Cliff’s Note:
Trump just lifted sanctions so America can buy diesel from Putin, then blamed Zelenskyy for high fuel prices. David Shuster takes it apart.
Behind the paywall: David exposes the 2022 law the deal crashes into, why you won’t see it at the pump, who profits, & the “coincidence” of Kash Patel in Moscow this week.
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—Cliff
Over the weekend, Donald Trump performed one of his most treacherous acts to date. He plunged a dagger into the back of Ukraine, a nation struggling against Russia’s invasion. And Trump did it with the braggadocio of a demented lunatic.
Last Friday, Donald Trump announced a “massive” deal to purchase diesel fuel from Russia. The adjective was Trump’s own. The consequences, however, belong to all of us. American money will flow to Vladimir Putin, a dictator who has demonstrated repeatedly what he intends to do with the funds: buy weapons, sustain his war machine, and continue to terrorize Ukrainian civilians.
The Atlantic described the transaction as the most outrageous and heartless Trump betrayal yet, adding that it offers the President, his family, and friends corruption opportunities on a multibillion-dollar scale.
Trump would have us all believe that Russia is not an adversary of the United States, not an enemy of our European allies, and not a menace to the security of NATO. Never mind that Russia has interfered in American elections, is assisting Iran in its conflict with the United States, and keeps threatening NATO countries including Poland and Lithuania. Meanwhile, Russia maintains a strategic partnership with China, a country whose ambitions over Taiwan pose a direct threat to the U.S.
Vladimir Putin is not innocent.
He is a ruthless and tyrannical dictator whose government has been rightfully subjected to punishing sanctions intended to deny it access to Western capital. Those sanctions have made Putin’s war against Ukraine more difficult to finance. Enter Donald Trump, arriving on Friday afternoon with what amounts to a financial transfusion for Russia.
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So, what is the United States getting in return? A reduction in the cost of diesel? A grateful nod from the Kremlin? Perhaps a few kind words from Moscow’s propaganda machine?
Whatever the consideration, it is difficult to imagine a bargain more disadvantageous to American interests.
There is, to begin with, the matter of the law.
