We thought he had hit bottom when he berated Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
We were disappointed when nothing came of the summit in Alaska, or all of those trips by Witkoff and Kushner to the Kremlin.
We were stymied when he paused the sanctions against Russia that he had signed just weeks earlier.
We were appalled when he agreed to purchase diesel fuel from Putin, adding billions of dollars to Russia’s war chest to be used against Ukraine.
We were horrified when he told Zelensky the whole thing was his fault and that he should resign.
We were disgusted yesterday when he tried to con the EU into turning over to the United States some of the frozen Russian assets safely held in European hands. (Wisely, they have refused.)
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz: “Those are assets that are frozen in Europe and they should remain frozen in Europe.”
But, just as we thought there couldn’t possibly be more, late last evening (Friday) — just two days before the deadline for the implementation of the sanctions — Donald Trump signed an executive order putting the sanctions package on hold, citing as the reason “the national interest.” [Will Weissert and Meg Kinnard, Associated Press, October 16, 2026.]
There has not yet been an explanation as to how this move could possibly be in the national interest . . . or, for that matter, in whose national interest it was directed. Because each and every one of the above actions can benefit one party, and one party only: Vladimir Putin.
And the one overriding question — the one that everyone asks but no one seems able to answer — is:
“Why?”
What is the hold that Putin has over him? It can’t simply be hero worship . . . can it? Or an ego so frail that Putin is able to sweet-talk him into anything? Many have suggested that Putin has incriminating information that could destroy Trump, and is holding him — and thus our whole country, Ukraine, and the rest of the world — hostage.
Considering the level of corruption we are seeing lately, anything is possible. And the prospect is terrifying.
Just sayin’ . . .
Brendochka
10/17/26
The Blog About Everything … and Sometimes Nothing
One Bored Woman’s Perspective On Whatever
My name is Brenda; Brendochka is the nickname given me by my Russian friends years ago. I’m retired now, and I write because I love telling the tales of the most interesting, sometimes funny, and occasionally even exciting times of my life. I hope you enjoy reading my stories, although I know some of them are a bit lengthy — my keyboard sometimes seems to become a perpetual motion machine — and that you will follow me throughout my long-ago travels.
So welcome to my world, where “All Roads Led to Russia.” It’s more than a travelog with a couple of detours, and much more than an autobiography. To me, it was an adventure, and — looking at it from the perspective of today’s world events — it’s a bit of a footnote to history. I’m just happy to have lived long enough to be able to share it with you.
Brendochka
Trump Sucks Up to Putin After Major Humiliation
The Daily Beast
Fri, 16 October 2026 at 7:27 pm GMT+4
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/trump-sucks-putin-major-humiliation-152724396.html
Ukraine war briefing: Russia building non-negotiable ‘security zone’ inside Ukrainian border, Putin declares
Russian president says area will not be part of any potential peace talks while Kremlin says the zone spans 660km. What we know on day 1,697
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/17/ukraine-war-briefing-russia-building-non-negotiable-security-zone-inside-ukrainian-border-putin-declares
Phillips P. OBrien :
People need to understand that the only reason Trump backed down on SpaceX and Starshield so quickly is that he got push back right away, politically and from Ukraine. He is a bully and a coward. Stop criticising Zelensky for standing up to him.
Trump waives Russia-related sanctions before they even kick in as Ukraine ties worsen
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/10/16/europe/us-ukraine-russia-sanctions-intl-hnk
Garry Kasparov :
Russia bombed a supermarket in Odesa. Imagine seeing this daily horror and saying that the one who “needs to go” is the leader of the victim country and not the aggressor country. What moral idiocy. What cowardice.
The orange Nazi-loving pig is as guilty as those who pressed the buttons.
I thought I’d never have to say this in my lifetime, but this is 2026, and sadly nothing is what it used to be.
The Trump administration has become an appeaser to autocrats and dictators, putting their personal whims before the best interests of the American people and those of the free world.
What is it about Putin that President Trump fawns over?
