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submitted 3 days ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

Summary

The State Department has ended a major USAID initiative to restore Ukraine’s energy grid, which has suffered continuous Russian attacks.

The move, seen as a signal of declining U.S. support, also includes downsizing USAID’s presence in Ukraine from 64 to just 8 personnel.

Officials warn this could leave Ukraine vulnerable, especially during winter, and reduce oversight of financial aid.

Additionally, a financial sector reform program has been terminated. The decision is part of the broader Trump administration policies shifting away from strong U.S. involvement in Ukraine.

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[-] alykanas@slrpnk.net 15 points 3 days ago

Why is it easier for you to believe some story about Trump being controlled by Russia, than to trust the evidence of your own eyes and ears, that Trump is cunt in his own right, and he’s backed bunch American billionaires, who are also cunts ?

[-] halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world 45 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Because we have evidence from before Trump was on the political stage that he might be a Russian agent. This has been a topic since the 1980s.

This is something that actually predates his presidential runs.

[-] alykanas@slrpnk.net 7 points 3 days ago

Yes - I don’t necessarily disagree. Trump is a sleaze bag and would certainly have been a target . And dare I say a fairly soft one.

It’s not ridiculous to imagine him being comprised, but I do prefer what we know ie. He’s a sleaze bag, easily controlled by the psychopaths who recognised him as the man they could a) get into power b) control with the ease that people are attributing to Putin.

Those psychopaths being Mercer, Mellon, Thiel, Musk, and even the Kochs I think.

And I don’t think those guys would do what they have done with Trump , if he was a Russia asset.

[-] halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago

And I don’t think those guys would do what they have done with Trump , if he was a Russia asset.

Why? They're American Oligarchs. They've effectively recreated the economic systems in Russia, except they have the actual power, because Trump is an idiot and incapable of strategic planning unlike Putin. So while Putin is able to maintain control on his own, Trump is instead controlled by everyone around him. Exactly as the Republican party has been saying about everyone else for years, because everything they say is projection. If they constantly claim their enemies are doing the same thing without any evidence, they convince the mainstream public that doesn't have the time, education, or desire to think critically about politics, that it doesn't actually matter when it comes out that they're doing it, because "The Dems have been doing it all along".

[-] SynopsisTantilize@lemm.ee 3 points 3 days ago

Yea I think he's just a dick.

[-] CMLVI@lemmy.world 18 points 3 days ago

I was worried there for a second lol.

It could also be both; Trump has ties to Russia and there have been open statements by Russian officials about Trump; specifically Patrushev saying

"The election campaign is over. To achieve success in the election, Donald Trump relied on certain forces to which he has corresponding obligations. As a responsible person, he will be obliged to fulfill them."

[-] alykanas@slrpnk.net 5 points 3 days ago

Interesting to read, but on the balance of probability, I think it’s unlikely. Of course, anything is possible and, it’s plausible that global elite conspire for profit - but I just think it’s a too convenient blame all this bad stuff on the president of America being a Russian asset, because it’s easy to face than the idea than America is a has always been a bully on the world stage - and Trump, lacking skill and diplomacy - is merely letting us see behind the curtain.

[-] Serinus@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago

Russia, if you're listening, go fuck yourself.

[-] CMLVI@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago

It would be awfully convenient that Russians are openly speaking on what Trump does and does not owe to them without some kind of motive; whether or not it's a separate "plot" or similar one I guess is up for debate though. I would have 0 issue believing that money is flowing through Russia as well. When you have billions, there aren't too many restrictions on what you can and can't do.

[-] dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 13 points 3 days ago

Because there is very little to be gained by those American billionaires in this issue, so why would he pull this insane stunt? There is a lot to be gained by Russia, though. There is also the constant stream of verbal praise Trump has for Putin that he doesn't show for any other person except maybe Musk (who is the richest person on the planet).

