Is Trump being played by Putin?

The United States’ steadfast allegiance to Ukraine during that country’s three-year war against Russia appears to be rapidly eroding under the Trump administration. President Donald Trump on Feb. 19, 2025, referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as “a dictator” and inaccurately blamed him for the conflict that Russia instigated as part of a land grab in the border regions of the two countries.

Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said on Feb. 19 that Trump is trapped in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “disinformation space.”

Earlier this week, the US president claimed America had given Ukraine at least $200bn (£158bn) more than Europe has since Russia invaded the country in February 2022.

Mr Trump said: “I think Europe has given $100bn (£79n)… and we’ve given, let’s say, $300bn (£237bn) plus.”

There are a number of figures available for the amount of money being given to Ukraine by different countries.

The Kiel Institute for the World Economy’s Ukraine Support Tracker shows that countries in Europe have allocated a total of €132bn (£109bn or $139bn) in help for Ukraine.

The tracker shows the US has allocated around €114bn (£95bn or $120bn).

There is also a debate about how much money countries say they have given to Ukraine has actually gone to the country itself.

According to The Washington Post, some of the money given by Washington includes sending money through “drawdowns” from US weapon stockpiles and money to pay US-based defence contractors for equipment.

One thing that has fuelled the fires of anti Ukrainian sentiment by both those on the left and right is the belief that the whole war is a money making scam – the sovereignty of the nation of Ukraine does not matter in this argument and their ability to self determination also unimportant, the more I think about it this perspective is very much one pushed by Putin onto the west and lapped up by President Trump and conspiracy theorists arguing the toss about money spent rather than a democratic right and mandate to defend and have ones own land.

Land, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—those once beautiful values all democracies believed in and aspired to. Such views, though claimed by the right to be at the heart of their ideals, are no longer really recognized, sadly, by Trump’s America or by other rising stars of the right across the globe.

When the Brazilian president offered a chainsaw as a gift to Elon Musk, it carried deeply troubling connotations for me: this was a gift from a country that is razing one of the lungs of the Earth, the Brazilian rainforest, and the president of Brazil presents Musk with the very symbol of what is being used to destroy his own country’s rainforests – it feels like a flagrant display of right-wing fascism, tasteless and defiant, a blatant middle finger to the world under the banner of hate, cuts, and a conqueror’s philosophy.

With the climate breakdown and global warming, there were those that believed that the breakdown of social norms and an increase in wars would occur as the planet warmed and climate change impacted our lives, but I had underestimated and underfeared the true nature of the changes now occurring right in front of our eyes. I knew there would be wars, but I thought they would be over mineral deposits in Africa or oil in the middle east and not economic wars over the sovereignty of whole nations in what was once seen as relatively stable or growing democracies such as Ukraine or even well established democracies such as Canada are not safe against Trumps trade wars. Sadly know where is safe anymore; it’s mental, really, what is happening.

President Trump age 78 & 3/4

How effective a negotiator can President Trump be if he is overly sensitive and interprets diplomatic positions and perspectives as personal attacks? He is unable and unwilling to concede in a war of words where everyone recognizes he is factually incorrect. Labeling Zelensky a dictator is an insult directed at the wrong leader. Putin is the true dictator, yet Trump seems to enjoy the flattery he receives from Russian diplomats and from Putin himself. Trump the new over arching monarch/leader of what was the so called free world has the diplomatic skills of a small child

I remember when Putin decided to invade the sovereign state of Ukraine, not just trying to annex part of Ukraine like a slice of cake, but to gobble up the whole country for himself. It is only through the blood, sweat, tears, and lives of the Ukrainian people that the overthrow of this nation has, so far, been prevented. Trump is not prepared to verbally acknowledge this, as it does not suit his self-serving ego.

Trump acts like a bull in a china shop as he charges into Ukrainian negotiations, asserting to Zelensky that the invasion is Ukraine’s fault while demanding resources from Ukraine, and then lamenting when not provided with the sweet treat assets he seeks in what he calls a peace deal—or more accurately, a demand to end a war. His so-called effective deal-making comes off as hollow, childlike, offensively presented, and poorly timed.

