Trump's Betrayal of Ukraine Demands Concrete Punitive Action from Europe and Allies
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/simontisdall. "Donald Trump has sold out Ukraine. He makes appeaser Chamberlain look like a man of iron principle | Simon Tisdall | The Guardian." October 22, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
The author says Trump is selling Ukraine out to Putin for personal and financial reasons, just as the West appeased Hitler in 1938, and that this could wreck NATO and encourage other aggressors. He argues that Europe and its allies should stop making mild complaints and instead take real action to punish Trump, even if it means breaking with the US.
Conclusion
Britain, its European allies, and like-minded democracies must stop relying on verbal protests and take concrete steps to punish Trump, even at the cost of a definitive break with Washington, because his appeasement and betrayal of Ukraine must not stand.
Premises
- Trump is actively undermining Ukraine and aiding Putin by buying Russian diesel, waiving tougher sanctions, interrupting US satellite and intelligence sharing with Kyiv, and seeking to oust Zelenskyy, in order to force Ukraine's de facto capitulation.
- Trump's motives are self-interested: personal dislike of Zelenskyy, desire for lucrative deals with Russia and a world dominated by three authoritarian-led blocs, and an unexplained hold Putin has over him.
- The timing is especially damaging because Ukraine has been holding its own or winning while Russia faces heavy casualties, economic damage and isolation, so US support for Putin could turn the tide.
- A Putin victory facilitated by the US would damage respect for international law and sovereign borders, leave war crimes unpunished, embolden China and others, and could fatally compromise NATO and the western alliance.
- Trump's betrayal fits a wider pattern of untrustworthy behavior toward allies (tariff wars, threats against Canada and Greenland, abandoning the two-state solution), so European leaders can no longer trust Washington.
- Rhetorical protests and 'verbal slaps on the wrist' are insufficient, and the UK, EU, NATO members, Japan, South Korea and others have substantial economic, military and other leverage, with the US leading the west only by consent that can be withdrawn.
Assumptions
- Trump's actions are deliberate, coherent betrayal rather than erratic policy, negotiating tactics, or a defensible reassessment of US interests.
- The reported actions (diesel purchases, intelligence interruptions, sanctions waivers) are accurate and are intended to help Russia rather than serve other purposes.
- The Munich 1938 and Czechoslovakia analogies are apt enough to predict the consequences of a settlement.
- Punitive measures by allies would change Trump's behavior rather than accelerate US disengagement or further empower Russia.
- The benefits of confronting Trump outweigh the costs of rupturing the transatlantic alliance, including loss of US military and intelligence support.
- Allied publics and governments have the unity and will to carry out coordinated punitive action.
- Ukraine's battlefield position is strong enough that continued support could produce an acceptable outcome.