Donald Trump and Elon Musk are linchpins, and in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022. Meanwhile, the last day of a factory in Trump country, as its work moves to China For generations, this Ohio factory was a way of life. Then came Donald has maintained a notably warm stance towards Communist, Vladimir Putin who wants retribution for Reagan/Bush tearing the Soviet Union apaet.
Republican President Donald Trump reversed course Friday on a pledge to license Ukraine to produce its own Patriot missile interceptors, contradicting an account Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had given of their meeting three days earlier.
Trump told reporters "we have not agreed to" the licensing deal, which he had floated July 8 following talks with Zelenskyy at a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. "It's a hard thing to give away that kind of technology," Trump said, adding that recipients of such technology "can someday turn on you."
Zelenskyy had told reporters after a White House meeting Tuesday that Trump agreed to the license. The Ukrainian leader has separately pursued co-production agreements directly with Lockheed Martin Corp. and RTX Corp., the two U.S. companies that manufacture Patriot components, regardless of the federal licensing dispute. Analysts say any license signed this year would not yield a Ukrainian-made interceptor before late 2027 because of 24- to 30-month manufacturing lead times.
Is Trump is under Russian President Vladimir Putin's influence? The assertion remains unproven. Critics point to a pattern of reluctance to criticize Putin publicly and skepticism toward Ukraine aid, including the 2018 Helsinki summit, where Trump publicly sided with Putin's denials over U.S. intelligence findings. Special counsel Robert Mueller's 2019 report did not establish a criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, though it documented extensive contacts. No public evidence has established coercion or coordination that would support the word "controlled."
Are the Republicans trying to destroy rather than grow the country? That is an assertion of intent that goes well beyond what any single policy dispute can demonstrate. A Democratic staff report from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee found that staffing cuts, reorganization and shifting priorities under the Republican controlled administration have weakened counterterrorism capabilities. The administration says the changes reflect a deliberate refocus toward border security and domestic priorities. Whether the changes leave the country safer or less safe remains disputed among policy analysts.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/15/republicans-russia-puti…