Trump’s flip-flop on Ukraine was explained here as being partially due to him responding to the whispers of warmongers like Zelensky, who boasted afterwards that “Gradually, (Trump) realized that Putin was simply sharing some information that was far from the truth on the battlefield. Now he trusts me much more because the information that my intelligence has, that we share with our partners.” This is leading to Trump’s manipulation by Zelensky into a disaster of epic proportions if he doesn’t soon wise up.
The American leader likely took at face value his Ukrainian counterpart’s claim of reconquering 360 square kilometers in recent weeks even though the latter’s own top general earlier assessed the amount to be less than half of that at only 160 square kilometers. This might have convinced him that his new policy of selling new arms to NATO at full price for subsequent transfer to Ukraine is paying off. Zelensky was probably also responsible for Trump writing in his post that the Russian economy is in deep trouble.
These false beliefs, which are based on lies laundered by Zelensky as “intelligence”, arguably emboldened Trump to declare his support for NATO shooting down Russian jets on the pretext of them violating the bloc’s airspace after the latest dubious claim to that effect from Estonia. He also threatened “a very strong round of powerful tariffs” against Russia in his UN speech, presumably against China and India who he described as “the primary funders of the ongoing war”, so long as the EU follows suit.
This evolving policy towards the Ukrainian Conflict – which includes military (more arms sales to NATO and supporting the bloc shooting down Russian jets) and economic (primary and secondary sanctions) components – is also largely driven by Zelensky’s other lie that Trump fell for. This one relates to his false belief that “Russia has been fighting aimlessly for three and a half years a War that should have taken a Real Military Power less than a week to win…it is very much making them look like ‘a paper tiger.’”
The reality is that the UK and Poland sabotaged spring 2022’s peace talks, after which the conflict evolved into a “war of attrition” as NATO attempted to balance out Russia’s force superiority over Ukraine via unprecedented military, logistical, and intelligence aid. Putin’s reluctance to proactively escalate the special operation to a shock-and-awe war, whether one agrees with his logic or not, is due to his sincere belief that Russians and Ukrainians “are one people” as he lengthily explained in July 2021.
He nevertheless reaffirmed earlier in the week that “Russia is fully capable of responding to any current or emerging threat, not with words, but through concrete military-technical measures.” Therefore, if Trump lets himself be manipulated by Zelensky into escalating tensions with Russia or supporting those who do (such as if a NATO ally shoots down a Russian jet), then a disaster of epic proportions awaits. Even worse, it would be all because of Zelensky’s lust for money and power, not any legitimate reason.
Zelensky just wants more funds and arms to flow into Ukraine, both of which are increasingly being provided by the EU at the expense of its citizens’ living standards that continue to deteriorate due to the bloc’s anti-Russian sanctions, yet Trump now thinks that he’s the new Churchill fighting the new Hitler. It’s disappointing that the same man who wrote “The Art of the Deal” is now being played by the former comedian who he once mockingly referred to as “the greatest salesman” but such is the state of affairs.
