘He has engaged in this diplomacy not because he believes it is in the US interest, but to get the Nobel Peace Prize or to aggrandize himself… or to distract from [his connection to] the Jeffrey Epstein case.

‘This is the way in which he disorderly makes foreign policy.’" (Metro on MSN: 12 August 2025) (my emphasis)

Konstantin Samoilov (right: cf. also video below) is of the opinion that,

"This meeting in Alaska doesn't make any sense because it wasn't expected by anyone, including myself."

He goes on to point out that,

"The biggest problem of this negotiations is the lack of any kind of guarantee that Russia will not attack Ukraine again" (ibid Konstantin Samoilov)

He also points out that,

"Russia has given many promises many times. Back in 1994 Russia promised to not ever invade Ukraine or take Ukrainian land in return for Ukraine giving up the 'nuclear weapons'. That agreement is called the' 'Budapest Memorandum'." (ibid Konstantin Samoilov) 

 

 Konstantin Samoilov : Inside Russia : 12 August 2025: YouTube

Yet, "Russia violated the Budapest memorandum in 2014 with its annexation of Ukraine's Crimea" (Wikipedia)

European leaders held talks to-day with Ukraine's Zelensky ahead of a Trump-Putin summit on Friday.

After this meeting,

"Merz [said] Europeans are doing everything they can to "help set the agenda" for the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Volodymyr Putin in Alaska. 

"In Alaska, security interests of Europe and Ukraine must be protected," Merz [told] the news conference, a topic he says was discussed with Trump." (BBC News: 13 August 2025) (my emphasis)  

 

James Waterhouse: BBC News: 13 August 2025

Furthermore, recall that,

But unfortunately for BOTH Trump and Vance, Ukraine's President, Volodomyr Zelensky (left), as reported by France 24,

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed Saturday to reject any peace plan that involves ceding land to Russia just hours after Washington and Moscow announced a summit aimed at ending the war. US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15 in Alaska to discuss a possible peace deal." (France 24:  09 August 2025) (my emphasis) (cf. also:blog entry: 11 August 2025)

Both Gergana Krastevan's  reading of the proposed Trump-Putin meeting viz. that it is :-

• 'not because he [Trump] believes it is in the US interest, but to get the Nobel Peace Prize or to aggrandize himself' , 
• and Konstantin Samoilov's puzzlement that, "This meeting in Alaska doesn't make any sense because it wasn't expected by anyone, including myself.",

 remains enigmatic about this Trump-Putin meeting.

Is this proposed Trump-Putin meeting yet another Putin ploy to try to realize his demented Novorossiya dreams?

Is Putin, yet again, playing Trump?  

UPDATE: 13 August 2025: GMT: 19:34

In an interview just 1 hour ago on Times Radio, Cormac Smith (left), former British diplomat to Ukraine, outlines just howTrump,  disorderly makes foreign policy (cf. Gergana Krastevan) 'on the hoof' by, for instance, blaming Zelensky for starting the war in Ukraine, a blame which simply flies in the face of historical truth since Putin's invasion of, and annexation of Crimea into the Russian Federation, by Putin in 2014.

As he says,

"Did I say something about Donald Trump's press conference yesterday (12 August 2025)? 

It was absolutely bizarre. It was like being in a parallel universe. He clearly blamed President Zelensky for starting the war saying that he had spent three and a half years doing nothing. 

He disregarded and disrespected the Ukrainian constitution by saying that, "Zelensky using this as an objection to trading land ... well he didn't have a problem with going to going to war, and a war that killed tens of thousands of people ...

Let's be very very clear, if anyone doesn't know,

•  it was Russia who started this war, an illegal invasion,
• it was Russia who wiped entire Ukranian cities off the map,
• and has murdered tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians"  (Times Radio: 13 August 2025; YouTube)

 

 Times Radio: 13 August 2025; YouTube

Towards the end of his interview, Cormac Smith also raises the issue of how the UK and the EU are now going to respond to Trump's 'bizarre' mindset about the war in Ukraine when he has a meeting with Putin this coming Friday.

 

 

 

(to be continued)

The Trump-Putin upcoming meeting. Whither now the UK and the EU?

Gideon Rachman (left) neatly sums up both the historical precedents and the current implications for Ukraine of the upcoming Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska … on US soil.

As he writes,

"The Munich agreement of 1938 is often cited as a vague shorthand for a failure to stand up to dictators. The Trump-Putin summit planned for this Friday in Alaska resembles Munich in one precise respect. The Czech government was not represented at the negotiating table, as Hitler, Chamberlain, Mussolini and Daladier agreed a deal that carved up their country.

As things stand, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine will not be present as the Russian and American leaders discuss the fate and borders of his country. And, as the saying goes: “If you are not at the table, you’re on the menu.”

