We are watching the equivalent of the 1939 Molotov-Ribbentrop pact that saw Russia and Germany secretly dividing up Poland between themselves, ready for the start of hostilities. The only difference now is that it’s Ukraine being picked apart, Russia once again taking territory in the East of a sovereign European nation, while Trump and the USA get $500 billion in Ukrainian resources in the West, mainly rare earth metals. Ukraine have to denounce NATO membership forever so they are ripe for Putin to launch another land grab in a few years. This is after Trump spoke with Putin yesterday morning and told reporters later that Putin “wanted peace.”
Putin could have had peace at any time in the last three years. All he had to do was stop the fighting. Ukraine had never threatened an attack in the first place. Trump has absolutely betrayed Ukraine. His secretary of defence Pete Hegseth says a return to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders is unrealistic and so is membership of NATO. America won’t put troops in either. This delivers all that Putin has asked for.
Carl Bildt, the former Swedish PM and Special UN envoy said on Channel 4 last night even Chamberlain in 1938 didn’t give the shop away before negotiations even started, as Trump has now done. It is a terrible betrayal of the Ukrainian people and the thousands that have been killed, wounded or displaced from their homes, with entire cities razed to the ground.
I hope that Zelensky refuses to accept the conditions that Trump and Putin have agreed between themselves without Ukraine’s input. Trump even sent his new Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to negotiate an “economic agreement” surely the most shameful thing America has ever done to an ally in desperate trouble. Let's not overlook the fact that these are two permanent members of the UN Security Council carving up another member - simply because they can.
Russia was all but exhausted, Trump was in a strong position. All he had to do was blow and Putin would have fallen over. Instead, he has delivered victory to an aggressor.
Europe must now be regretting that they have relied so much and so long on the US being a reliable and steadfast partner. It will be interesting to note the reaction of European leaders. It’s the beginning of the end of NATO or at least US participation in it. A European army is now essential. All that rubbish from Brexiteers about NATO being all we need for our security has now been swept away by Farage's best friend.
Let’s hope the EU at least keeps up sanctions. The Baltic states have disconnected from the Russian power grid and the EU is gradually weaning itself off Russian gas. Russia’s pipeline gas share in EU energy imports dropped from over 40% in 2021 to about 8% in 2023. By 2027 all imports of gas, oil, and coal will have ended and we can bring a lot of economic pressure on Putin to persuade him to give up Ukraine.
Ordo Amoris
Back home in the USA, Trump and his acolytes continue to dismantle civil society. Even Christianity is being corrupted in Trump’s America. Vice President JD Vance tried to defend Trump’s immigration policies by twisting the Christian doctrine of Ordo Amoris ( the order of love). He says you first love “your family, and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country, and then, after that, you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world."
If that were true, nobody would offer any help to anyone outside their own family. It doesn’t quite explain how billionaires like Trump and Musk can close down the US Overseas Aid Department bringing food and clean water to starving people in impoverished third world countries. How many billions do you need before you start to worry about your fellow men and women?
Now the Pope himself has stepped in. The most holy father has written to all US bishops to explain the true meaning of ordo amoris, pointing out that: "The true ordo amoris that must be promoted is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the “Good Samaritan” (cf. Lk 10:25-37), that is, by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception."
I wouldn’t hold out a lot of hope though. Even if Jesus Christ or God himself came down and personally spelled it out to Vance, he would still insist that he’s right.
The crazy thing is Trump has signed an Executive Order to establish the White House Faith Office as part of the Domestic Policy Council to 'defend religious liberty' after he said he wants to root out “anti-Christian bias” in the US by forming a "task force" led by Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate the "targeting" of Christians.
The faith office will be headed by Paula Michelle White-Cain who believes in the 'prosperity gospel' — the theology that God will bless true believers not just with eternal salvation but with material wealth here on Earth. Needless to say to many Christians, it's nonsense but this is Trump's choice - as you might expect. She has also been criticised for claiming to have a doctoral degree when she doesn't, another Trump trait.
DOGE
If you want to try and understand the insanity in America right now, have a look at this YouTube video. It’s part of a Senate Banking Committee hearing evidence from some bankers. A Democrat Senator launches into an attack on Musk and his unverified DOGE employee who has been given read/write access to the US Treasury multi-trillion dollar payment system. You don’t need to watch very much but do have a look at the comments below the video.
It seems the vast majority are from supporters of Musk! They seem to think the US government is full of fraudsters and embezzlers ripping off taxpayers left right and centre and think Donald Trump (a convicted fraudster himself) and Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, are to be trusted to root our abuse and waste.
Almost nobody thinks federal employees are decent hard-working and honest. Amazing.
Investigations into Musk's companies
The New York Times has published a report (No$) about US departments that have ongoing investigations into potential wrongdoings by businesses owned by Elon Musk. Eleven departments, including Transportation, Justice, Environment, Labour Relations, and the Federal Aviation Authority are involved. Altogether there are fourteen separate investigations underway.
At the moment, there is no indication that any probes have been stopped but since many of these departments may not even exist when Trump has finished, you can see how Musk will benefit personally. This is the man that many Americans prefer to check out the government!!
When the consequences start to be felt of completely gutting federal departments (as they will and soon) Trump will blame the deep state, Democrats, Biden, Obama and eventually the sycophantic men and women he has brought into government, including Musk himself.
Trump should have a sign on his desk:The buck starts here.
