Donald Trump is not only coddling Vladimir Putin. He is becoming Vladimir Putin

October 20, 2026 — 4:00am

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Donald Trump is not only coddling Vladimir Putin. He is becoming Vladimir Putin. He’s always sought to justify even the worst of Putin’s atrocities. Questioned in 2017 about Putin’s murders of politicians and journalists, it was put to him bluntly that the Russian leader is “a killer”.

Trump’s response: “There are a lot of killers. We’ve got a lot of killers. What do you think? Our country’s so innocent?”

Moral equivalence? Worse, outright admiration: “I do respect him,” said Trump. The kind of respect one mafia don has for another.

The moment Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Trump hailed it as “genius”. He congratulated the Russian president for sending “the strongest peace force I’ve ever seen”.

And the American leader is notable for the favours he showers on Putin. Ten days ago, after the US Congress had voted to increase sanctions on Russian oil, Trump didn’t just refuse to impose them. He went further and reversed pre-existing US sanctions that had been imposed four years earlier. Trump claimed this would cut the price of diesel in America. It has made no useful difference. On the day of his announcement, the New York Harbour wholesale spot price for diesel was $US4.91 a gallon. Four days later, it was $US5.11.

Trump strikes deal with Putin for Russian diesel

All he’s done is bring Putin back into the legal marketplace for oil. So he can sell at a higher price to fund his war on Ukraine.

Putin repays Trump’s sycophancy with contempt. When........

© Brisbane Times