Russia

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday July 10, 2025

Trump’s Dance with Putin Hits a Discordant Note

As missiles tore into Ukraine’s western regions this week and over 700 drones—many of them decoys—filled the skies in Russia’s largest single-night assault of the war, an equally surreal moment took shape in Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump, now in his second term, said he was “not happy” with Vladimir Putin. Days after halting vital weapons shipments to Ukraine, Trump then suggested the U.S. would need to send more.

To many observers, it was a whiplash moment—one that left allies wondering whether the man who has long praised autocrats might finally be taking a moral stance. But after years of watching Trump’s unpredictable and contradictory dealings with Russia’s president, few are ready to believe this signals a meaningful change.

News: How the long-running Trump-Putin bromance is still not delivering

Trump’s fascination with Putin has long been a matter of concern—not just in the U.S., but for all Western allies. From his first campaign through his presidency and into this second term, Trump has repeatedly cast Putin in a favourable light. He questioned the findings of his own intelligence community, downplayed election interference, and often portrayed Russia’s aggression as something other than what it is: calculated, criminal, and destructive.

The human cost of that delusion is clearer than ever. Ukraine has spent three years under relentless assault, and this latest drone barrage—targeting supply corridors and civilian areas alike—is part of a wider Russian strategy to break the country’s will before Western weapons can arrive. The aim isn’t military victory alone. It’s terror.

While Ukrainian forces shot down hundreds of drones, the sheer scale of the attack reveals how emboldened Russia has become. This isn’t a miscalculation or an act of desperation. It’s a statement. And so far, the response from Trump’s White House has wavered between ambiguity and performative outrage.

To hear Trump say he’s “not happy” with Putin after years of adulation is something. But what exactly? Does this signal an overdue pivot in American policy—or is it just another tactical feint designed to buy time or please one audience while signalling something else to another?

History suggests caution. Trump’s actions rarely align with his rhetoric. One day he praises Zelensky’s courage; the next he undermines NATO. One week he suspends weapons shipments; the next he promises to send more. In the face of an authoritarian threat like Putin’s Russia, such inconsistency isn’t strategy—it’s peril.

Analysis: Has the Trump-Putin bromance finally run its course?

Even worse, there’s a pattern: every time Trump publicly criticizes Putin, the Kremlin seems to lash out more brutally. It’s as if Moscow views these rare rebukes not as deterrents but as invitations to escalate, to test Western resolve. With each fresh assault on Ukrainian soil, Putin appears to be saying, your president may talk, but we know he won’t act.

For those of us watching from outside the U.S.—from democracies that still place value on alliances, accountability, and the rule of law—it’s a bleak view. We are forced to wonder whether the world’s most powerful democracy has tethered its moral compass to the whims of one deeply erratic man.

News: Russia launches another record drone attack at Ukraine

Ukraine doesn’t need platitudes. It needs principled, sustained support. The international community—including the European Court of Human Rights, which this week formally held Russia responsible for grave violations—has made it clear that Putin’s war is not just unjust, it is criminal. He will not stop on his own. His aim is attrition—military, political, psychological.

If Trump truly wants peace, he must stop treating Putin like a misunderstood peer and start treating him like the war criminal he is. Words alone are no longer enough. The stakes are too high, and the cost in human lives too steep.

As drones strike deeper into Ukrainian cities and Russia readies its next wave, the question isn’t whether Trump is displeased. It’s whether he will finally act like a president of consequence—or remain a spectator in a theatre of atrocities.

The world cannot afford to wait much longer to find out.

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Endless Bromance

Over the years, we’ve witnessed the tumultuous and often puzzling relationship between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. It’s been a saga filled with speculation, headlines, and countless debates. And yet, here we are again, contemplating whether their so-called “bromance” is finally over. Spoiler alert: it’s not.

Let’s be real. This relationship has always been shrouded in mystery, with moments that leave us scratching our heads. One minute Trump is praising Putin, the next he’s issuing a mild rebuke, only to return to admiration shortly after. It’s like watching a soap opera, with each episode more confusing than the last.

The truth is, there’s more beneath the surface than meets the eye. Many argue, and not without reason, that Putin has something on Trump. Whether it’s political leverage, personal secrets, or something else entirely, the Russian leader has managed to maneuver Trump with an ease that should concern us all. For years, Trump has been as malleable as putty in Putin’s hands, bending and shaping to fit whatever narrative suits Moscow best.

So, while some may hope that recent tensions signal the end of this “bromance,” history tells us otherwise. It’s an on-again, off-again affair, a strategic dance where the steps are dictated by Moscow’s whims and Washington’s unpredictable responses.

In the end, the real question isn’t whether the bromance is over. It’s whether we’ll finally see leadership that prioritizes national and global interests over personal ones. Until then, we should remain cautious, critical, and ever watchful. Because in the world of international relations, appearances can be deceiving, and alliances are rarely what they seem.

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