Lake Of Fire (Live) Nirvana

The Importance of Truth

Truth matters, both to us as individuals and to society as a whole. As individuals, being truthful means that we can grow and mature, learning from our mistakes. For society, truthfulness makes social bonds, and lying and hypocrisy break them.

Teaching Donald Trump on Ukraine!

President Trump is leaning towards and learning more from Putin than he is from Zelensky. This reasoning sheds light on various aspects of his political behaviour and rhetoric.

Firstly, he’s a proven liar, often distorting the truth to suit his narrative and support his positions. This continuous pattern of misinformation creates an environment where trust becomes difficult to establish, not only with the general public but also with international allies.

Moreover, he does not accept that the war in Ukraine was an invasion by Putin’s Russia. This denial can be seen as a troubling alignment with Putin’s narrative, which ultimately undermines the sovereignty of Ukraine and the reality of the conflict at hand.

His lies must be supported by his allies, suggesting a need for a closed circle of support where dissenting opinions are unwelcome. This creates an echo chamber that amplifies falsehoods rather than fostering constructive dialogue or critical examination of facts.

In addition to misleading statements, he’s a proven bully. His brash demeanor and aggressive tactics in both personal and political arenas demonstrate a tendency to intimidate those who oppose him. Coupled with this is an ego that appears to need constant validation and massaging, further complicating his interactions with both leaders and constituents.

Furthermore, he often speaks out on matters that he does not care to understand fully. This lack of depth in comprehension can lead to misguided policies and decisions that have far-reaching implications, not just for the U.S., but for global stability as well.

Trump offers up taking resources off Ukraine, resources that do not belong to him and should be reserved for the needs of the Ukrainian people and their fight for independence. This approach reveals a troubling disregard for international norms and the principles of sovereignty.

Additionally, he accuses Zelensky of being a dictator, a claim that reflects more on Trump’s understanding of democracy than on the reality of Ukraine’s leadership under Zelensky. This kind of accusation showcases a broader tendency to mislabel opponents and allies alike, often for political gain rather than based on actual governance.

Finally, it seems Trump wishes for a world where the United States does not play an essential role. This sentiment, although echoed by some who are weary of entangling alliances, can lead to a dangerous isolationism that disregards the importance of U.S. involvement in global matters. Ironically, while many people share a desire for peace and self-sufficiency among nations, the path to achieving that vision lies through collaboration, not withdrawal.

Quotes for our time – Victor-Marie Hugo

Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo was a French Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. His most famous works are the novels The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables

‘The paradise of the rich is made out of the hell of the poor’, There had been in modern times an attempt to help people out of poverty through the wealth of others trickling down to the poor – I fear if Trump has his ways there won’t be much wealth actively tricking to the poor or to anyone else for that matter. With the stopping of aid across the US and internationally and calling out aid projects as wasteful, fraudulent and corrupt, that the US must somehow be saved from and free of, whilst increasing tax breaks for the most wealthy does not bode well for the poor across the globe. The poorer and more desperate you make people the harder they will fight to reach your shores and to break all rules of laws to survive.

There seem to be a considerable swell of people speaking out at present, like I have never seen before against President Trump not so much from politicians or the mainstream mass media but more so on a grass roots level – I hope it’s not too little too late.

The human soul can endure what is real and live through many forms of reality in the hope and sometimes expectation of something better and something pure.

Also heaven does not reward the wicked

Trump’s War on the Poor – The Rest Is Politics


World Economic War 1

So rather than World War 3 has Donald Trump started an economic war and how has he done this and why? Well in simple terms he does not like the fact that US tends to buy more goods and services from other countries than other countries buy from the US. Secondly because he is a moron willing to do as yet incalculable damage to the global economy in the name of the USA and Trumpism Economics (whatever they might be) by raising tariffs against other countries across the globe that are looking to sell their goods and services to the US. A tarrif is a tax added to imported goods. Trump has done this for a variety of reasons such as A) he does not like a country that boarders his attitude to emigration and so wacked a tariff on, or B) because a countries goods and service are simply better or more competitive on the global market so he hits a tax on those too. Or finally C) where there are taxes already charged to US goods in the way of such as in the UK where nearly all goods and services including its own are charged VAT (value added tax) as an income stream for the UK. So Trump is adding this 20% tax to all goods imported from the UK too.   

