Everyone knew all along that something was up.
asserted
something → know → ?
Donald Trump’s surprising affinity for the murderous dictator Vladimir Putin was just a little too enthusiastic to be understood without an explanation of some kind.
asserted
affinity → understand → kind
Now, with his latest and most risky geopolitical moves to curry Russian favour, Trump has confirmed, he and Putin are indeed besties.
asserted
he → curry → favour
It’s all-in on Putin, accompanied by an appeal for new leadership in Ukraine or at the very least someone other than Zelenskyy to negotiate peace with the Russians.
asserted
It → ’ → Russians
By scotching sanctions on Moscow’s energy resources — part of a package of sanctions passed recently by the U.S. Congress — Trump is going against the wishes of U.S. legislators and firmly aligning America with Russia.
asserted
Trump → scotch → Russia
He is giving the Kremlin a green light for the Russians to earn more cash to finance its war on the struggling democracy that is Putin’s prey.
asserted
that → give → democracy
Truly, this is barely fathomable; the U.S., the No. 1 global defender of democracy and freedom, is moving away from support for NATO-backed Ukraine — a democracy — abandoning and betraying the war-torn country that, unprovoked, was attacked in February of 2022 by Russian forces and has been fighting ever since to defend itself.
asserted
U.S. → move → itself
Washington has not contributed one red cent to that country’s defence since Trump began his second term.
asserted
Trump → contribute → term
Trump has decided, the U.S. will sell Europe its weaponry, rather than donate it, as former president Joe Biden did.
asserted
Biden → decide → it
The Europeans then earmark it for Ukraine.
asserted
Europeans → earmark → Ukraine
More recently, Zelenskyy insists, the Americans are not even passing along desperately needed intelligence.
asserted
Americans → insist → intelligence
Meanwhile, the American people have not risen up to protest these latest anti democratic events.
asserted
people → rise → events
They are far too preoccupied, it seems, with the price of a fill up.
asserted
it → seem → fill
No great secret what Russia’s motivation would be in cosying up to the U.S.: Russia expert and former U.S. intelligence officer Angela Stent has noted that a conniving Putin views Trump as providing an opportunity to end Russian isolation.
asserted
Putin → cosye → isolation
The U.S. president also can assist the Russians in fracturing threatening Western alliances like NATO.
asserted
president → assist → NATO
And, opines Stent, Trump can help Putin subordinate Ukraine in order to restore former Soviet-style influence.
But what’s with Trump?
asserted
what → opine → Trump
Why would he hug the Russian bear?
asserted
he → hug → bear
Of all Trump’s weird and buffoon-style behaviours during his first and second term, this will be one hardest for historians to deconstruct.
asserted
historians → deconstruct → term
Might the Kremlin have an incriminating “Kompromat” it can use to blackmail Trump?
uncertain
it → have → Trump
Does Trump aspire to score some big-money business deals in Russia to further enrich himself and his family?
Is Trump still furious with Zelenskyy for not investigating his accusations of corruption against Biden’s son, Hunter, who once did work in Ukraine?
asserted
who → aspire → Ukraine
Despite no end of speculation, no one has been able to confirm Trump’s true motivations.
asserted
one → confirm → motivations
Now, of course the midterm elections loom and Trump wants to be seen trying to lower Americans’ gas prices, prices he himself boosted with his Iran war.
asserted
he → loom → war
Freeing up Russia to peddle its energy wares could help do that.
uncertain
Freeing → free → that
Might Trump perhaps be trying to pry apart Russia and China — in his view, the latter being the greater political threat to the U. S.?
uncertain
latter → try → S.
Or is it just a matter of Trump “having a thing” for Putin?
asserted
Trump → have → Putin
Recall how he and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, “fell in love” with each other.
asserted
he → recall → other
I’m no body language expert but on that tarmac at the Anchorage, Alaska, airport in August of 2025, Trump’s red-carpet welcome for the Russian president was embarrassingly friendly and supportive.
asserted
welcome → ’m → president
Writing this week in the U.S. publication Mother Jones, journalist David Corn compares the two leaders as “lovers kept apart for too long.”
asserted
Corn → write → lovers
The magazine, produced by the Centre for Investigative Reporting in San Francisco, is fully reader financed with no corporate ownership, and claims thereby to reflect no special interests
uncertain
magazine → produce → interests
Corn continues: “With just over two years left in his reign of madness and facing a likely drubbing in the midterms, “Trump has resolved to make his dream a reality.
asserted
dream → continue → midterms
That was always the plan.”
A dream-come-true for Trump in what is an absolute nightmare for the rest of us.
asserted
what → come → us
The Aporia
