"I don't regard Putin as a bad guy," he said. "He's super smart"

ronib

My enemy’s enemy and all that? We must have infuriated Putin when BJ made us stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine. Not that it helped that much - 3 years further down the line.
Would you agree to a very disagreeable mother in law settling a family dispute? I don’t think so.

To begin with, it is not a family dispute. That family split up a long time ago, and no longer owns any property. The aggressor who thought he could grab what he wanted has no right to any more garden than he now lives on and cultivates.

I wouldn't agree to it being settled by someone who lived on the other side of town so is not familiar with the area, was a very good pal of the one who started the fight, and who has about enough ability to settle any dispute amicably as a wolverine rampaging through a herd of deer. This is particularly true when the garden belonging to the side which they are clearly NO LONGER SUPPORTING (despite promises) has some valuable stuff in or under it, which the "settler" is hoping to gain possession of, if the side HE IS NOW SUPPORTING can wrest them from the rightful owner and use them to reward him. He is not a neutral referee, he has had a better offer, and is trying to take advantage of it.

Putin has definitely got the measure of Trump ....*He also said Putin had commissioned a portrait of the US president as a gift and Trump was "clearly touched by it".* Brilliant!

Just the job for a self-absorbed guy like Trump - spot on!

Classic bit of grooming.

Is there no-one in the Trump administration who can see what is going on?

The whole point of alliances is to ensure the strong don't bully the weak. Trump and Putin are both bullies and prepared to ignore the laws and norms that have given the world relative stability since the last world war. If only Europe and the US had acted more decisively in 2014, we might not be in this mess. We have entered a dangerous time and I firmly believe we have to show a united front with the rest of Europe. This is not the time to pretend Ukraine's war doesn't affect us. It most definitely does.

So, according to Trump and his cronies the UK, Europe, and Ukraine, are the enemy, with never a good word to say.
A new world order indeed, where the US forms an alliance with Russia against erstwhile allies.
And as for berating the UK and Europe for trying to be like Churchill - war like rhetoric in and of itself - I would say that the US is channeling Mussolini.

That bullying seems to be the way they do 'diplomacy' just now.

I was glad to see Rachel Reeves on LK this morning just shook off what the US envoy said about Churchill as totally irrelevant.

Oh yes - the nasty slagging off put down bit - well no surprises there? Its in the article.

Didn't that Envoy say something about how impotent the Europeans will be, pretending we are Churchhills?

We have to stay close to Europe, it's quite clear, with the same discretion so far practiced on the Ukraine issue. Keep dialogues open as long as possible. Always try jaw jaw not war war.

That German money for munitions is not going to the American armaments industry, as they can no longer be trusted.

A masterstroke. Telling a narcissist that you are ordering a portrait of him.

AGAA4

It's a dangerous situation as if Trump pulls out of NATO to side with Russia the UK and other European countries will be vulnerable.

I bet China is watching this and waiting.

Trouble is, you never know with Trump, as he and administration do throw out threats to try and get an effect without actually acting on them.

It's a dangerous situation as if Trump pulls out of NATO to side with Russia the UK and other European countries will be vulnerable.

Dear God, it makes the Cold War seem like the good old days.

Meanwhile Germany is putting a lot more money in defence.

"Do you think you can trust Putin?” German Brig. Gen. Ralf Hammerstein asks with a wry smile."

edition.cnn.com/2025/03/23/europe/germany-military-investment-intl/index.html

ronib

Russia might have grounds for attacking the Uk and probably would like to retaliate but so far, has shown remarkable discipline in holding back. I don’t know for how much longer? Obviously all its energy is needed in Ukraine.

I think you are overlooking the fact that as yet, Putin does not dare attack a country that is a member of NATO, which surely the UK still is?

This CNN article offers some further insights into USA thinking, well worth a read

edition.cnn.com/2025/03/22/europe/witkoff-carlson-trump-russia-ukraine-talks-intl/index.html

But some relevant snippets

First, on territory

"The biggest obstacle to resolving Russia’s war in Ukraine is the status of Crimea and the four mainland Ukrainian regions occupied by Russia, said US special envoy Steve Witkoff, calling them “the elephant in the room” in peace talks.

Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy who also plays a key role in talks with Russia, said the “constitutional issues within Ukraine as to what they can concede… with regard to territory” had become “the elephant in the room” during negotiations. Talks are set to resume Monday in Saudi Arabia, with US officials set to meet officials from both Russia and Ukraine.

“The Russians are de facto in control of these territories. The question is: Will the world acknowledge that those are Russian territories?” Witkoff asked. “Can (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelensky survive politically if he acknowledges this? This is the central issue in the conflict

Zelensky stressed last weekend that Ukraine’s position “is that we do not recognize the occupied Ukrainian territories as Russian.”

Second, on further Russia/US relationships
"Witkoff implied that resolving the war in Ukraine could lead to cooperation on a broader range of issues, and that the two sides were thinking about “integrating their energy policies in the Arctic,” sharing sea lanes, collaborating on artificial intelligence and sending liquefied natural gas “into Europe together.”

“Who doesn’t want to have a world where Russia and the United States are doing, collaboratively, good things together?” he asked"

Well that certainly sets a dangerous precedent, just call a country you want to occupy a ‘false country’. So next in line false countries like Finland and Latvia one supposes.
The mind boggles 🙄

Putin is clearly much brighter than Trump and his cohorts.. he's also a prime manipulator.. positively Machiavellian.. He also doesn't appear to have any feelings and so is unlikely to be offended or appeased in the same way as Trump.. a truly lethal opponent and yet Trump obviously feels he's in the same league.. it won't end well especially as China is biding it's time and is likely to side with Russia..

If Ukraine is a false country according to Trump then that gives Putin leave to march into Ukraine and take it over. It's clear the US will not stand in his wa

Starmer acted effectively, quickly, and in good faith when the appalling incident in the White House happened with Zelensky, he created a situation where Zelensky sat down with Trump/US yet again over mineral rights in the expectation Trump was clearly, having signed them, was ready to cut a deal with Putin.

Meanwhile Europe met many times to increase defence and to try and offer some kind of peacekeeping in completely good faith.

Putin then showed he didn't give a damn.

So what has Trump done? Appointed someone totally inadequate to crawl to Putin and now say as clearly as anyone ever could "Ukraine is a false country".

Putin told him, he added, that he had prayed for Trump after an assassination attempt against him last year. He also said Putin had commissioned a portrait of the US president as a gift and Trump was "clearly touched by it".

Unbelievable from an American politician.
But yes, Putin is a smart guy. He has groomed Trump to do his bidding and keeps him on side with promises of sweeties. Now, here's a dilemma. The Donald may well have to decide between joining the Commonwealth or still being included in Putin's prayers. What to do?

foxie48, thanks for the accurate summary. Putin is a danger to all of Europe. Trump and his weird group of support staff are set on distancing the USA from Europe and into cahoots with Putin

In an unstable world we need our alliances and if US has gone rogue we need to strengthen our ties with Europe even more. Russia has "no grounds" for attacking the UK, neither did he have grounds for marching into Ukraine. Unfortunately it didn't stop him. Russia signed the Budapest memorandum in 1994, the Treaty on Friendship in 1997, Putin signed the 2014 Minsk agreement.None of this has stopped him marching into Ukraine again and once he's taken Ukraine he'll be looking for the next country to invade. We saw what happened when Chamberlain appeased Hitler and IMO, Putin will act no differently. We don't want war but showing weakness and a willingness to let Putin do as he pleases will put us further down the road, not nearer.