• Frezik@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    621·
    22 hours ago

    He probably does, but it also doesn’t matter at this point.

    Trump has vacillated on Russia just in the last year. There’s a chunk of the MAGA base that wants to stop all funding to Ukraine. Trump started down that path. Then he tried to negotiate a peace deal with Putin and got snubbed because Trump has nothing to offer. Then he started up funding to Ukraine again in retaliation.

    Now he needs a distraction from the Epstein Files. He’s been desperately asking for ideas around the White House (we know this because this White House leaks more than Trump’s bladder). He thinks selling out Ukraine will be it.

    Whatever blackmail Putin has at this point is immaterial. Whatever it is, Trump will just call “fake news” and it’ll be in the news cycle for a bit, and then go away. Trump is following what he thinks is in his own best interest regardless of what Putin has.

    • takeda@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      15·
      22 hours ago

      He didn’t offer any funding that “deal” was essentially “Europe can give weapons to Ukraine and purchase replacements from the US” and looks like there’s even no guarantee on the replacements.

      Seems like a lot of people got fooled.

      • Frezik@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
        81·
        22 hours ago

        Direct aid has happened under Trump.

        https://www.csis.org/analysis/trump-administration-boosts-immediate-military-aid-deliveries-ukraine

        President Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced on July 14 a new delivery mechanism for sending weapons to Ukraine. While much is unclear about the new policy, it appears NATO member states will send weapons from their stockpiles to Ukraine and buy U.S. replacements.

        Which is referring to what you’re talking about, but there’s also:

        Separately, the Trump administration this week announced weapons sales to Ukraine totaling $652 million under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, adding to the $310 million in FMS approved in May. Every additional shipment helps at a time when Ukraine’s cities are being attacked nightly, and the Russian ground offensive continues day-by-day.

        So yes, the US is still sending direct aid to Ukraine.

        • takeda@lemmy.dbzer0.com
          8·
          20 hours ago

          First paragraph is what I talked about. Second is not aid but sale. It is crazy that he is even blocking sales so people are clapping when he allows. India sells weapons to Ukraine too, are you also count that as an aid?

        • khannie@lemmy.worldEnglish
          6·
          18 hours ago

          the US is still sending direct aid to Ukraine.

          In exchange for cash though. Not the same as under Biden.

    • LustyArgonian@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      21 hours ago

      Putin IS the news cycle online here. He has massive bots armies thru BRICS made of slaves (bots are slaves). The Epstein thing bubbling up (based on old info like the Michael Wolff Epstein interviews which I posted months ago and couldn’t get anyone to watch) is because Putin is mad at him and wants him to do something shitty. That’s why he keeps saying weird pleading stuff at Putin - he is literally protecting us right now (well, not “us,” but himself). That’s why he asked Ukraine to assassinate Putin.

      He likely ran his own child trafficking orgs and participated in some very illegal shit. He sold nuclear secrets for this. And now he is resisting because Putin probably wants him to do something truly unhinged like bomb Los Angeles, so BRICS has an excuse to invade.