US President Donald Trump is being taken for another ride on Vladimir Putin's "carousel" of diplomatic tricks. The Russia expert Mark Galeotti pointed out that as long as hostilities continue, Moscow will continue to wield leverage over Ukraine - a lever it would gladly use if the current ceasefire holds but talks begin.
Putin has no interest in negotiating with Ukraine on equal terms; he wants the country to surrender its sovereignty and become part of Moscow's sphere of influence. He doesn't care how that happens - through military force or by imposing a deal on Ukraine that Trump himself could broker.
The US-Russian peace plan being discussed, which demands an end to fighting in exchange for talks over territory, is laughable given Putin's stance on this issue. The Kremlin has consistently resisted this approach and instead seeks to maintain its leverage over Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy faces a crisis after his chief of staff Andriy Yermak was placed under investigation by anti-corruption authorities - an unhelpful development at a critical juncture. It's even less likely that Putin will make concessions now than he did previously.
Trump is once again being led down the garden path, with his own diplomatic vanity and desire to do business with Russia and Zelenskyy playing into Putin's hands. After four years of resistance by Ukraine, it must not be bullied into a cynical carve-up.
However, Europe still has a role to play in this situation. As long as Russia continues to advance in eastern Ukraine, Europe must demonstrate its commitment to supporting Kyiv. Sending financial and military aid to Ukraine is crucial - whether through loans from the EU budget or member states themselves.
It's also essential for European leaders to signal their resolute support for a just peace in Ukraine, sending a clear message that they will not let Putin get away with bullying a small country. As long as Trump remains on this merry-go-round of diplomacy, Ukraine needs urgent backing - not from the Kremlin but from its allies.
Putin has no interest in negotiating with Ukraine on equal terms; he wants the country to surrender its sovereignty and become part of Moscow's sphere of influence. He doesn't care how that happens - through military force or by imposing a deal on Ukraine that Trump himself could broker.
The US-Russian peace plan being discussed, which demands an end to fighting in exchange for talks over territory, is laughable given Putin's stance on this issue. The Kremlin has consistently resisted this approach and instead seeks to maintain its leverage over Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy faces a crisis after his chief of staff Andriy Yermak was placed under investigation by anti-corruption authorities - an unhelpful development at a critical juncture. It's even less likely that Putin will make concessions now than he did previously.
Trump is once again being led down the garden path, with his own diplomatic vanity and desire to do business with Russia and Zelenskyy playing into Putin's hands. After four years of resistance by Ukraine, it must not be bullied into a cynical carve-up.
However, Europe still has a role to play in this situation. As long as Russia continues to advance in eastern Ukraine, Europe must demonstrate its commitment to supporting Kyiv. Sending financial and military aid to Ukraine is crucial - whether through loans from the EU budget or member states themselves.
It's also essential for European leaders to signal their resolute support for a just peace in Ukraine, sending a clear message that they will not let Putin get away with bullying a small country. As long as Trump remains on this merry-go-round of diplomacy, Ukraine needs urgent backing - not from the Kremlin but from its allies.
I'm getting a bad feeling about this situation... Trump's diplomatic efforts seem like just another pawn in Putin's game of cat and mouse. 
The US-Russian peace plan sounds like just what Putin wants – to keep Ukraine on the hook, unable to make any real progress. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy is dealing with his own crisis and needs all the support he can get from Europe right now. 
We need to put our money (and military aid) where our mouth is, but I'm not holding my breath that Trump will keep Ukraine's back. 
It's time for European leaders to step up and show Putin what we're really made of – a united front against his bullying tactics! 
I'm telling you, Trump is getting played again 
. Putin's got him wrapped around his finger like a puppet on a string 
. The US-Russian peace plan sounds like a joke to me – it's just a way for Putin to get what he wants without really giving anything in return 
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. We need European leaders to step up and show some real support for Kyiv – not just empty words, but actual action 
. And now with Yermak under investigation, it's even more crucial that Europe shows its commitment to backing Ukraine 
.
... he's been led down this garden path too many times before and it never ends well for Ukraine 
. Russia's just playing Putin on repeat, using Trump to get what they want without actually negotiating 
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. We can't let Putin push Ukraine around anymore, that's just not cool 
.
... did he really think Putin would just agree to some deal without strings attached? Not exactly the most diplomatic guy, if you ask me 
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. It feels like no matter how hard Ukraine fights for their independence, Putin just keeps on pushing and playing Trump for a fool. Like, come on man! Can't they see he's just using them to get ahead? 
. I mean, I guess it's not like they can just sit back and watch as Ukraine gets taken over by Russia 
.
. We need to show Putin that we won’t stand for him bullying around small countries, or else he'll just keep on doing whatever he wants 
. And now Ukraine is paying the price, with their president having to deal with some major drama from within 
. We need to send a clear message that we're not going to stand for it 
. The fact that the US-Russian peace plan is so laughable is just icing on the cake 
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. The truth is, if you're trying to make a deal with someone who doesn't want to negotiate on equal terms, it's like playing a game of musical chairs – you'll just get stuck in the same old rhythm forever 
. And trust me, Europe, you've got to show your commitment to Kyiv right now 
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. I mean, come on, Trump really thinks he's gonna get Russia to back down over Ukraine? Please. Putin wants that country in his pocket and he'll stop at nothing to get it. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy is struggling to stay afloat with his chief of staff under investigation... this is just a disaster waiting to happen 
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. Meanwhile, Ukraine's got a major crisis on their hands with their chief of staff under investigation 
. We can't keep letting Putin bully the little guy without standing up for them. It's getting old 
. I'm worried that we're going to see more of Putin's " Carousel" of tricks, with Ukraine caught in the middle 
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. Meanwhile, Europe has a crucial role to play in backing Ukraine financially and militarily 
. We can't let Putin get away with bullying a small country without consequences 
️. Losing his chief of staff under investigation isn't helping matters, and I don't think Putin's gonna make any concessions without being forced to 
. We can't afford to let our guard down in this situation 
. But on a silver lining kinda thing, it's clear that Europe still has a big role to play here 
! We should be sending all sorts of aid to Ukraine, from loans to military support 
. And let's be real, if we want to help them out, we gotta make sure Putin knows we're not messing around 
. We can't just stand by and let him bully a small country - that'd be super weird 
. So yeah, it's definitely time for Europe to step up and show its support for Ukraine 
We need to send more aid, not loans that might get stuck in bureaucratic red tape, and we need to stand up to Putin and show him that we won't let him bully a small country. 
cant let putin bully ukranian gov without anyone pushing back 