Donald Trump is not only coddling Vladimir Putin.
asserted
Trump → coddle → Putin
He is becoming Vladimir Putin.
asserted
He → become → ?
He’s always sought to justify even the worst of Putin’s atrocities.
asserted
He → seek → atrocities
Questioned in 2017 about Putin’s murders of politicians and journalists, it was put to him bluntly that the Russian leader is “a killer”.
asserted
leader → question → him
We’ve got a lot of killers.
asserted
We → get → killers
What do you think?
asserted
you → think → What
Our country’s so innocent?”
asserted
country → ’ → ?
Worse, outright admiration: “I do respect him,” said Trump.
asserted
Trump → respect → him
The kind of respect one mafia don has for another.
asserted
don → have → another
The moment Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Trump hailed it as “genius”.
asserted
Trump → launch → genius
He congratulated the Russian president for sending “the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen”.
asserted
I → congratulate → force
And the American leader is notable for the favours he showers on Putin.
asserted
he → shower → Putin
Ten days ago, after the US Congress had voted to increase sanctions on Russian oil, Trump didn’t just refuse to impose them.
asserted
Trump → vote → them
He went further and reversed pre-existing US sanctions that had been imposed four years earlier.
asserted
that → go → sanctions
Trump claimed this would cut the price of diesel in America.
asserted
this → claim → America
It has made no useful difference.
asserted
It → make → difference
All he’s done is bring Putin back into the legal marketplace for oil.
asserted
he → do → oil
So he can sell at a higher price to fund his war on Ukraine.
asserted
he → sell → Ukraine
Putin repays Trump’s sycophancy with contempt.
asserted
Putin → repay → contempt
When Trump declared an “energy ceasefire” between Russia and Ukraine last week “effective immediately”, Ukraine suspended its attacks on Russian energy assets for three days.
asserted
Ukraine → declare → days
Putin said nothing and just continued his non-stop bombing of Ukraine’s energy assets.
asserted
Putin → say → assets
Now London’s Financial Times reports that Trump envoys are pressing European governments to hand over to Washington the Russian cash they froze in their banking systems in response to the Ukraine invasion – some $US300 billion worth.
asserted
they → report → invasion
The idea is for Trump to use it as an inducement to Putin to negotiate peace, apparently.
asserted
Trump → use → peace
Germany, not trusting Trump, has ruled out any such idea.
asserted
Germany → trust → idea
Trump’s timing seems quixotic.
asserted
timing → seem → ?
His blatant pandering to Putin is hurting Republicans running in the US midterm elections due in two weeks.
asserted
pandering → hurt → weeks
As US news outlet Axios points out: “With control of Congress hanging in the balance, Trump is embracing a dictator viewed unfavourably by 81 per cent of his own 2024 voters, according to a January YouGov poll.”
uncertain
Trump → hang → poll
Peter Tesch, a former Australian ambassador to Moscow, remarks: “He’s enthralled.
asserted
He → remark → Moscow
Putin turns Trump the bully into this cowed, servile individual.
asserted
Putin → turn → individual
You see it time and time again.”
asserted
You → see → it
Analysts have puzzled over the hold that the ex-KGB officer enjoys over the American businessman.
asserted
officer → puzzle → businessman
Theories include Russian kompromat on Trump, Russian payments to Trump and so on.
asserted
Theories → include → Trump
None has been proven.
asserted
None → prove → ?
Even if they were, none seems sufficient to justify Trump’s openly abject submission.
asserted
none → seem → submission
Trump has hung in the White House a picture of himself with Putin.
asserted
Trump → hang → Putin
It’s placed above a photo of himself with a granddaughter.
asserted
It → place → granddaughter
Trump is doing more than favouring Putin.
asserted
Trump → do → Putin
He is acting in Putin’s interests even when it harms his own.
asserted
it → act → own
He seems to identify so closely with the Russian dictator that it appears he is turning into Putin.
asserted
he → seem → Putin
One: Putin took power initially by democratic means and was very popular for some time.
asserted
Putin → take → time
…and 31 more, not listed.
The Aporia