Donald Trump’s loose talk of “land swaps” has also 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)

Even more disconcerting, Michael McFaul (left with Jen Psaki) , in an interview with Jen Psaki (9 August 2025: ('TACO' Trump appears to surrender to Putin in advance; replaces ultimatum with concession meeting), raises red flags about the proposed Trump-Putin meeting.

Jen Psaki: What are the other things that will be flags for you .. I guess... as we watch this meeting next Friday.

Michael McFaul: Well ... the first flag is this is the exact opposite of how usual Presidential summits, with leaders from other countries, are organized. Usually we get the agreements all done at lower levels .... and the end game is the summit. President Trump's turning that around. So that already makes me nervous. 

Second, I do not want any one-on-one time. He needs to be there with the Secretary of State (Marco Rubio), also the National Security advisor (Marco Rubio again) because he [Trump] just does not know all the facts. And the worst thing that would happen is that Putin says, "Oh! This is what we should do ... You Know ... Donbas ... Just give us Donbas and Crimea. We already have them". 

And he [Trump] would say, "Oh yes. That is a good idea" ..... Then they have a press conference. And when the President of the United States says something, it is very hard to unravel that. That becomes policy." (MSNBC: 9 August 2025) ( my emphasis) 

 

MSNBC: 9 August 2025

Let us also remind ourselves that,

" When he [Trump] met Putin for his first summit in Helsinki in July 2018, he did so for more than two hours with only a US translator in the room with him and the Russian delegation. He snatched away the translator’s notes after the meeting." ( Sam Kiley: (left) (cf.also: blog entry 12/07/2018)

Then we have Vice-President J.D.Vance (left) parroting Trump's statements about Ukraine giving Putin the land of Ukraine that he has stolen from Ukraine in his current war with Ukraine, as well giving Putin Ukraine's Crimea, which he stole in 2014, stating that,

"... he warned that America is “done with the funding of the war”. 

 Mr Vance, in a wide-ranging interview on Fox News, went on to dismiss European leaders’ calls to allow the Ukrainian president to attend the upcoming summit between the US and Russian leaders, insisting that it would not be “productive” at this point.

On Saturday, European leaders including Sir Keir Starmer jointly welcomed the meeting, which is planned for Friday in Alaska. However, they warned that any talks should see Ukraine represented and not permit any land to be ceded to Russia." (Tara Cobham (right): The Independent on MSN: 10 August 2025) (my emphasis)

 

The Independent on MSN: 10 August 2025 

Let us remind ourselves that J.D. Vance's mentor, and his largest financial backer ($15 million) for a seat in the US Senate, Peter Thiel (left), was born in Germany and raised in Swakopmund in the then 'apartheid' South West Africa and who is, co-incidentally, also a bosom buddy of  'apartheid' reared Elon Musk since their PayPal days together.

But unfortunately for BOTH Trump and Vance, Ukraine's President, Volodomyr Zelensky (right), as reported by France 24,

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed Saturday to reject any peace plan that involves ceding land to Russia just hours after Washington and Moscow announced a summit aimed at ending the war. US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 15 in Alaska to discuss a possible peace deal." (France 24:  09 August 2025) (my emphasis)

 

Sky News Australia: 10 August 2025: YouTube

Furthermore, as reported by Olena Harmash and Suban Abdulla (left),
 
"We share the conviction that a diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine's and Europe's vital security interests," they said.

"We agree that these vital interests include the need for robust and credible security guarantees that enable Ukraine to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity," the statement said, adding: "The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine." (Reuters: 10 August 2025) (my emphasis)

Neither Trump nor Vance are quite aware that, and to quote Max Boot (right), 

"As most Europeans realize by now, [supporting and defending Ukraine] is not an act of charity but simple self-defense: If Putin is not stopped in Ukraine, he could threaten Finland, the Baltic Republics, and Poland next." (ibid Max Boot)  

For the US to walk away from UK and EU concerns about Putin's long-term and 'demented' goal to resuscitate the collapsed Soviet Union, thus threatening the freed EU countries of the former Soviet eastern bloc, as J.D. Vance suggests,  will 'supercharge' Putin in his dangerous and 'demented' aims to re-create Novorossiya and the former Soviet Union.

The upcoming Trump-Putin meeting about Putin's war with Ukraine, and the demand by Putin of the full capitulation of Ukraine to his war aims, will lay Putin's ground for war with the UK and EU NATO members. 

Putin and Trump now stand at the brink of extending Putin's war in Ukraine to Putin's war with the UK and EU countries.

Whither now the UK and the EU? 

UPDATE : 12 August 2025 : GMT 07:13

James Waterhouse (left) reported 9 hours ago that,

"Brace ourselves for some pretty outrageous Russian demands," warns Lord Simon McDonald (right: with wife), a former head of the UK Foreign Office.

