Trump lifted sanctions on Russia just two days before they took effect under federal law. Braying that the United States has done “a lot” for Ukraine while Ukraine has done nothing for the United States — keeping NATO’s arch-enemy at bay without real help since 2024 apparently amounts to “doing nothing” — Trump’s waiver came just after he announced another gift to Russia: that the United States would now buy Russian diesel, effecting a 180-degree reversal of years of U.S. policy. After Trump announced an “energy ceasefire” that he had simply fabricated, Russia continued to strike Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, without prompting reprimand from Trump.
Energy prices soared globally after Trump’s war in Iran, but he persists in blaming the Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries rather than himself or Putin. It is obvious to the whole world that Russia started the war against Ukraine and could end it simply by withdrawing; Trump blaming bloodied victims fighting for their lives is cowardly and sinister.
Although Trump has the legal authority to lift sanctions against Russia by certifying to Congress that it is “in the national interest of the United States,” Trump submitted a blanket certification without explaining how carrying out Putin’s orders is in our “national interest” or in the interest of anyone except Russia. The 300,000 tons of diesel it buys from Russia is only about 2.2 million barrels, about half the amount of diesel the United States uses in one country. just one day. Since this small amount cannot change energy prices, it was just a simple signal of support for Putin.
This is a betrayal and the Republicans might well say so.
Russia did No concessions in exchange for Trump’s help, and the Republicans must now answer for them. Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas posted on Russian dictator who illegally invaded Ukraine and massacres innocent civilians every day…”
In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Republican Rep. Don Bacon said Trump is “prolonging the war, not ending it.” Bacon said, “It’s absolutely shameful that our president is morally blind to this war. He has sided with the dictator and the war criminal…” Sen. Kevin Cramer, (R-ND), observed that “capitulating to bullies” only makes things worse: “That’s the problem (of) negotiating with a thug, which is what Vladimir Putin is.”
Even Ultra-conservative national review calls for “Trump’s aid and comfort to Putin,” withe Andrew McCarthy of the Federalist Society imploring Congress to investigate the new Trump-Putin alliance. McCarthy presents a crucial story, explaining why Putin remains our true enemy. Echoing Ronald Reagan’s warning that “peaceful coexistence with an enemy bent on our destruction” would never be possible, McCarthy writes: “Vladimir Putin, the former KGB agent, is a staunch supporter of the Soviet system. He solidified his despotic status by orchestrating a series of bombings inside Russia as a pretext to crush Chechnya. We are now well into his third decade as Russia’s murderous dictator. He openly regards the fall of the USSR in 1991 – America’s enemy in modernity’s greatest triumph for freedom – as “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the (twentieth) century.”
Trump remains oblivious to this history and cannot see that Putin’s conquest of Ukraine… “is part of his quest to reconstitute America’s Soviet enemy.” In a properly functioning republic, McCarthy insists, “there would be immediate hearings on this week’s shocking escalation in the Trump-Putin alliance.”
Trump’s oligarchs take on Russian kleptocracy
More Americans need to understand Russia’s history to see how it aligns with Trump’s oligarchic agenda. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, Boris Yeltsin’s new government quickly dismantled the state-planned/communist economy by privatizing state assets. Yeltsin passed on enormous wealth to a small group of well-connected former apparatchiks, including Communist Party officials, state enterprise directors, bankers, and Komsomol figures who already controlled factories and trade networks and knew how to operate the system.
As a result, giving a taste of what Trump and his corporate donors are trying to do in the United States today, a small class of oligarchs took over key sectors of the economy, wielding major political influence, while ordinary Russian citizens suffered growing domestic hardship. After Putin took power in 2000, he made a tacit agreement with the oligarchs: They could keep their fortunes if they stayed out of politics.
Russia never really built a functioning free market economy. Instead of governance based on the rule of law, Russian industrialists announce their own rules and the richest 10% of the country continue to get richer while the poorest 90% suffer. Sound familiar? This week, in one senseless public statement after another ( here and here ), Trump once again blamed Ukraine for his own invasion, insulted Zelensky, and expressed his continued admiration for the murderous Putin. Throughout Trump’s posturing, Russia continued to strike Ukrainian cities, infrastructure and energy facilities. Analysts believe Putin aims to starve and freeze Ukrainians during the fast-approaching winter to force Zelensky to surrender. To America’s shame, it appears that Trump is supporting Putin in this goal.
At least this week, Trump finally proved that Russia, Russia, Russia is not a hoax, as he consistently supports Putin over our allies. Americans are at the mercy of an incredibly corrupt president, determined to harm American interests to advance his own oligarchs – and those of Putin. But the mystery remains as to Why.
Sabrina Haake has been a policy analyst and federal attorney for over 25 years, specializing in 1st and 14th A defense. She writes the forever free Substack The Haake Take and would love for you to subscribe.
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