Rogue Presidency
Trump is Moscow's Willing Auxiliary
(‘Putin’ speaks to media in Sirius, Krasnodar krai, after an extended May 19 telephone conversation with US president Trump.)
There are three big, unimpeachable reasons not to talk to the Russian president.
The first is that he is an indicted war criminal, who authorized mass murder of Ukrainian civilians; kidnapping and forced re-education of tens of thousands of Ukrainian children; widespread invasions, occupation and subversion.
The second is that, in contravention of every major principle of the UN Charter, he is still waging a genocidal war of aggression against an independent state to destroy Ukraine’s autonomy, culture, identity, institutions and language.
Third, since he is an imposter with no decision-making power, entertaining such a charade only breathes life into the rudderless Kremlin’s fabricated reality, which is rapidly fraying and otherwise at risk of sudden collapse.
For these and other reasons, no serious democratic leader has engaged directly with Russia’s dictator since February 24th, 2022, when Russia’s full invasion began.
Those who occasionally and opportunistically speak to Russia’s head of state – from South Africa’s Ramaphosa and Brazil’s Lula to India’s Modi and the UAE’s Mohamed bin Zayed – are only enfeebling their own democratic credentials.
Most are autocrats – like China’s Xi, North Korea’s Kim, Kazakhstan’s Tokayev, Belarus’ Lukashenka, Turkey’s Erdogan – or Moscow’s importunate clients like Hungary’s Orban, Slovakia’s Fico and dozens of others worldwide.
Then there is this:
An entire paragraph of unhinged bafflegab. Every phrase a falsehood. Trump did not call ‘Putin’ but a highly-scripted double. The exchange was a unmitigated disaster. Moscow will not pursue a ceasefire, as Lavrov has since confirmed. The tone and spirit were uniformly awful – as disgraceful as any in the annals of the US presidency. Moscow does not want trade with the US: they want to destroy Ukraine, the EU and NATO, using Trump as a battering ram. The Vatican is not interested in Trump’s shamelessly one-sided ingratiation: the new Pope supports Ukraine’s cause.
The double lectured Trump for over two hours, burying him under a mountain of blatant lies. The Kremlin aimed to humiliate the US president and make him carry their water, which Trump willingly did.
In ‘Putin’s’ comments to media, he said peace requires ‘compromises,’ which for Moscow means Ukraine’s unconditional capitulation. Moscow reiterated odious war aims: “The main thing for us is to eliminate the root causes of this crisis”: in other words, Ukraine must cease to exist as a democracy or independent state.
To complete this abasement of the White House, ‘Putin’ then went into a long session with music students at a school near Sochi.
(‘Putin’ listens to a student at a music school in Sirius, Krasnodar krai, on May 19th, 2025, just after his call with Trump.)
There is no clever way to spin this. By failing to pressure Moscow and effectively taking the side of the aggressor, Trump is not reprising 1938-style appeasement on the Chamberlain, Daladier or Mackenzie King model. By proclaiming “an END to the War” on Moscow’s terms, he is surrendering American authority and dignity.
There is no silver lining. Moscow has re-declared war, with Trump an eager accessory. Any made-in-Moscow ‘process’ will try to distract allies and waste time. Pretending otherwise will cost Ukrainian lives and place the entire architecture of European and international peace and security at even greater risk
(Putin’s double after his long May 19 conversation with Trump)
What should we do instead? Ignore Trump, arm Ukraine and defeat Russia.
As we have argued before, at Kananaskis next month the G6 needs to act alone. Europe, Canada, Japan and the UK must embargo Russia to make its remaining defence and export industries unviable. Allies must double military support for Ukraine. Congress should pass its sanctions bill, which now has 81 cosponsors, and use a two-thirds majority to overcome any presidential veto.
The reasons for not talking to Russia’s fascist clique remain ironclad and unanswerable. Trump should be shunned and called out for his dangerous free-lancing on behalf of a hostile power. His malignant complicity is a black mark that only allied victory in Ukraine can now redeem.