Glad Biden started w Ukraine and his words were fine, if brief considering the stakes. It’s his actions that have lagged, both in targeting the oligarchs and supporting Ukraine. Ukraine doesn’t have time and Putin is escalating by the hour.
My worry is that Putin doesn’t believe Biden. After a summit and a couple of calls, Putin clearly doesn’t think Biden is a serious threat. He thought the same about Europe, and is being proved wrong. I hope Biden does it too, but it remains to be seen.
Putin declared war on the US and the world order it represents long ago. Ukraine is the military target of that war now, but election interference, hacking, disinformation, etc are still warfare. US sacrifice & commitment are necessary and Biden should communicate that.
The GOP of old is long gone, but a reply not showing US political solidarity with the president in a global security crisis is still pathetic to see. Especially after years of Trump kissing up to Putin and blocking aid and slandering and extorting Ukraine.
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Trump again rushes to humiliate his sycophants and defenders with a full-throated embrace of Russia, the day after it murdered 30 civilians in Sumy, Ukraine with ballistic missiles on Palm Sunday. Where are the condemnations and resignations of the GOP who spoke out yesterday?
Did Biden launch those missiles? Zelenskyy? Nor did either of them start this war, but you couldn’t tell that from Trump's insane ravings. No mention of Putin, of course, who launched this attack the day after Trump's envoy personally kissed his ass, just to show who’s in charge.
This is the only formula Trump has left to defend his embrace of Putin & Russia. As for his "it wouldn’t have happened on my watch", 1, the war WAS going on during his term and he did nothing. 2, as I explained again in the Atlantic, Putin expected Trump to help him as he is now:
Sycophants and conspiracy loons praising the ass-kissing of a Russian mafia dictator by a US president and his envoy. This is Trump's America, and they want you to be as proud of it as they are. And on the day of Russia's bloodiest civilian attack of the year in Ukraine.
Much as Biden's "as long as it takes" was slippery rhetoric to avoid committing to Ukrainian victory, the Trump admin's "working for peace" is a merely a mask for collaborating with Russia to try to force Ukraine to surrender and be destroyed. Capitulation is not negotiation.
The US is siding with the Putin dictatorship, unable even to say Russia is the aggressor that started and that continues this war. That’s not being diplomatic, it’s being a liar and a collaborator with the Russian evil that slaughtered over 30 civilians today in Sumy.
During Trump‘s first term, I pointed out that anyone skeptical of what propaganda could do in an authoritarian state like Russia only needed to look at how easily one cable channel and some talk radio hosts flipped the GOP into worshiping a reality show host and hating the FBI.
Surveys follow the Dear Leader's agenda with terrible predictability. Russians had balanced views of the United States & NATO and were positive on the European Union until it suited Putin to make enemies out of them one by one. Public opinion quickly followed the propaganda line.
27% of Republicans now call Canada unfriendly or enemy. Canada! It is a measure of propaganda power and cult loyalty tests. Do they believe it or just know that’s what they’re supposed to say now? Is there a difference in practice? Russia and China as friends coming up next…
🎯 Ceasefires and negotiations are a way of telling Russia you are weak. Dictators act only from strength and assume others do the same. If you wanted them to stop and were strong enough to stop them, you would. If you don't, it's a green light.
Realize this is not a failure of Trump's negotiations. This is the actual point of Trump's negotiations, to protect Russia & Putin and to divide Ukraine into pieces and assets. There is no longer a charitable interpretation. It's Russia & USA vs Ukraine and Europe.
I'll keep repeating this because I still see people speaking as though Trump has been tricked by Putin or that he and his incompetent administration are just ignorant. No. Trump & Musk are taking instructions and working to save Putin & Russia and to destroy and loot Ukraine.
My new op-ed in @Welt on the need for Europe to prepare itself to wage war--without Trump's pro-Kremlin America. This will require matching Ukraine's level of courage, and now. | Garri Kasparow: "Europa muss bereit sein, Krieg zu führen" welt.de/debatte/plus25…
This WH's contempt for Europe was again on display in the "secret" chat. Trump is fulfilling everything on Putin's wishlist, so Europe needs a checklist to stand up to Russian aggression. It cannot wait and hope for when Trump & his gang leave power.
Items include: Shut down Russia's oil shadow fleet; suspend Hungary's voting rights & EU aid; form a European defense bloc separate from NATO; arm Ukraine to the teeth, the only way real peace will ever happen.
How far down is the Trump admin on the autocracy fuckup checklist? Deny, lie, attack the source, attack the media, say it was someone else, say it was no big deal, say it was a brilliant maneuver, boast about it, create new scandal. Let’s see how good at Putinization they are.
Never admit error, never apologize, always double down, always counterattack, always distract. It’s better to be twice a liar and do more damage than for Dear Leader to show weakness by admitting error or apologizing to those harmed.
Trump appointed amateurs and known security risks whose only job is to please him and Senate Republicans enthusiastically confirmed all of them. Realize that Goldberg is the tip of the iceberg. It was a lucky fluke. The stupidity and corruption you don’t see is far bigger.