How will America’s allies ever be able to trust this administration again when they are now turning against them at a time of war and suffering?
“The slowdown of Starlink/Starshield and the inexplicable lack of advance warning of Russian missile launches have already caused Ukrainian civilians to die unnecessarily. How much worse can it get?
If one thing is clear it’s that European leaders must overcome the initial shock about Trump’s recent actions and step up to the plate. It’s as much about Europe’s treedom as it is about Ukraine’s sovereignty. Both are worth fighting for. All options should be on the table now, from the transfer of frozen Russian assets to Ukraine to the delivery of advanced weapons systems such as Germany’s Taurus.
Why oh why is this happening? We cannot let the free world be dismantled before our very eyes.”
Sir. Richard Branson
Remember when I explained that Democrats wanted a bill that would force sanctions on ruSSia, and that the only reason many Democrats voted against the watered-down bill is because it gave trumpkov the option of not imposing sanctions?
(Posted a NY Times article about this; see “Your comment is awaiting moderation.“)
Shaun Pinner :
According to the BBC, Senators are calling for an investigation into Ukraine’s Starlink restrictions that may have endangered everybody in Ukraine, also resulting in deaths.
Garry Kasparov :
Trump is not rushing to triple down on attacking Ukraine and supporting Russia to win the midterms. He’s acting like someone afraid that Russia’s situation will deteriorate if the Democrats take Congress, and so must hurry. That is, like Putin.
Shaun Pinner :
🇨🇿 Even Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is calling out Trump’s deal with Putin.
“Trump, by doing that business with Putin, essentially betrayed us. We must do something.”
When even Babiš calls it betrayal, Washington should take notice. Europe’s security is being gambled with alongside Ukrainian lives.
Alan Friedman :
Turning off Starlink in order to allow Russia to kill more Ukrainian civilians is an American war crime.
Roman Sheremeta :
Trump signed an executive order to exempt russia from the new sanctions legislation that Congress passed last month.
When people were celebrating the passage of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, I made exactly this prediction. I said that Trump would exempt russia and not impose any sanctions against his boss in the Kremlin.
Marijn Markus :
🇬🇧 President Zelensky had an audience with King Charles III, thanking him for the UK’s continued and firm support for Ukraine 🇺🇦
Of the three main countries providing Security Guarantees under the Budapest Memorandum, russia, the US, and the UK, two have now broken their word
One by actively invading Ukraine.
The other by siding and trading with the invader, helping finance its war.
That leaves just the British, who continue supporting Ukraine 32 years later.
Thank goodness the ‘Main Bastards’ still stand with Ukraine.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky :
Putin spends the equivalent of about $250 billion a year on the war in Ukraine. To expect that the 40, 50 or 60 billion Europe will allocate can counter that is, in my view, naive.
Many in Western capitals hope Putin can be contained on a budget. If you expect some secret formula for dealing with him, other than confronting him on the battlefield, there is none. For Putin, war is a means of his own political survival.
In nominal terms, Putin spends $150 billion a year on the war. Adjusted for purchasing power, it is $250 billion. To expect Ukraine, whose entire economy has been devastated, to bear such costs on its own is unrealistic.
Unless Europe’s support comes close to Putin’s spending, he will gradually force his way through Ukraine’s defenses. It will be slow, given the heroism of the Ukrainians, but he will get through all the same.
Putin is counting on the West to tire of the war, and he is watching whether Berlin or Paris gives in first. If support for Ukraine splinters, he will press harder.
In early 2022, Germany offered Ukraine 5,000 helmets. Had the West given Ukraine then what it gives now, the war could have ended that year: Putin was not prepared for Ukraine to hold out. The delay gave him time to adapt.
As Washington shifts its focus, European security depends above all on Germany. Europe has to decide whether to invest in its defense today, while the price is lower. Putin will stop only when continuing the war costs him more politically than retreating.
“Why?”
Because the orange gangster wants to do this now as long as his servants in Congress are still there to lather his pencil dick and suck his saliva. Come next month, the clown show is over. And even this brainless moron knows it.