Anders Åslund Profile picture
Sep 17 7 tweets 2 min read Read on X
How can we know that Trump supports Putin?
1. He says so, praising Putin for being a genius invading Ukraine.
2. He has not imposed any sanctions on Russia since January.
3. He is not enforcing the previous sanctions on Russia.
4. He votes with Putin & a dozen rogue states in UN.
5. Trump has stopped all US financial & military aid to Ukraine, although Ukraine enjoys broad popular support also in GOP.
6. Liar Trump claims absurdly that Zelensky started the war, while Putin did.
7. Trump has not imposed any conditions on Russia for ceasefire.
8. Instead, Trump has imposed conditions on Ukraine, the victim.
9. By ending the sanctions on Belarusian airline Belavia (for no good reason), Trump has facilitated US supplies of parts to Boeings standing in Russia.
10. Trump & Witkoff are itching to invest in Russia.
11. Trump broke the isolation of Putin by inviting him to the US. He gave Putin an unconditional red carpet treatment, while he ambushed Zelensky.
12. After claiming that he would do something after 2 weeks 7 times if Putin did not accept ceasefire, he did nothing.
13. No US diplomat has ever appeared in the Kremlin more ignorant & unprepared than Trump's envoy Witkoff: no own interpreter; no assistant taking notes; no Russian knowledge; apparent misunderstandings about everything.
14. Only Trump could fail to dismiss such a useless character, and he did.
15. Trump's "diplomacy" with Putin is a complete sellout & failure: No actual conditions = no Putin concessions; no ceasefire.
16. Fortunately, Trump & Witkoff's private business deals with Putin appear to have not materialized as yet, but things may get worse.
This is a low point in US-Russia relations from the US point of view, but Trump can probably aggravate it focusing on his personal interests.

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More from @anders_aslund

Sep 15
The always excellent annual Yalta European Strategy Conference took place in Kyiv September 12-13. Trump's envoy General Kellogg was there, so the Russians did not bomb Kyiv for 2 nights...
2 things stand out:
The US has left &
Ukraine produces its own arms but needs money. /1
Kellogg supports Ukraine, but he can's explain that Trump has stopped all financial & military aid to Ukraine. As all Trump appointees he says that he cannot speak for the president.
Kellogg claimed that NATO is stronger than ever.
No! Trump works for Putin & not for NATO. /2
The big positive news is that Ukraine has developed hundreds of startups in arms production, mainly drones. They produce new stereotypes in 2 weeks & can quickly scale up. Ukraine does not ask for more arms from the West but for money since they produce arms cheaper. /3
Read 4 tweets
Sep 10
The first impression from three days of walking in Kyiv is as before that most things look quite normal. Lots of people & cars in the streets. The restaurants and cafés became more and better.
A lot of music in the streets. /1
Yet, large parts of the central city have been closed to all traffic, also pedestrians, for security reasons. Yet, this civilian ministry in Podil has only sandbags protecting its low windows. Image
In Mykhailivska Square stand rusting Soviet tanks as before. You see the Sophia Cathedral in the background. /3 Image
Read 4 tweets
Sep 7
Is there any republican left who does not understand that Trump supports Putin & not the West?
1. He praises Putin all the time & now even his servant Lukashenko.
2. Trump has imposed no sanctions on Russia or tariffs, but big tariffs on the EU & Ukraine. /1
3. Trump has not given Ukraine any arms or financial aid.
4. The US has twice voted in the UN with Russia & a dozen rogue states claiming mendaciously that Russia is NOT an aggressor against Ukraine.
5. Trump has ended all US media information against Russian disinformation. /2
6. Trump has stopped all US democracy support abroad.
7. Trump is withdrawing US support for Baltic security.
8. Trump does not even protest when Russia bombs US companies in Ukraine (Boeing & Flex).
9. Trump has eliminated all Russia knowledge in the US administration. /3
Read 4 tweets
Sep 6
What suggests that Trump works for Putin & Xi & not for the US?
1. He has launched an extraordinary and erratic trade war against all but Russia;
2. eliminated U.S. foreign aid programs;
3. upended U.S. alliances;
4. degraded the US administration; /1
5. Stopped all aid to Ukraine;
6. Reduced military support in NATO directed against Russia;
7. stopped all US state media directed against dictatorships;
8. ended support for democracy. /2
9. detained and deported scores of foreign students and scholars;
10. strong-armed universities for their political views;
11. forced media companies into doing his bidding;
12. the same with law firms & all kinds of corporations;
13. emasculated US science. /3
Read 4 tweets
Aug 30
How will Russia's war in Ukraine end?
Both nations are very tired now, the Ukrainians more so, but Ukraine knows this is an existential war, it is not for Russia, only for Putin himself.
Ukraine spend 50% of GDP on the war, Russia only 7% & they complain. It tells you all. /1
After World War II, no imperial power has won a serious, prolonged imperial war. Russia won in Chechnya, which is not big, leading Putin to the wrong conclusion. Ukraine is too big & united to be defeated by a mindless colonial power, which Putin can't understand. /2
We are all caught in historical precedents.
Putin clearly thinks Chechnya, but it had 1.5 million inhabitants, while Ukraine had 40 million when the war started.
My precedent is Germany in 1918: Its revolution stopped a mindless war, while German troops stood abroad. /3
Read 4 tweets
Aug 30
It is so tiresome to hear all these commentators saying that Trump's actions are "unprecedented" or that we are in "unchartered" waters. They say so to avoid criticize the president, who deserves all the criticism he can get. /1
1. As we all know, Trump lies all the time. During his first term, the Washington Post catalogued & counted his 32,000 lies, but now its billionaire owner Bezos has stopped this truth-telling.
All journalists should have a moral duty to say that Trump lied, whenever he did. /2
2. As we all know, Trump persistently violates many laws, but commentators avoid saying so. Do! Considering that Trump has bought the majority of SCOTUS, we should not consider its verdicts as necessary in line with law or the US constitution. /3
Read 9 tweets

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