"It will be theatrical," he adds. "Putin is going to ask for things that
nobody else would concede - with the possible exception of Donald Trump."
… 
President Zelensky has said he won't agree to the giving up of any land, or even freezing the conflict along the current front lines.
… 
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has secured a remote sit down between European leaders, as well as Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump, this Wednesday.

They hope to be consulted on America's plan to end Russia's invasion, but ex-UK Foreign Office head Lord McDonald would be surprised to see a last-minute European invite for Friday.

"The end will be as protracted as the war has been long," he warned." (BBC News: 11 August 2025) (my emphasis)

 

Kaja Kallas on BBC News: 11 August 2025

 

As Gideon Rachman wrote, 

 

"The Munich agreement of 1938 is often cited as a vague shorthand for a failure to stand up to dictators. The Trump-Putin summit planned for this Friday in Alaska resembles Munich in one precise respect. The Czech government was not represented at the negotiating table, as Hitler, Chamberlain, Mussolini and Daladier agreed a deal that carved up their country." (ibid Gideon Rachman) 

 

And now, as the days count down for the Trump-Putin meeting this coming Friday, the question, 

 

"Whither now the UK and the EU?" 

 

takes on an urgency for the UK and the EU, whose decisions and actions regarding Putin's war with Ukraine will either lead to a JUST PEACE for Ukraine on Friday, or precipitate the start of a possible war between Putin, the UK, and NATO members of the EU.   

 

 

 

(to be continued)

The touchpaper of WW3 is on the brink of being lit at the upcoming Trump-Putin meeting

And so the passionate 'bromance' between Trump and Putin, which many thought had broken down has, once again, erupted into a 'volcanic and passionate flame'.

As the ether of the world is now 'buzzing' with the proposal of an upcoming meeting between Trump and Putin, Sam Kiley (left) reports that,

"A Trump-Putin summit will be as useful to Ukraine and democracy as Agent Orange is for gardening" (remember Vietnam?) (The Independent on MSN: 7 August 2025) (my emphasis)

Sam Kiley goes on to report that,

"A long-overdue summit between the presidents of the United States and the Russian Federation to discuss peace in Ukraine, where nuclear war has been threatened, must be seen as a historic moment for optimism.

Except that from London to Langley, Berlin, Canberra and Tokyo, intelligence chiefs will be on tenterhooks wondering whether this is another occasion resembling the meeting between an agent and his handler." (ibid Sam Kiley)

Sam Kiley goes on to report that,

"Putin is obsessed with returning Ukraine to the former Russian (or Soviet) empire i.e.[ Novorossiya ] He has never hidden his ambition to do so and consistently denies that Ukraine is an independent entity at all.
…
When he met Putin for his first summit in Helsinki in July 2018, he did so for more than two hours with only a US translator in the room with him and the Russian delegation. He snatched away the translator’s notes after the meeting." (ibid Sam Kiley) (cf: blog entry 12/07/2018)

 

 (ibid blog entry 12/07/2018)

 

(ibid blog entry 12/07/2018)

As Ivor Bennett (left) reported earlier in May 2025,

"But now, Trump is casting a one-on-one with Putin as the keystone to peace. There will be no movement towards peace without it, he said on Thursday.

It's exactly the position Moscow craves - carving up Ukraine without Kyiv at the table." (Sky News: 16 May 2025) (my emphasis)

 

Sky News: 16 May 2025

As Max Boot (left) also wrote in May 2025,

"But rather than trying to pressure Putin into a ceasefire agreement and forcing him to moderate his demands, Trump appears to be getting ready to wash his hands of the entire conflict. Talking to reporters later on Monday in the Oval Office, Trump said, “Big egos involved, but I think something’s going to happen. And if it doesn’t—just going to have to back away and keep going.” (Council on Foreign Relations: 20 May 2025) (my emphasis)

Max Boot went on to write that,

"If the United States cuts off Ukraine, the Europeans can and should keep that embattled nation going by making the investments that will allow Ukrainians to defend themselves with Ukrainian-made weapons. As most Europeans realize by now, this is not an act of charity but simple self-defense: If Putin is not stopped in Ukraine, he could threaten Finland, the Baltic Republics, and Poland next." (ibid Max Boot) 

And now, Ivor Bennett reports that (from video below),

"... The next meeting [between Trump and Putin] could be in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
 ...
[Vladimir Putin] said it would be a suitable location .. which sounded like a very strong hint.
...
Crucially for Russia it [the UAE] is not a member of the ICC [International Criminal Court] so Vladimir Putin does not have to worry about being arrested ..." (Sky  News: 8 August 2025) (my emphasis)

 

Sky  News: 8 August 2025

In contrast to Trump's upcoming meeting with Putin in, possibly, the UAE, Charlotte Van Campenhout reports that,

