The Guardian view on Trump’s deal with Putin: grim and grubby, but not gamechanging | Editorial
President Zelenskyy’s allies must show the Russian president that American perfidy won’t alter the course of a war the Kremlin is losing When Donald Trump pledged to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of re-entering the White House last year, no one with any depth of insight into the conflict believed him. But Mr Trump took his own words seriously enough to feel the lack of a ceasefire as an affront to his…
Key points
- Donald Trump has reverted to the view that Ukrainian capitulation is a precondition for peace, according to a Guardian editorial.
- The editorial says US pressure on Ukraine includes a call for a change of government, claims of a partial ceasefire while Russia escalated bombardments, and reports of lost Starlink access.
- The editorial argues Russia is failing in its war aims and that collusion with Trump cannot fix that.
A Guardian editorial argues that Donald Trump's dealings with Vladimir Putin are grim and grubby but do not change the course of the war in Ukraine. It says Trump, who promised to end the war within 24 hours of re-entering the White House last year, has returned to the view that Ukrainian capitulation is a precondition for peace.
The editorial describes the circumstances surrounding Volodymyr Zelenskyy's meeting with Andy Burnham in Downing Street on Wednesday. It says Trump has recently called for a change of government in Ukraine and claimed a partial ceasefire had been agreed while Russia escalated its bombardments.
Pressure on Ukraine
According to the editorial, Zelenskyy said the latest missile strikes came without the US intelligence warnings that had previously helped Ukraine defend itself. It also cites reports of Ukrainian soldiers losing access to the Starlink satellite network controlled by Elon Musk, which it says raises suspicion of coordinated pressure to tip the scales in Russia's favour.
The editorial states that Trump is unhappy with Ukraine targeting Russian oil refineries, claiming this causes high energy prices for American consumers and threatens Republican prospects in next month's midterm elections. It says this domestic pressure led Trump to import diesel from Russia in breach of international sanctions.
Mr Trump took his own words seriously enough to feel the lack of a ceasefire as an affront to his self-image as a master dealmaker.
— The Guardian
Response and outlook
The editorial says the real driver of global energy prices is Trump's failing war against Iran, not Ukraine's self-defence. It argues Trump blames Zelenskyy to deny his own culpability and, with Putin's encouragement, revives the idea that Ukrainian intransigence rather than Russian aggression has left his peace promise unfulfilled.
It says Burnham rightly avoids publicly denouncing Trump and makes the case in private, and that Zelenskyy's allies should reaffirm support to show Ukraine will not be beaten by Kremlin-White House deals. The editorial concludes that Russia is failing because its invasion underestimated Ukraine's will to resist, a flaw no collusion with Trump can fix.
