Trump 'dragged kicking & screaming into realising he can't trust Kremlin con artist Putin'

After years of trying to play mediator between Moscow and Kyiv, it seems Donald Trump might finally be seeing Vladimir Putin’s true colors.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, marked one of the darkest moments in recent European history. The Kremlin expected a quick capture of Kyiv, but the Ukrainian forces backed by the U.S., NATO, and European allies stopped the advance and even managed small counter-offensives.

Three years later, the Russia-Ukraine war has turned into a brutal stalemate. Both sides have suffered huge losses, and attempts to restart peace negotiations have repeatedly failed. The most recent breakdown of talks in Budapest is a clear reminder that Putin’s promises rarely match his actions.

According to Professor Anthony Glees, a security analyst at the University of Buckingham, Trump may now be realizing that Putin has been manipulating him all along. Glees explains that Putin is “determined to claim what he can call a victory no compromises, no half-measures.” The Russian leader, he adds, wants not only to keep the 20 percent of Ukrainian territory he has seized but to come back for more later.

While Trump reportedly believes Ukraine cannot win, Glees says that even Russia’s own military has hit a wall. “The Russians have thrown everything they have Iranian drones, North Korean troops, and over a million soldiers yet the frontlines have barely moved,” he notes.

Earlier this year, Trump and Putin held a face-to-face meeting in Alaska, which many hoped would pave the way for a ceasefire. But once it became clear the U.S. wanted an immediate halt to fighting before deeper negotiations, Putin appeared to lose interest.

So what can be done now?

Glees argues that Europe and NATO must make it clear to Trump that surrendering to Putin is not an option. “European nations should remind Trump that they will never give in and that Russia will ultimately be the loser,” he said. “With strong military support and a united Western front, Trump might finally understand that he needs Europe as much as Europe needs him and that Putin’s charm is nothing but a con.”