In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll explain the Alaska Fiasco and how it marks the peak of Trump’s two-year betrayal of Ukraine. What was sold as “peace talks” turned into a spectacle of weakness, humiliation, empty promises, and photo-ops that handed Putin exactly what he wanted.
1/24
Let’s start with the obvious: Trump desperately wants the gold medal of the Nobel Peace Prize, mainly because Obama got one. That’s why he’s now LARPing as a “peace maker” in every conflict: Israel-Gaza, Azerbaijan-Armenia, India-Pakistan, and of course Ukraine-Russia.
2/24
Another theory is that Putin holds kompromat — compromising material such as videos or documents — that would put Trump in an extremely bad light. Some have suggested it could be tied to the Epstein files or Russia’s interference in the 2016 US presidential election.
3/24
Former KGB chief of Kazakhstan Alnur Mussayev even claimed that Trump was recruited by the Soviet Union in 1987 under the codename “Krasnov.” No solid evidence has ever surfaced, but Trump’s actions do look odd given Russia’s relatively limited global influence and power.
4/24
The setup for the Alaska Summit was disastrous from the start. Trump’s favorite real estate agent, Steven Witkoff, went to Moscow with no expertise and not even a proper translator, only to get played again by Kremlin spies who shifted their demands right after the meeting.
5/24
Even the location of the Summit favored Russia, as the state was once part of Russia, sold to the US by a previous Tsar. Russians have been pushing the idea that Alaska should return under Moscow’s rule: welcoming Putin there handed the Kremlin yet another symbolic victory.
6/24
Despite this, some were optimistic, as Trump had promised Ukraine would get all the help needed to defend its civilians & warned there would be “very severe consequences” if Putin refused a ceasefire. Of course, this was a lie, just like the “I’ll end the war in 24 hours”…
7/24
…and the endless “two-week deadlines” he kept giving Putin for months. By now it’s obvious: Trump has no intention of punishing Russia or his dear Putin for their aggression against Ukraine. Russia got exactly what it wanted from the Summit: photo-ops of Putin with Trump…
8/24
…and a starring role on the world stage. But Russia got even more: US soldiers kneeling in front of the Russian plane, rolling out a red carpet for Putin, photos of Putin looking smug while Trump looked tired and defeated, and a press conference where Putin stole the show…
9/24
… as Trump refused to take a single question. The whole fiasco made the US look weak, and even Fox News, Trump’s favorite media outlet, admitted that Putin came to Alaska and “steamrolled” him. After the Summit, Trump went golfing and left Rubio to spin the fiasco.
10/24
Rubio claimed there would be no sanctions on Russia, arguing they’d “interfere” with peace talks and that Putin would just keep the war going if punished. Rubio refused to name any concessions Russia should make, claiming it would “collapse the negotiations.”
11/24
Less than 24 hours later, Trump himself named two, but for Ukraine: no NATO membership, and surrendering Crimea, as he’s been hinting at for two years.
Art of the Deal, or something.
But as always with Trump, one must look at his actions rather than at his words.
12/24
So far, he’s:
– Disbanded US sanctions enforcement
- Cut tracking of kidnapped children
– Blocked aid approved by Congress
– Opposed oil price cap at G7
- Paused intelligence sharing to Ukraine
- Made the US and allies vote against a UN resolution condemning the aggression
13/24
Ironically, the US in general has conversely shown strong support for Ukraine: 83 (out of 100) Senators backed a secondary sanctions bill targeting Russia’s energy sector, demonstrating rare bipartisan unity outside of Trump’s MAGA, and polls show support for Ukraine.
14/24
Trump’s cabinet is packed with vatniks who seem to despise Ukraine and cozy up to Russia: people like JD Vance, Tulsi, and RFK Jr. have refused to condemn the invasion. US foreign policy is hostage to Russia apologists who’d rather treat a brutal empire as ally than enemy.
15/24
And Trump himself can’t wait to start doing business with Russia again. In Alaska, Putin fed him the same old bullshit about the “stolen” 2020 election and downplayed Moscow’s role in 2016, when Trump first won office with a big helping hand from the Kremlin.
16/24
Today, the American president meets Zelenskyy, no red carpet. Several EU leaders will join, but Trump has already said he’ll meet Zelenskyy alone first. It remains to be seen whether the orange man will disrespect him the same way he did in their last White House meeting.
17/24
The real estate magnate Witkoff, meanwhile, suggested that Putin agreed to enact a law stating that Russia would not “go after any other European countries”. In Putin’s Russia, this means nothing and they actually already have such a law in place:
While Trump and European leaders are scrambling to come up with some security guarantees for Ukraine, Russia’s military production is intensifying at an incredible pace, out-producing NATO’s manifold. Russia doesn’t look like a country preparing for peace…
19/24
And we’ve already seen that security assurances or even guarantees mean absolutely nothing: in 1994 the UK, the US, Ukraine and Russia signed the Budapest Memorandum & in 2004 Putin confirmed Ukraine’s borders and sovereignty, including Crimea.
All meaningless.
