Putin fan Trump shifts even further into Russian sphere

Vengeful US president dislikes Volodymyr Zelensky but there’s a bigger strategic game being played, says Sam Kiley

- Sam Kiley

Puce with rage, he leaned over and wagged his finger as he told the leader of a nation under assault from Russia: You’re playing cards, you’re gambling with the lives of millions of people.” But when Donald Trump got furious with Volodymyr Zelensky, it wasn’t just business, it was personal.

As in all mafia tales, the relationship between the two leaders has been poisoned by business – specifically the business of Russia. But it would be dangerous to believe Trump’s support for Russia is just fuelled by his animus towards Zelensky. It’s much worse than that.

Trump likes Putin, with whom he says he shared the experience of the “scam” of allegations that Russia interfered in his 2016 election as president. And Trump hates Zelensky for not helping him campaign against Joe Biden when he lost his second term run.

“Let me tell ya, Putin went through a hell of a lot with me – we went through a phoney witch hunt when they used him and Russia, Russia, Russia, Russia,” Trump ranted, as he got increasingly incoherent during the White House attack on Zelensky he launched with JD Vance, vice-president, last week.

“That was a phoney Hunter Biden, Joe Biden scam. Hillary Clinton, shifty Adam Schiff, it was a Democrat scam. And [Putin] had to go through that. And he did go through it. We didn’t end up in a war. And he went through it. He was accused of all that stuff. He had nothing to do with it. It came out of Hunter Biden’s bathroom. It came out of Hunter Biden’s bedroom. It was disgusting.”

Translated – Trump says he goes way back with Putin to the days when the Kremlin was accused of getting their man, him, into the White House in 2016.