Trump’s Weasel Words: How an Asymmetric Actor Covers for Putin
- john raymond
- May 26
- 3 min read
Donald Trump’s latest statement about Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine is not a condemnation. It is not leadership. It is camouflage.
On the surface, it appears that Trump is finally breaking with Putin — calling him “crazy,” acknowledging that he wants “ALL of Ukraine,” and describing the violence against civilians. To the untrained eye, this might seem like a real shift. It is not. It is a recalibration. One that tries to make Russia seem strong while also trying to paint Ukraine as weak.
Nowhere in his post does Trump call for Putin to stop. Nowhere does he express solidarity with Ukraine. Nowhere does he offer support for deterrence or defense. Most importantly, nowhere does he reaffirm his sanction threat over a lack of Russian commitment to a 30-day ceasefire— a fake threat Trump used to extract restraint from Ukraine during a sensitive and symbolic time for Russia: May 9th. Those sanctions have vanished! And yet that was 100% predictable given that Trump is still very much a Russian asset.
What we are seeing is asymmetric messaging. Trump is trying to look like he is distancing himself from Putin without actually doing so. He wants to appear rational, strong, independent — not compromised — when in fact, the opposite is true. He is still serving Putin’s interests by undermining Ukraine and muddying the moral clarity of the conflict.
Look carefully at what he does say: he blames Zelenskyy. He says Ukraine’s leader is “doing his country no favors,” that “everything out of his mouth causes problems,” and that “it better stop.” This is not just false — it is victim blaming. And make no mistake, Ukraine is a victim, a victim of an illegal, genocidal war of conquest. And yet Trump persists in both-sidesing the conflict. Why? Because he is in the tank for Putin.
This is a man who was caught red-handed — humiliated — while trying to broker a Putin-friendly outcome around May 9th. He was forced to support sanctioning Russia if Putin didn’t accept a 30-day ceasefire. But Trump never meant it. He was only playing to appearances to get the Ukrainians to stand down. Now, with Putin doubling down, Trump must weasel his way out of that promise without looking like he is breaking it.
That’s what this post is: a rhetorical pivot. Say Putin is “crazy,” but don’t say or do anything to make him stop. Say the war wouldn’t have happened under your leadership, but don’t explain why you’re offering no plan now. Blame Zelenskyy, but not the man firing missiles at civilians. Say Putin is crazy, but don’t say that he is wrong and must be stopped.
This is what asymmetric actors do. They sow confusion. They dissemble. They twist truth into fog. They offer half-condemnations to cover full allegiances. And in doing so, they protect their real interests — not with honesty, but with misdirection.
Anyone who takes Trump’s statement as proof that he is not in Putin’s pocket does not understand how compromised actors behave. They do not offer clarity. They do not stand firm. They shift, they distort, they talk out of both sides of their mouth. And they constantly attack those who reveal their lies and cowardice.
Ukraine refuses to bow. That refusal humiliates both Trump and Putin. So Trump attacks them with words and at the same time shielded Putin, the man who attacks them with bombs.
So don’t be fooled. This isn’t courage. It’s cover. So no, Putin isn’t crazy. He is evil. And Trump is just as evil for being his willing puppet.
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