Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are carving up Ukraine between them as they both wish to “colonise” the war torn nation, an expert has claimed. Trump and Putin’s relationship took a extraordinary turn yesterday after the US president said he was “p****d off” with the Russia leader, who has tried to block an attempted ceasefire in Ukraine.
Trump’s dramatic choice of language showed a shift in tone after he admitted he was “very angry” with Russia after Putin delayed a ceasefire unless Volodymyr Zelensky is replaced. The Russian leader recently said that Zelensky lacks the legitimacy to sign a peace deal and claimed that Ukraine needed external governance.
The Republican president, who rarely criticises Putin, said he would consider adding new sanctions on Russia, which already faces steep financial penalties, and using tariffs to undermine its oil exports in a bid to an end to the war in Ukraine, which started back in 2022, following Putin’s illegal invasion.
Inderjeet Parmar, professor of International Politics at the City, University of London, believes Trump is waking up to the fact that there are other leaders who “think just as he does” as the “colonial land grab” means Ukraine remains “on an operating table ready to be carved up for its mineral riches.”
The expert told The Mirror: “Trump claims to be a realist in world politics – who respects the use of power as central: now he’s seeing that there are others in the world who think just as he does, and will use their power when they are in an advantageous position to keep on fighting and gaining more territory and more leverage when the fighting stops.
“Putin is being Putin, a hard core realist. Russia is pressing home its advantage while the US decreases aid to Ukraine to pressure Zelensky into a ceasefire.
“However, Trump is also playing a similar game with Ukraine, especially making even more draconian demands for Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, infrastructure spending after the war, and in effect almost converting Ukraine into a US colony.
“Trump is trying to squeeze Europe out of Ukraine. But by weakening Ukraine, Trump has emboldened Putin, hence Russia’s renewed attacks and territorial gains in Ukraine since Trump’s inauguration.
“This is a colonial land grab being played out in real time. Ukraine is a patient on an operating table as the great powers wield their scalpels, to carve it up for its mineral riches.”
Meanwhile, Trump appeared to soften his language while on a flight back to Washington on Sunday evening. But he warned he “will not be happy” if Putin doesn’t back down.
“I don’t think he’s going to go back on his word,” he said. “I’ve known him for a long time. We’ve always gotten along well.”
Asked when he wanted Russia to agree to a ceasefire, Trump said there was a “psychological deadline.” “If I think they’re tapping us along, I will not be happy about it,” he said.
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