Mr. Putin’s White House Cheerleader
Four years into Russia’s invasion, U.S. decisions are raising a fundamental question about whose interests Washington serves.
Vladimir Putin has waged a war of aggression against a sovereign democracy while sustaining his dictatorship at home. Yet the United States is increasingly pursuing policies that favor Moscow over Kyiv. This is more than a foreign policy dispute. It is a test of whether American leadership will defend the principles of sovereignty, democratic choice, and accountability—or normalize the ambitions of an authoritarian ruler.
In May of 2022, four months after Putin’s invasion kick-started his illegal war against Ukraine, I drove into that country over the Polish border on mission for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). As team leader, my job was to supervise the conduct of a security risk assessment in support of OSCE Human Rights investigators. My team was charged with visiting the sites of reported mass murders within the Russian invasion corridor, north of Kyiv. War crimes must be thoroughly investigated and evidence collected if justice is ever to be done for the victims and their families. The International Criminal Court eventually issued an arrest warrant for Putin citing war crimes relating to the “unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation…committed in the Ukrainian occupied territory at least from 24 February 2022.”
Unless you listen regularly to Kremlin propaganda or this Oval Office, it is clear that Putin’s war against Ukraine is a war of choice, for which he is responsible. And, this White House, our President, has become Putin’s most vocal cheerleader. Why?
Cheerleader as Asset?
Years ago, during Mr. Trump’s first administration, a colleague and I, both of us retired but possessing significant intelligence backgrounds, concluded that Trump exhibited all the earmarks of a Russian asset. For the uninitiated, that means that his behavior and statements would have suggested to any competent counterintelligence officer that he was working for the Russian FSB, the successor organization to the Soviet KGB. Trump’s Russian connections were well known even then. Our assessment was that there is likely very little that this individual would not do for money.
Time and an avalanche of evidence has served to only further support our analysis. This chief executive’s slavish support of Putin alongside the corruption in his second administration is in-your-face and rampant. The question has been asked multiple times now, “If Trump were a Russian asset what would he be doing differently?” The answer is “nothing.”
The Russian intelligence term for someone like Mr. Trump is “a useful idiot.”
Cheerleader as Ally
Examples of Trump’s bias in favor of Moscow over the last two years are too numerous to count. Most recently, two articles appeared in The Atlantic. Both are worth a read. Their titles are self-explanatory, “America is now an Ally of Russia” and “Siding with Putin is a Huge Mistake.” Such titles were unimaginable before Trump’s rise to power.
On October 17, Mr. Trump issued a temporary waiver of US sanctions on oil exports imposed in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, allowing Russia to sell the oil on the global market. Both Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators have protested.
On October 18, 2026, “somebody” monkeyed with Starshield, a satellite communications capability developed by Elon Musk. Ukraine’s access to Starshield was either slowed down or turned off, rendering Kiev significantly vulnerable to missile and drone attack. Ukrainian deaths followed. The Starshield capability has been only partially restored, leaving Ukraine partially blind to incoming missiles from Russia. Musk has denied responsibility for this event. Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio directly contradicted Musk, insisting that a decision to reduce access did not come from the White House. The Commander in Chief states he knew nothing about anything at any time about this matter. Trump has, to date, indicated no action to restore full Starshield protection to Ukraine.
The Bromance Thrives, The Losses Mount
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimates that, since February 2022, Russia has suffered 1.4 million casualties resulting in 450,000 deaths, while racking up hundreds of examples of more war crimes since. The Ukrainians have reportedly suffered more than 20,000 civilians killed, many more wounded, and well over 50,000 military deaths with up to 250,000 wounded. (Since the numbers of dead and wounded are considered a matter of state security, these above figures should be considered approximations.) Still, if any way near accurate, Moscow’s losses are “astounding” according to CSIS. Only an authoritarian could sustain this level of injury and death of his own citizens with impunity.
Ukraine is a democracy and until Trump’s inauguration, was considered a strategic partner of the United States. President Zelenskyy was elected to office. There has not been a free and fair election in Russia in over two decades. Mr. Putin is a dictator who claims democracy matters, a pretense that fools no one.
Mr. Putin’s war against Ukraine is one of choice. There was no provocation. There is no justification. Having been there, I can assure you that Ukraine will not falter. The nation will resist this savage aggression until they are victorious.
Putin and his abetting cheerleader in the Oval Office will eventually go the way of all authoritarians, into the trash heap of history, having left Ukraine to rebuild its country’s infrastructure and America to restore its founding principles.
Hold Fast and Vote
Founded in 2016, The Steady State is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization of more than 450 former senior national security professionals. Our membership includes former officials from the CIA, FBI, Department of State, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security. Drawing on deep expertise across national security disciplines, including intelligence, diplomacy, military affairs, and law, we advocate for constitutional democracy, the rule of law, and the preservation of America’s national security institutions.
