Trump left for Alaska today ahead of the midterms. Before boarding, he gave reporters a fresh round of answers on the war. Read them in order. They show how a president talks when he wants credit for peace without paying the price of choosing a side.
Intelligence and the S-400
Asked whether Washington had stopped sharing intelligence with Ukraine, Trump said no. The US is helping, he said, and wants the war to end. The same breath carried a hedge. Washington is "working with them and with Russia."
For the record, I give Trump's word 0.0% trust. But I have seen no credible report from Ukrainian military sources that intelligence sharing has stopped. The S-400 that went untracked yesterday ranks among the hardest targets to follow, making it a special case. One failed track proves nothing.
The Ceasefire That Only One Side Keeps
A reporter said Russia hit six Ukrainian energy sites overnight. Trump's reply: Ukraine struck many sites before that. Pressed on whether Russia broke the ceasefire, he said he would let them know later, and that "they're hitting each other."
- One army fires on power grids and civilian infrastructure
- The other hits refineries that feed the invasion
- Trump files both under "violations" and postpones the verdict
An energy ceasefire that Russia can break and Ukraine must obey is a gift to the aggressor, wrapped in neutral language.
Why Putin, Though?
Asked what makes him confident Putin wants the war over more than Zelensky does, Trump offered no concession, truce, or Russian proposal. His entire evidence was this: "That's what I've done my whole life, deals." Both sides want it, he said, they just don't know how, there is "a lot of hatred," and "we'll sit them down."
Russia wages its war of conquest the way a salesman works a room, and the invader turned to the negotiating table only once the battlefield stopped delivering.
The Diesel Deal and the Exit
On the diesel arrangement, Trump said nobody told him Russia would turn the money into bombs, and that the fuel is meant for the world market because prices are hurting. Knocking out diesel refineries, he said, is "not a very good thing." That same refinery-protection line is now delivered as policy.
Asked whether Russia needs a new president, he pivoted to a helicopter pad, giant cranes and the "greatest ballroom in the world." A war of this scale, and the answer ends at a construction site.