"French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday reaffirmed France's full support for a ceasefire in Ukraine and the launch of talks aimed at reaching a lasting and solid peace, following a "long discussion" with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and other European leaders." (Reuters: 7 August 2025) (my emphasis) 

Let us recall that,

"…..[Witkoff]  was tasked with negotiating an end to the Russia-Ukraine War, and he met with Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin on several occasions. Witkoff’s proposed peace plans have featured several Russian demands, including the ownership of five regions in Ukraine. That point was rejected by Ukraine."(Britannica)

As Franco Ordonez (right) also wrote in April 2025,

"Witkoff and the president have been friends for almost 40 years. Trump calls Witkoff "a special guy" and "my pal." Their friendship dates back to a chance encounter at a New York Deli at 3 a.m
…
Witkoff said in an interview with Tucker Carlson that he learned the real estate business from Trump. 
…
Once in office, Trump picked his old friend as his envoy to the Middle East. It was the same position that Trump — in his first term — had given to another person whose loyalty was unquestioned: his son-in-law, Jared Kushner." (WUSF (NPR): 25 April 2025) (my emphasis)

One can assume that Trump, in his possible upcoming meeting with Putin in the UAE, will take into account the report to Trump, by Witkoff, of  his recent meeting with Putin, bearing in mind that,

"Witkoff’s [previous] proposed peace plans [to end the war in Ukraine have] featured several Russian demands, including the ownership of five regions in Ukraine." (Britannica) 

As Sam Kiley writes, 

"The Trump-Putin summit will be as useful to Ukraine and democracy as Agent Orange is for gardening."  

 Is Trump about to sell out Ukraine to Putin? 

URGENT UPDATE : 9 August 2025: GMT 05:10  

At the beginning of this blog I wrote yesterday that,

"And so the 'bromance' between Trump and Putin, which many thought had broken down has, once again, erupted into a 'volcanic and passionate flame'."

And just two hours ago BBC News reported that,

"US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in Alaska next Friday to discuss the future of the war in Ukraine.
…
..it was later confirmed by a Kremlin spokesperson, who said the location was "quite logical" given Alaska's relative proximity to Russia.
…
Russian demands include:=

•  Ukraine becoming a neutral state, 
• dramatically reducing its military
•  and abandoning its Nato aspirations, 
• as well as the lifting of Western sanctions imposed on Russia.

Moscow also wants :-

• Kyiv to withdraw its military from the four regions which Russia partially occupies in south-east Ukraine,
• and to demobilise its soldiers. (Courtney Subramanian and Ali Abbas Ahmadi: BBC News: 9 August 2025) (my emphasis)

As Andrew Stanton and Barney Henderson of Newsweek also reports,

"The United States and Russia are aiming to secure a peace deal that would lock in Russia's gains in Ukraine following its invasion three and a half years ago, according to a report by Bloomberg.

The deal would mean Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky giving up the entire eastern Donbas, Crimea and parts of Luhansk and Donetsk, where fighting is still raging, unnamed sources told Bloomberg." (Newsweek: 8 August 2025) (my emphasis)

To say that, "Trump is about to sell out Ukraine to Putin", is an understatement. 

Trump is about to :-

•  lock in Russia's gains in Ukraine following its invasion of Crimea in 2014
•  walk away from UK and EU concerns about Putin's long-term and 'demented' goal to resuscitate the   collapsed Soviet Union, thus threatening the freed EU countries of the former Soviet eastern bloc,
• upend UN rules about the inviolability of international borders,
• and walk away from NATO 

And to cap it all, in Alaska Putin is safe from arrest by the ICC [International Criminal Court] because former US President Clinton (right) argued that,

"The United States should have the chance to observe and assess the functioning of the [ICC] court, over time, before choosing to become subject to its jurisdiction." (Wikipedia)

notwithstanding, 

"Former U.S. State Department Legal Advisor Monroe Leigh has said:

The list of due process rights guaranteed by the Rome Statute are, if anything, more detailed and comprehensive than those in the U.S. Bill of Rights. ... I can think of no right guaranteed to military personnel by the U.S. Constitution that is not also guaranteed in the Treaty of Rome." (Wikipedia)  

The touchpaper of WW3 is on the brink of being lit at the upcoming Trump-Putin meeting.

And all thanks to Trump, the 'myopic' and 'failed' so-called 'deal maker (Michael Hiltzik: Los Angeles Times on Yahoo Finance: 18 May, 2022) sitting in the White House and being blackmailed by Putin, fondling his 'voluminous KGB folder of the 'kompromat' he collected about Trump during his former visits to Moscow. (cf "The Steele Dossier")

Whither now the UK and the EU? 

 

Konstantin Samoilov:  Inside Russia: 7 August 2025: YouTube 

 

 

 

(to be continued)