Will penny ever drop for Trump?

PUTIN was the clear winner from the recent summit meeting with Trump in Alaska to discuss how to end the war in Ukraine, once again playing Trump and his MAGA team for gullible (if possibly well meaning) fools.

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Unfortunately Putin knows how to play Trump by dangling the prospect of a peace deal (Trump wants a Peace prize) and subsequent economic cooperation in exploiting Russia's oil, gas and mineral wealth.

Putin successfully persuaded Trump to put on hold the severe sanctions he had threatened and to drop his call for a ceasefire before peace negotiations begin. A land for peace deal was also discussed which included Ukraine giving up its ‘fortress belt’ in the eastern Donetsk region (which Putin has failed to take in over two years of costly fighting) for vague assurances of peace and security guarantees.

Putin also won a propaganda victory in being treated as ‘an equal’ by one of the world’s superpowers, with President Zelensky of Ukraine and European leaders sidelined to followup meetings.