by Rod Williams, Oct. 24, 2026- I am totally disgusted at seeing the US switch sides in the Ukraine War. If I had not seen it coming, it would be hard to believe. Despite public policy disputes and failures, I have always thought that we were on the right side in the world. I believed that we were a force for good in the world. We believed democracy was worth defending and that might did not make right and aggression should not be rewarded.
Instead of pressuring Zelensky to surrender, Trump should be pressuring Putin to stop Russia's invasion. If Ukrainians stop resisting, they are eliminated from the face of the earth. The way to peace is for Russia to stop its aggression, not for Ukraine to stop defending itself.
What we are seeing from Trump is disgusting and shameful. If this were the eve of World War II, Trump would be saying, "Hitler I can work with. I get along fine with Hitler; that Winston Chruchhill is just unreasonable."
Many have speculated as to the reason Trump is so pro-Putin. Maybe Putin does really have something on Trump, but I suspect it is simpler than that. Trump sees his role not as leader of the free world, but as a crime boss, relating to another crime boss. He wants his share of grift. I don't think Trump cares one iota about Democracy or justice, but sees all relationships as transactional and respects ruthless, powerful people. Trump sees those with total and near-total authority, and he wants to be a member of the big boys' club. I don't think he is capable of seeing national interest, or sacrifice, or the value of democracy or human rights. He likes winners. He respects power. He looks at Putin, or Xi, or Kim Jong Un and admires their might. He also sees an opportunity to do business deals with Russia, and that is more important than any concern for humanity and decency.
Trump is making the world a much less safe place, destroying the world order that has kept tyranny at bay since the end of World War II, and he is undermining US national Security. In the article below, Michael McFaul explains how Trump went from expressions of affinity for Putin in his first term to now actually adopting policies that strengthen and aid Putin's hand in his war against Ukraine and his threat to the rest of Europe.
Michael McFaul is a professor of political science and senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute and the Hoover Institution, both at Stanford University. His latest book is Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder. He also served as U.S. ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014. He has just published an article in The Dispatch explaining how Trump's capitulation to Putin is undermining U. S. national security. Below are excerpts.
Trump’s Capitulation to Putin Is Undermining U.S. National Security
Donald Trump has never hidden his admiration for Russia’s imperial dictator, Vladimir Putin. ...These expressions of affinity for Putin were shocking at the time, but crucially, they did not produce consequential shifts in U.S. foreign policy. The first Trump administration included many senior national security officials who had a different, more accurate assessment of how Putin’s policies threatened American national interests. ....
No longer constrained by Gens. H.R. McMaster or Jim Mattis, Trump has gradually but consistently turned his effusive admiration for Putin into the most radical shift in American foreign policy in the last century—and maybe ever. Today, under Trump, the United States—a country that once was considered the leader of the free world—is now openly and shamelessly supporting an imperial dictatorship in Russia.
This tragic pivot started slowly after Trump returned to the White House for a second term. ... This month, Trump’s pivot toward Putin became more pronounced, with real-world negative consequences for Ukraine. He eased sanctions on Russian diesel, allowing Moscow to release millions of barrels of fuel onto the global market. He then signed an executive order waiving most of the new sanctions and tariffs against Russia under the Lindsey O. Graham Act, two days before they were to take effect. Then, most damagingly of all, came the restrictions on SpaceX’s satellite communications service, which Ukraine relies on for battlefield communications and drone operations.
.... we have now learned that Putin has floated the idea to Trump of a meeting among China, Russia, and the United States to deal with the “Ukraine crisis,” just as imperial powers used to do in the 18th and 19th centuries.
... I want my country to be against imperialism and for sovereignty, to stand against dictatorship and for democracy, to aid those fighting for independence and against occupation. ... it’s also the pragmatic thing to do. Let’s be realistic. Putin is not going to abandon his autocratic partners in China, Iran, and North Korea just because Trump offers him concessions.
.... Trump is also weakening America’s relationships with our democratic allies and partners in Europe. In this new era of great power competition with China and Russia, our democratic allies are America’s greatest comparative advantage. Together, the free world has far greater economic power and military strength than autocracies, and our democratic values and ideals have significantly more global appeal than those of autocracies. But Trump’s embrace of Putin and his abandonment of Ukraine are weakening these ties.
... Xi must increasingly believe that Trump will show similar indifference when it comes to defending Taiwan.
... In embracing Putin and abandoning Ukrainians, Trump is out of step with American society. Hopefully, more emboldened and courageous leadership in the U.S. Congress next year will realign American actions regarding Putin’s barbaric war in Ukraine with the will of the American people.
Read the full article at this link.
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