2d ago

A Trump-Putin pact is emerging – and Europe is its target

www.theguardian.com A Trump-Putin pact is emerging – and Europe is its target | Rafael Behr

US betrayal of Ukraine is the rehearsal for a grander bargain with Moscow and an assault on continental solidarity, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr

A prime time current affairs programme; a discussion about Donald Trump’s handling of the war in Ukraine. “He’s doing excellent things,” says a firebrand politician on the panel, before listing White House actions that have belittled Volodymyr Zelenskyy and weakened his battlefield position – military aid suspended; satellite communications obstructed; intelligence withheld. “Do we support this?” It is a rhetorical question.

“We support it all. Absolutely,” the celebrity host responds. “We are thrilled by everything Trump is doing.”

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2d ago

A Trump-Putin pact is emerging – and Europe is its target | Rafael Behr

www.theguardian.com /commentisfree/2025/mar/12/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-europe-us-ukraine-moscow

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18 comments

Look, I understand that the US has a complicated history, but on the whole, I think we’ve aspired to be “good guys” in the history books.
But in this very moment, I’m not quite so sure of that. I really don’t want us to be the villains.
We’re going to need to fight the bad guys who’ve taken root and get our country back.
- I really don't know where this good guy idea or narrative comes from besides propaganda and Hollywood obviously.
  It's such a short lived nation and during that time it's conducted a genocide(s) of natives, coups of democratically elected governments, war on almost every continent on earth. It's the only nation ever to nuke two cities of civilians. It created a 'war on drugs' to incarcerate blacks. Has the highest prison (legally slaves) population of any western nation 1.8 million!!. It forced neoliberalism on Europe and the west in general. Had and has the highest per capita carbon impact in the world. Actively suppressed climate change knowledge and mitigation research the world over. Oh yea and chemical weapons on the Vietnamese, rape and torture of detainees and civilians.
  And that's just a few tid-bits and not including anything the orange one has done and will do.
  I'm not saying other nations are spotless. The US has done some great things but clearly it's institutions are fragile and it can only do great things in brief periods e.g. where it dominated the world economically and industrially after WW2. Reading the history of the US it is just a faster version of European powers development. Nothing special and it's got a king back after all that bleating on about freedom.
  I liked the USA as a child. I love the idea of it but the reality is nowhere near that idea and further everyday. It's just another banana republic and we unfortunately have to watch the fire sale.
  
  Historically, the USA did horrible things, as did most countries with power. The USA, as a superpower, did even more. However, they usually were reliable to allies. And, their atrocities were for the benefit of the nation, mainly.
  Now, they are burning allies and it’s for the whims and benefit of Trump and Musk. So, it’s not the same. Tolerating it and saying it’s the same as it ever was minimizes the damage that is happening and normalises it.
  Not just for trump, but who ever comes next. If institutions are damaged and laws are not followed, nationally or internationally, then much greater damage and atrocities are possible, and ever more likely,
  This is highly unusual, even if some of the events are similar. It bears more resemblance to events leading to ww2 than the events after, that were muddied with Hollywood propaganda.
  
  I agree. The US’ image has been carefully crafted since ww2 but it has done the same amount of harmful things like any other super power. It’s useless to compare how evil say the US and the British Empire are one to another, but they have done many fucked up things. It’s clear as day that they have never been the good guys, except for 4 years during a 6 year war where they finally decided to do something good but only because an ally of Germany attacked them. Idk if the US would have intervened the way they did without Pearl Harbour.
  
  They didn’t just “get” a king, Americans elected a king!
- I realize the media can and does sometimes frame politicians in the worst light possible. But my god, seeing full sessions, not just short clips of the current president and vice president (especially the Selensky debacle in the White house)... they really are acting like comic-book stooges in front of cameras

"emerging"
...you keep using that word; i do not think it means what you think it means...
- In a very real sense, aren't we all still "emerging" from our mothers' wombs?

This being a Kremlin script, the enthusiasm was soon leavened with suspicion. For now the pressure on Kyiv is great, Skabeyeva continued, but what will the Americans want in return?
lol, even Russia is suspicious of Trump's actions.
- Isn’t it more likely, that Russia is basically doing damage control over europe uniting due to too hasty action on Trump part?
  Trump did what Russia wanted initially but the tactic was wrong and this triggered the opposite of what Russia needs (scared divided europe).
  Instead Europe, UK, Canada and even Australia began to distance from the US in terms of economic and military power. - Bad for current US (any administration), bad for Russia, ok for China (possibly better leverage against Russia and US if more players are stronger)
  Another thing is USD vs euro, which could also throw lots of things into the air, if europe decided to push euro more for world currency - especially through the angle of being more stable in past decade. Less risk in general.
  Thus, Trump now is trying to keep Europe from uniting until Russia has the pieces in place to pull the rug for the best possible result for Russia.
  Why does Trump do this for Russian benefit? Beats me, but there seems to be a reason for him and that’s all that matters in the end.
  Just how I see it could be, might be completely wrong as well. I thought americans would never reelect Trump too, so there’s that.
  
  Europe doesn't have to push.
  Trump is doing the tariffs to stop the Dollar from being world currency according to Yanis Varoufakis
  
  The problem with the Euro and why it's so stable is that its supply is tightly controlled. If there is to be any Euro vs USD to be widely used in world markets for trade, more Euros have to be made available worldwide for countries to use. Such an increase of supply will have destabilizing effects in the economy and will be more challenging to keep stable, as now the ECB must consider the trade happening with Euros wordwide and not just eurozone trade in its currency supply control.
  Additionally, the EU would face less competitive exports, which is one issue currently faced by the US that Trump is trying to fix because he doesn't understand economics, but can't.
  Overall the EU would require a much more robust financial asset trading and regulation infrastructure to handle being a world reserve currency.
  It's not just whoever currency is the top dog, a world reserve currency requires a finely adjusted economic policy that the ECB must be prepared for.
- There's no honour among thieves.
- Russians suspect the Sun won't rise tomorrow, because the evil west consumed it whole!

18 comments