David Piguet

International Relations Senior, Stabilization & Peacekeeping

French Military Academy of Saint-Cyr – Coëtquidan Доброво́льчий Украї́нський Ко́рпус «Пра́вий се́ктор» (ДУК ПС)

Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine 

July 3, 2025

In 2025, the world is witnessing an unprecedented reversal of the hard-won global consensus that once kept the Kremlin’s imperial ambitions in check. Under Trump’s renewed presidency, the United States has taken actions that directly empower Putin’s war machine — while throwing Ukraine under the bus. Let’s be absolutely clear about the facts:

🔻 WHAT TRUMP HAS DONE FOR RUSSIA
– Lifted sanctions on Rosoboronexport, Russia’s state arms dealer, and Kremlin-linked banks like Tempbank and RFK Bank. (Reuters, RBC Ukraine)
– Disbanded the DOJ’s Task Force KleptoCapture, the key US enforcement body that seized oligarchs’ assets worldwide. (Reuters, Politico)
– Opposed a coordinated push at the G7 to tighten the oil price cap that limits Russia’s wartime revenue. (Politico EU, Bloomberg)

🔻 WHAT TRUMP HAS DONE AGAINST UKRAINE
– Blocked or indefinitely “paused” $60B in critical military aid approved by Congress, halting deliveries of Patriot missiles and artillery. (WSJ, Kyiv Independent)
– Publicly smeared President Zelenskyy as a “dictator” at the G7, echoing Kremlin propaganda and undermining democratic unity. (Politico, FT, multiple verified clips)

Scholars and security experts agree: this is not “America First” — it’s Russia first. Kimberly Ann Elliott (MIT) reminds us that without robust sanctions enforcement, oligarchs regroup and rearm. Chatham House and CFR analysts warn that lifting the oil price cap props up Russia’s state budget, financing missiles that target Ukrainian civilians daily.

The numbers speak for themselves: lifting arms export sanctions gives Russia a lifeline to sell weapons to rogue states and expand proxy wars. Dissolving enforcement means yachts, villas, and accounts hidden in offshore havens go untouched. Blocking Ukraine’s weapons shipments puts entire cities at risk — while brave defenders ration shells, the Kremlin’s army advances.

No US leader has done more in so little time to dismantle the moral high ground that once defined transatlantic unity. Calling a wartime ally’s elected president a “dictator” — while cozying up to the very regime invading his country — is not tough leadership. It’s betrayal.

Freedom demands more than hashtags and slogans — it demands truth.
When policy props up tyranny, it is our duty to speak, share, and act.

📌 Sources: WSJ, Reuters, Politico, RBC Ukraine, Kyiv Independent, Chatham House, Council on Foreign Relations.

Ukraine #Sanctions #Geopolitics #Russia #Leadership #TruthMatters

…….

Comment from a maga troll:

Laurence Watkins

Trump is looking after America and putting Americans first like every other leader should be doing in their own country. He is under no obligation to help Ukraine or any other country and Europe via NATO will now be spending billions more on securing their own countries from any aggressor.

Paul Biller

Trump was so genuinely concerned about the deaths of so many people in Russia’s war against Ukraine that he deprived Ukraine of the opportunity to buy (make deals!) missiles to protect women and children from barbaric shelling by Russia…

Steve Lerner

Putin’s Fellow mobster and America’s national disgrace.

Sergiu Simion

The betrayal of Ukraine, democracy, freedom and the West by the USA, which single-handedly blew up its own history, position, prestige and credibility, was and is unthinkable for any normal mind, has no equivalent in modern history, and Donald Trump’s unspeakable behavior is the best proof that the USA has entered Russia’s orbit. Either Donald Trump will end up behind bars, or Americans will start learning Russian.

