Summary
The State Department has ended a major USAID initiative to restore Ukraine’s energy grid, which has suffered continuous Russian attacks.
The move, seen as a signal of declining U.S. support, also includes downsizing USAID’s presence in Ukraine from 64 to just 8 personnel.
Officials warn this could leave Ukraine vulnerable, especially during winter, and reduce oversight of financial aid.
Additionally, a financial sector reform program has been terminated. The decision is part of the broader Trump administration policies shifting away from strong U.S. involvement in Ukraine.
What the fuck are you on about?
For the record, I do think that Putin manipulates Trump, and pretty brazenly at that, but I don’t think that he controls him. Trump’s ego is far too bloated for that.
I meant pretty much exactly what my metaphor implies - Trump is weak and insecure and desperate for affirmation, and he idolizes Putin, so he wants his approval.
AND Trump is also greedy and self-absorbed and trying to please his greedy and self-absorbed cronies and patrons - that’s painfully obviously why he’s trying to swing this mineral rights deal alongside trying to effectively hand Ukraine to Putin.
It’s possible for more than one thing to be true at the same time.
A bloated ego makes a person easier to control, not harder.
Forgive me, is your position that Trump is a Russian asset, or not ?
I don’t pretend to know one way or the other.
He’s clearly working for the benefit of Russia, but “asset” implies an official, essentially employer/employee relationship, and there’s no knowing if that’s the case or not.
Not that it much matters really - whether he’s working for Russia’s benefit because they literally own him or working for Russia’s benefit because he’s a desperately insecure narcissist who idolizes Putin, it works out to pretty much the same thing in the long run.