Ideas

The U.S. Is Switching Sides

Donald Trump is giving Vladimir Putin every incentive to keep killing Ukrainians.

First published in The Atlantic on July 4, 2025

by Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic
July 10, 2025 | reading time: 6 Min.

The American president wrote, “Vladimir, STOP!” on his Truth Social account in April, but the Russian president did not halt his offensive in eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian president called for an unconditional cease-fire in May, but the Russians did not agree to stop attacking Ukrainian civilians from the air. Donald Trump repeatedly promised, during his campaign, that he would end the war “in one day,” but the war is not over. He spoke to Vladimir Putin yesterday, and Putin responded with more drones and missiles than ever before. This morning, parts of Kyiv are burning.

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