NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte with Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, October 22, 2025 (Alex Brandon/AP)
EA-Times Radio VideoCast: Why Trump’s Retreat on Ukraine Is Not Putin’s Victory
I joined Ireland’s RTE Radio 1 and Ukraine’s War and Politics 24 on Thursday to analyze the Trump Administration’s turn against Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine.
I summarize the Administration’s imposition of sanctions against Moscow’s leading oil companies and its permission for Ukraine to carry out long-range missile strikes inside Russia.
I explain how, even amid Donald Trump’s chaotic behavior and manipulation by Putin, part of the Administration was preparing measures to support Kyiv.
The opportunity for that group came with the Kremlin’s latest overreach: it rejected Trump’s desire for a ceasefire with a freeze of the frontline, and it continued its aerial attacks on Ukraine’s civilians.
Listen to RTE Radio 1 from 7:43
I chat with Claire Byrne about the convergence of the toughened US measures with the European Union’s 19th package of sanctions against Russia and its consideration of a €140 million loan to Kyiv.
Watch War and Politics 24
I joined Sofia Nazarenko and Daniel Tkiie for a 25-minute deep dive into the US sanctions, Putin’s miscalculation, and what happens next.