Trumps Tariffs might make the US a considerable amount of taxable income in the short term but it will increase inflation and prices to US citizens as well as other citizens across the globe and as yet in world history I am not sure if anyone has won a trade war it just tends to unnecessarily hurt those countries and citizens of those countries that get caught up in it.  

Ultimately Trump is detonating an economic bomb simply because he can.

It’s the economy stupid!

The state of a countries economy is one of the main headline topics in the news these days and it is judged by whether the economy is doing well by growth and stability and its very much a numbers game.  Economic growth refers to an increase in the size of a country’s economy over a period of time. The size of an economy is typically measured by the total production of goods and services in the economy, which is called gross domestic product (GDP). Economic stability definition is a term used to describe the financial system of a nation that displays only minor fluctuations in output growth and exhibits a consistently low inflation rate.

GDP in a country is usually calculated by the national statistical agency, which compiles the information from a large number of sources. In making the calculations, however, most countries follow established international standards. These types of financial measurement are seen and believed to be accurate.

Bigger question to ask might be what’s the point in these stats? How does a growing or stable economy effect our lives? Well in basic terms a growing and stable economy increases an individual living within that economy of having a job and prosperous opportunities to live and have a future.

So what are the strengths & weaknesses to this model and to an economy within this model. Strengths are the measurement are generally accurate and can be updated and corrected if and when needed, when the sums add up a country can be confident that it is doing something right.

Weaknesses of this model relies on growth of an economy as a sign of health and productive economy although a sustainable and environmentally non-destructive economy that provides value to its citizens and environment whilst not necessarily increasing profitability on a spreadsheet can still add tremendous value to its citizens and also enhance the environment of the country and people within that society but this is more difficult to measure on a spreadsheet but invaluable over time. A damaged and dying ecosystem can still be tremendously profitable up to a typing point where then the damage might be so catastrophic that the land or sea has no value or profit to it at all.

Adoption of circular economy principles can help in reducing the negative impact on natural resources as well as damage to our climate.

What would a political coup d’état look like in the USA?

The definition of a political a coup d’état on Wikipedia is ‘stroke of state’, or simply a coup, is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership A self coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to power through legal means, tries to stay in power through illegal means.

I am not 100% sure of a definition of someone coming to power lawfully and then illegally enacting laws to suit their best interest while acting against the interest of the people that those laws then impact on.

I hope Trump is just a businessman or salesman just asset stripping the US and globe in order to make some money and save some dollars over the next four years but if it is an unlawful power grab and something deeper then that then it will not be good for anyone.

So This is How Liberty Dies, With Thunderous Applause (4K HDR)
The Veils – Sit Down By The Fire

Trump offering a sweet treat to Putin

“Would you like a slice Mr President I hear it’s very good”. Trump is offering a slice of Ukraine on a plate to Putin, with no guarantee that Putin will not be tempted to come back for more and more. Ukraine are not sitting at the table as instead they are being served up on it.

Older men declare war

But it is the youth that must fight and die – Herbert Hoover

Trump warns ‘all hell is going to break out’ if Gaza hostage deadline not met by Hamas

How the Palestinians are treated in Gaza really does remind me of the execution scenes in the film Schindler’s list. I dread to think what the final solution is in the mind of Trump and Netanyahu for the Palestinian people.

When you see a whole nation or race of people as an enemy you no longer see them as people at all.

The Liquidation of the Krakow Ghetto – Max Richter “Last Days” / scene from “Schindler’s List”

The Krakow Ghetto was one of five major, metropolitan Jewish ghettos created by Nazi Germany in the new General Government territory during the German occupation of Poland in World War II. It was created for the purpose of exploitation, terror, and persecution of local Polish Jews, as well as the staging area for separating the “able workers” from those who would later be deemed unworthy of life. The Ghetto was liquidated between June 1942 and March 1943, with most of its inhabitants sent to Belzec extermination camp and Plaszow slave-labor camp, and exterminated also at Auschwitz concentration camp.