20/24
Trump has even challenged NATO’s Article 5, the cornerstone of the alliance. He’s said he would let Russia “do whatever the hell they want” to allies who don’t spend enough on defense — an open invitation for Putin to test the West’s unity.
21/24
Putin’s goal hasn’t changed and he’s not hiding it: turn Ukraine into a Russian puppet state like Belarus. For him, “the collapse of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical disaster of the century” so of course he wants former Soviet states under his control again.
22/24
The Russians were eagerly waiting for Trump’s presidency to hand them the parts of Ukraine they couldn’t seize after three years of fierce fighting. Now Trump wants to give Putin the whole Donbas — a region that would take Russia years to conquer by conventional means.
23/24
So, what will happen? Trump’s so-called “peace plan” is really just Putin’s wish list. The terms will be unbearable for Ukraine, Zelenskyy will refuse, Trump will blame him, the US will sell weapons through NATO, and Trump will quietly start lifting sanctions on Russia.
24/24
The 2nd edition of Vatnik Soup — The Ultimate Guide to Russian Disinformation is out now! 🎉 Use discount code PutinSucks for 20% off.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, we introduce Vincent Bolloré, a French billionaire and media tycoon. He’s best known for building a powerful media empire and for reshaping editorial lines across French media and publishing, pushing them toward far-right and pro-Kremlin positions.
1/25
Born in 1952 in Boulogne-Billancourt to a family of industrialists, Vincent studied law at Paris Nanterre University. He took over the family business and turned it into a sprawling conglomerate spanning logistics, port infrastructure in Africa, advertising, and media.
2/25
Bolloré’s African logistics empire also became the subject of a long-running corruption investigation in France. Legal proceedings against Vincent Bolloré personally are still ongoing, with a trial planned in December, after a judge refused to approve a plea deal.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, we’ll introduce an American conspiracy theorist, podcaster & antisemite, Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO). She’s best known for spreading conspiracy theories, attacking Ukraine, promoting pro-Kremlin BS, and becoming a favorite of Russian state media.
1/21
Candace started her career as an intern at Vogue magazine but later moved into political commentary. Her early career focused on criticizing Republicans, calling their antics “bat-shit crazy.” In 2016, her blog even published an article about Trump’s penis size.
2/21
That same year, she launched a doxxing website called SocialAutopsy. In response, people began posting Owens’s personal information online. During the controversy, she gained support from figures such as @Nero and @Cernovich. And just like that, she became a conservative.
In today’s Wumao Soup, we’ll talk about Taiwan, the sovereign country the Chinese Communist Party insists is not a country, but constantly threatens to invade just like a country, while the “antiwar” crowd is eagerly encouraging them to start that war, endangering millions.
1/20
Taiwan is a country, a state. It has its own territory, government, army, police, courts, taxes, passports and elections, just like any other country.
The only difference? Its neighbor, imperialist China, wants to invade it, and other countries try to please the big bully.
2/20
Taiwan’s official name is the Republic of China, or ROC. The ROC was founded in 1912, after the fall of the Qing dynasty. The People’s Republic of China, or PRC, was founded by democidal dictator Mao Zedong and his communist party, in 1949, after fighting against the ROC.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, we’ll introduce Russian propaganda operations around military targets like Starobilsk. For over a decade, the Kremlin has used similar strategies, combining crisis actors, “independent journalists” and fabricated evidence.
1/13
First, let’s go back to 2014. Russia funded separatist groups and sent its mercenaries to Donbas, which led to the creation of two puppet states, Donetsk and Luhansk, governed by Russian propagandists and soldiers like Igor Girkin.
The fake genocide was touted as one of the main reasons for Russia’s war during the early stages of the full-scale invasion, and the claim was made even by Putin himself. Before his mutiny, late Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said that all this was fabricated bullshit.
In this 9th Debunk of the Day, we’ll discuss “legitimate military targets”. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine, with no declaration of war, hiding behind a “special military operation”. Yet vatniks & useful idiots pretend Russia has any legitimate or lawful targets in Ukraine.
1/8
Russia started the war in 2014 by seizing Crimea with unmarked soldiers, “little green men”. Russians have been waging an undeclared, illegal war with endless war crimes ever since, whether it’s kidnapping of Ukrainian children with genocidal intent…
… the concentration camps for Ukrainians under occupation, conscripting Ukrainians from occupied territories, or the terrorist, deliberate bombing of civilians, including their infamous “double tap” strikes.
So no, Russia does not have any “legitimate targets” in Ukraine.
In today’s Vatnik Soup, we introduce Hasan Piker, a Turkish-American streamer and millionaire. He’s best known for his champagne socialism, rabid criticism of the US and Israel, support for the Soviet Union and for Chinese and Russian invasions, and for mistreating his dog.
1/20
Born in 1991, Piker grew up in a privileged and well-connected environment. His father held senior roles at big corporations and his uncle, Cenk Uygur, is the founder of The Young Turks media network. He graduated cum laude from Rutgers, a top-tier university in New Jersey.
2/20
His main activity and primary source of income consists of hours-long livestreams on Twitch where he comments on news and yells at videos. He also keeps his dog in place the whole time with a shock collar.