Trump doesn't even know that Putin and Russia invaded the Ukraine and started the war? 
WTF? Its unbelievable that the idiot says such crap in public. The liar in chief out does himself again and again! How low can the demented world's craziest leader go?
The worlds worst negotiator is siding with Russia, North Korea and attacking Europe Canada and western allies?
Why does Trump have such an affinity for Putin?
Reagan-era Republicans aghast as Trump turns Russia policy on its head
Officials who served in 1980s say Trump is opposing friends and supporting enemies: ‘It makes me sick what’s going on’
Republicans who served under President Ronald Reagan during the cold war have condemned Donald Trump’s move to soften relations with Russia and undermine the 75-year-old transatlantic alliance.
European leaders were left reeling last week when the US vice-president, JD Vance, told the Munich Security Conference that the greatest danger facing Europe was “the threat from within” and the “retreat from fundamental values”.
Fears are also growing that a meeting of the US and Russia’s top diplomats in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, with no seat at the table for Ukrainian or European officials, paves the way for a capitulation to Moscow.
Trump blames Ukraine over war with Russia, saying it could have made a deal ([url]https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/19/trump-ukraine-war-russia-could-have-made-a-deal[/url])
“It makes me sick what’s going on right now,” said Ken Adelman a former US ambassador to the United Nations. “The Trump administration has no regard for the 80 years of Atlantic cooperation and the sovereignty of Ukraine.”
Adelman served as arms control director for Reagan, accompanying him on three superpower summits with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev He reflected: “We’re in the opposite position right now because Ronald Reagan said, ‘Tear down this wall, Mr Gorbachev,’ and Trump is saying you can do whatever the hell you want to, Mr Putin.
“[Reagan] believed that you should support friends and stand up to enemies. It seems like the Trump administration is for opposing friends and supporting enemies.”
For years hardline anti-communism was the Republican brand, culminating in the collapse of the Soviet Union and end of the cold war. The US continues to have tens of thousands of troops stationed across mostly western Europe long seen as a guarantee of democratic stability.
But ever since he ran for president in 2015, Trump has embraced nationalist-populism and been strikingly reluctant to condemn the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. Much of the rest of the party has fallen in line while Reaganite hawks such as Mike Pence, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger have been purged.
Adelman commented:“I’m amazed that the Republican party has abandoned the principles of the party for all those years and just gone over to an America First position that was discredited by 1942.
“It’s not over on Ukraine yet. There’s still some hope that reason will prevail. There’s still some hope that Republicans will stand up and say, ‘what do we stand for?’”
As in the domestic sphere, Trump has begun his second term with fewer guardrails and has taken a scorched earth approach to foreign policy. Whereas eight years ago in Munich, he was represented by vice-president Mike Pence and Jim Mattis, his defense secretary – who both sought to nurture the transatlantic relationship – Vance and the current defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, were bulls in a diplomatic china shop.
JD Vance’s Munich speech laid bare the collapse of the transatlantic alliance
Vance accused European leaders of failing to stop illegal migration, suppressing free speech and fearing their own voters. He criticised German mainstream parties’ commitment not to collaborate with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in remarks that were strongly rebuffed by Berlin. Longtime national security officials in America were also dismayed.
Leon Panetta a former defense secretary and CIA director, said: “For God’s sakes, the United States and Europe fought a world war to make sure Nazism would not be able to dominate that part of the world.
“To imply that somehow Germany, which understands this problem probably better than anybody, should not try to deal with that issue is not smart. It’s not trying to build a stronger relationship. It’s being disruptive and frankly there’s enough disruption right now to go around.”
Panetta is a Democrat who served under presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. But the silence from Republicans was again deafening.
Panetta added: “The Republicans have basically taken a walk. This is not the party that used to be strong on national defence and national security. They’ve basically made the decision to keep their mouth shut and to go along and that’s unfortunate because, frankly, that’s not what they were elected to do.”
Vance also gave mixed signals on support for Ukraineand suggested Europe would not be involved in the negotiations. By stressing America’s differences with Europe, rather than their shared values, he left diplomats stunned and speaking of a likely divorce.
Vice-President JD Vance participates in a bilateral meeting with the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, (not pictured) in Munich last week. Photograph: Leah Millis/Reuters
John Bolton ([url]https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/24/donald-trump-john-bolton-crisis-likely[/url]), a former national security adviser to Trump, said: “I’m sure they sat around his office and said, what can we say that will shock the Europeans? It’s part of a trope in the Trump administration to slap your friends around in public. They don’t slap the Russians and the Chinese around in public.
“Maybe that’s the way Trump did his real estate business but it has long-term consequences for the United States when you treat your friends and allies badly. There’s a way to engage on these questions and a way not to engage – and Vance chose the publicity-getting route and he got his share of publicity, that’s for sure.”