Ricardo Neves e Castro

Response to the Alarming Reversal of U.S. Foreign Policy under Trump:
What is happening in 2025 under Donald Trump’s leadership is, in fact, a shocking reversal of the principles that upheld, for decades, an international order based on rules, accountability, and solidarity among democracies.
Far from representing strength or strategic realism, Trump’s actions reveal three deeply concerning elements:
1 – Practical Alignment with Authoritarianism
By lifting sanctions on entities directly involved in Russia’s war machinery and dismantling enforcement mechanisms targeting oligarchs, Trump is giving Russia economic and logistical oxygen precisely when international pressure was most needed. This is not pragmatism — it is active complicity with an aggressor power.
2 – Abandonment of Ukraine and Undermining of the Democratic Front
Blocking critical military aid and publicly defaming Zelenskyy in international forums is not just an attack on Ukraine — it breaks trust with all democratic allies. By echoing Kremlin propaganda, Trump legitimizes disinformation and weakens the cohesion of the G7 and NATO. This undermines the united stance against tyranny and opens dangerous strategic gaps.

3 – Degradation of the U.S. Moral and Institutional Standing in the World
For decades — despite its flaws — the U.S. was seen as a pillar supporting human rights and resisting invasions. Trump’s new posture is dismantling that image at high speed. By prioritizing personal interests, dubious alliances, and short-term calculations, he compromises America’s credibility as a reliable partner and defender of freedom.
None of this is “America First” — it is “Putin First,” with disastrous implications for global stability, European security, and democratic values.
When an American leader aligns himself politically and verbally with the aggressor while sabotaging the invaded ally, this is not a legitimate political choice — it is an ethical and strategic betrayal.

Let us not lack clarity or courage: to remain silent in the face of this is to normalize the betrayal of the very principles that unite us as democracies.

Don Gilbert

David Piguet you are very gifted and obviously well-qualified. I enjoy the way you present your facts clearly and succinctly.

How can a country like the USA swing so sharply against it’s own: a. #countrymen; b. #longterm #allies; c. in favour of breaking #InternationalLaws.

And want to make laws / budgets that is against the Good of it’s own Peoples.

The list is endless. And where will this disaster end up?

Another maga troll:

Ashokanand John

Marijn Markus David Piguet : Perhaps you should set aside your Trump obsession for just a second and focus on what’s wrong in your own backyard. That fact that your citizens now not only NOT want to fight for your countries, but will actually fight AGAINST their own countries is a serious matter of concern.
You can also look at your own hypocrisy, still buying Russian oil indirectly, thus fueling the Russian war effort. It is Europe that is genuflecting before Putin.
Last but not least – the US military is once again becoming the strong force it once was after Trump took charge. They just won’t fight for those who will not fight for themselves and who also denigrate the one country that has ensured European security for over eight decades. The freeloading is over. You guys can fight Putin yourselves as no one really cares about your constant whining anymore.

Reply from Mariya Yanchuk

Ashokanand John : and you should look what is wrong what your country India…

Igor Bissikalo

Ashokanand John : “They just won’t fight for those who will not fight for themselves”… How can you seriously write this when the US is abandoning Ukraine? Did you do your research?

Mariya Yanchuk

Ashokanand John : have heard about Budapest Memorandum? Do you know India is #1 buyer of sanctioned ruzzian oil, coal and fertilizer, helping ruzzia kill Ukrainians? Have you learned that India’s representative did not sign a joint communique calling for Ukraine’s territorial integrity to be respected in any peace agreement, claiming neutrality?
It is not neutrality, it is political prostitution.

Gordon Wallis

A bit off topic perhaps. But not really.

Many analysts argue that Russia views Tulsi Gabbard as an asset because her public positions often align with Russian strategic messaging. For example, she has criticized U.S. military interventions abroad, questioned support for Ukraine, and challenged narratives around Russian aggression—stances that dovetail with Kremlin propaganda aiming to weaken Western resolve and sow division within the U.S. While there is no evidence she directly works with Russia, her rhetoric has been amplified by Russian state media to further their geopolitical objectives.

In case anyone doesn’t know. Tulsi Gabbard is the Director of National Intelligence for the United States of America.

Joao “жyay“ Miguel Ferreira

America is finally under control of the Kremlin, as was stated many times by russian leaders. russia has been trying to rule the USA since forever. It’s done. They did it. And they got the Americans to believe it was a democratic election. It was not. It was the culmination of a process that started decades ago, in russia.