[-] grue@lemmy.world 15 points 3 days ago

If you systematically ask "who benefits?" for every single political thing Trump has done, the most consistent answer has always been "Russia." Trump does things that act against Russia's interests even more rarely than he does things that act against his own interests.

[-] alykanas@slrpnk.net 3 points 3 days ago

But why would they pick, support and elect their man, only to lose him to Russian kompromat? It’s just so implausible, to me at least.

In the current situation, America has given Russia a financial and military black eye, without a single dead US serviceman, with Europe paying half the bill, and they are now set to walk away with Ukraines mineral treasure, for the bargain price of giving Putin a couple of hundred miles of Ukrainian territory and agreeing to keep them out of NATO ?

How is that a good deal for anyone But America ?

[-] Ledericas@lemm.ee 1 points 1 day ago

what news have you been watching, TRUMP have always worked for russia one way or another, i feel like your just trolling and commenting with disengeniously and out of your behind. if you say fox, and right wing sources , those are not sources.

[-] alykanas@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 day ago

Show me evidence. Anything will do.

Because I feel, strongly, that 99% of people here have got nothing but memes and YouTube. And that’s not evidence.

You’ve made a very big claim in saying he’s “Trump has always worked for Russia in one way or another”, so I invite you, beg you, to show me something that backs that up.

You will notice, that NO ONE has offered anything - despite the bullying and the name calling,

You must understand this is not personal. But I am desperate to understand why people prefer the idea of a foreign boogie man running things, than the evidence on public record of the American s than run Donald Trump and what they want.

[-] Litebit@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago
[-] WatDabney@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 3 days ago

What the fuck are you on about?

For the record, I do think that Putin manipulates Trump, and pretty brazenly at that, but I don't think that he controls him. Trump's ego is far too bloated for that.

I meant pretty much exactly what my metaphor implies - Trump is weak and insecure and desperate for affirmation, and he idolizes Putin, so he wants his approval.

AND Trump is also greedy and self-absorbed and trying to please his greedy and self-absorbed cronies and patrons - that's painfully obviously why he's trying to swing this mineral rights deal alongside trying to effectively hand Ukraine to Putin.

It's possible for more than one thing to be true at the same time.

[-] floofloof@lemmy.ca 6 points 3 days ago

I don’t think that he controls him. Trump’s ego is far too bloated for that.

A bloated ego makes a person easier to control, not harder.

[-] WatDabney@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 3 days ago

Here's the full text of what I said, including the part you inexplicably left out:

For the record, I do think that Putin manipulates Trump, and pretty brazenly at that, but I don’t think that he controls him. Trump’s ego is far too bloated for that.

And that's specifically because, in point of fact, a bloated ego makes a person easier to manipulate, but not to "control." They reflexively rebel against direct control, because it's a threat to their ego, but they're relatively easily manipulated, because all anyone has to do is frame things in a way that will appeal to their ego.

Did you really not grasp the distinction I was making there?

[-] floofloof@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 days ago

Yes I really didn't, and it seems a little academic: both could be called forms of control.

[-] Nougat@fedia.io 2 points 3 days ago

The kind of control Putin exerts over Trump depends on Trump thinking he's in control, when he is most obviously to anyone with eyes, not.

On the other hand, Putin control Lukashenko, and Lukashenko knows it.

[-] alykanas@slrpnk.net 1 points 3 days ago

Forgive me, is your position that Trump is a Russian asset, or not ?

[-] WatDabney@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 3 days ago

I don't pretend to know one way or the other.

He's clearly working for the benefit of Russia, but "asset" implies an official, essentially employer/employee relationship, and there's no knowing if that's the case or not.

Not that it much matters really - whether he's working for Russia's benefit because they literally own him or working for Russia's benefit because he's a desperately insecure narcissist who idolizes Putin, it works out to pretty much the same thing in the long run.

[-] jumperalex@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago

Por Que No Los Dos?

this post was submitted on 28 Feb 2025
652 points (100.0% liked)

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