?
WTF? Its unbelievable that the idiot says such crap in public. The liar in chief out does himself again and again! How low can the demented world's craziest leader go?
The worlds worst negotiator is siding with Russia, North Korea and attacking Europe Canada and western allies?
Why does Trump have such an affinity for Putin?
Reagan-era Republicans aghast as Trump turns Russia policy on its head
Officials who served in 1980s say Trump is opposing friends and supporting enemies: ‘It makes me sick what’s going on’
Republicans who served under President Ronald Reagan during the cold war have condemned Donald Trump’s move to soften relations with Russia and undermine the 75-year-old transatlantic alliance.
European leaders were left reeling last week when the US vice-president, JD Vance, told the Munich Security Conference that the greatest danger facing Europe was “the threat from within” and the “retreat from fundamental values”.
Fears are also growing that a meeting of the US and Russia’s top diplomats in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, with no seat at the table for Ukrainian or European officials, paves the way for a capitulation to Moscow.
Trump blames Ukraine over war with Russia, saying it could have made a deal ([url]https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/19/trump-ukraine-war-russia-could-have-made-a-deal[/url])
“It makes me sick what’s going on right now,” said Ken Adelman a former US ambassador to the United Nations. “The Trump administration has no regard for the 80 years of Atlantic cooperation and the sovereignty of Ukraine.”
Adelman served as arms control director for Reagan, accompanying him on three superpower summits with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev He reflected: “We’re in the opposite position right now because Ronald Reagan said, ‘Tear down this wall, Mr Gorbachev,’ and Trump is saying you can do whatever the hell you want to, Mr Putin.
“[Reagan] believed that you should support friends and stand up to enemies. It seems like the Trump administration is for opposing friends and supporting enemies.”
For years hardline anti-communism was the Republican brand, culminating in the collapse of the Soviet Union and end of the cold war. The US continues to have tens of thousands of troops stationed across mostly western Europe long seen as a guarantee of democratic stability.
But ever since he ran for president in 2015, Trump has embraced nationalist-populism and been strikingly reluctant to condemn the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. Much of the rest of the party has fallen in line while Reaganite hawks such as Mike Pence, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger have been purged.
Adelman commented:“I’m amazed that the Republican party has abandoned the principles of the party for all those years and just gone over to an America First position that was discredited by 1942.
“It’s not over on Ukraine yet. There’s still some hope that reason will prevail. There’s still some hope that Republicans will stand up and say, ‘what do we stand for?’”
As in the domestic sphere, Trump has begun his second term with fewer guardrails and has taken a scorched earth approach to foreign policy. Whereas eight years ago in Munich, he was represented by vice-president Mike Pence and Jim Mattis, his defense secretary – who both sought to nurture the transatlantic relationship – Vance and the current defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, were bulls in a diplomatic china shop.
JD Vance’s Munich speech laid bare the collapse of the transatlantic alliance
Vance accused European leaders of failing to stop illegal migration, suppressing free speech and fearing their own voters. He criticised German mainstream parties’ commitment not to collaborate with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in remarks that were strongly rebuffed by Berlin. Longtime national security officials in America were also dismayed.
Leon Panetta a former defense secretary and CIA director, said: “For God’s sakes, the United States and Europe fought a world war to make sure Nazism would not be able to dominate that part of the world.
“To imply that somehow Germany, which understands this problem probably better than anybody, should not try to deal with that issue is not smart. It’s not trying to build a stronger relationship. It’s being disruptive and frankly there’s enough disruption right now to go around.”
Panetta is a Democrat who served under presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. But the silence from Republicans was again deafening.
Panetta added: “The Republicans have basically taken a walk. This is not the party that used to be strong on national defence and national security. They’ve basically made the decision to keep their mouth shut and to go along and that’s unfortunate because, frankly, that’s not what they were elected to do.”
Vance also gave mixed signals on support for Ukraineand suggested Europe would not be involved in the negotiations. By stressing America’s differences with Europe, rather than their shared values, he left diplomats stunned and speaking of a likely divorce.
Vice-President JD Vance participates in a bilateral meeting with the Nato secretary general, Mark Rutte, (not pictured) in Munich last week. Photograph: Leah Millis/Reuters
John Bolton ([url]https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/24/donald-trump-john-bolton-crisis-likely[/url]), a former national security adviser to Trump, said: “I’m sure they sat around his office and said, what can we say that will shock the Europeans? It’s part of a trope in the Trump administration to slap your friends around in public. They don’t slap the Russians and the Chinese around in public.
“Maybe that’s the way Trump did his real estate business but it has long-term consequences for the United States when you treat your friends and allies badly. There’s a way to engage on these questions and a way not to engage – and Vance chose the publicity-getting route and he got his share of publicity, that’s for sure.”
?