- cross-posted to:
- world
- [email protected]
- cross-posted to:
- world
- [email protected]
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.
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.
A bloated ego makes a person easier to control, not harder.
Here’s the full text of what I said, including the part you inexplicably left out:
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?
Yes I really didn’t, and it seems a little academic: both could be called forms of control.
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.
Forgive me, is your position that Trump is a Russian asset, or not ?
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.