Of course Trump is helping Russia in Ukraine – he’s a master of the art of betrayal

The Trump administration has taken a series of steps that, in columnist Jonathan Freedland's assessment, amount to siding with Russia against Ukraine. Ukrainian forces discovered this week that a military-grade version of Starlink they rely on to steer drones no longer functions above 100mph. That curbs Kyiv's strikes behind the front lines and weakens air defenses protecting the capital from Russian jet-powered drones. Reuters reported that the White House ordered the restriction. Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Piers Morgan that people would die as a result, according to The Guardian.

Ukraine also sat through at least two nights of Russian bombardment without the usual American warnings about timing and targets. Trump denied cutting off intelligence sharing. Separately, he agreed to purchase $4bn of Russian diesel, undercutting sanctions, and invited Vladimir Putin to the G20 gathering in December at one of his Florida golf clubs.

Freedland argues that Western allies, Britain included, must keep backing Ukraine more vigorously and must not assume relations with Washington will revert to normal if Democrats win control of Congress in the midterms, now about two weeks away.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Guardian’s reporting. Read the full story at The Guardian →