Trump's dialogue with Putin stirs controversy over Ukraine
The echoes of Tuesday's conversation between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are still resounding. The Danish newspaper "Berlingske" argues that Trump "lacks the courage" to exert pressure on the Russian leader. "Trump's conversation with Putin can be seen as a new attack on Ukraine," the newspaper states.
"Berlingske" highlights that Russia demanded the West cease providing military assistance to Ukraine, and that the Ukrainian army stop receiving intelligence information. "Berlingske" evaluates that Putin "acts as though Ukraine is attacking Russia, rather than the opposite."
The newspaper criticises Trump for lacking the courage to pressure Putin while simultaneously pursuing an aggressive trade policy against European allies.
"Trump appears to lack the courage to pressure Putin, but only his ally, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. At the same time, it is illogical and aggressive for the U.S. to start a trade war against its European friends while refraining from exerting economic, political, and military pressure on Russia," they write.
"Microscopic step." The paper assessed Trump's agreements with Putin
The newspaper compares Tuesday's conversation between Trump and Putin to the Munich Agreement of 1938, when Adolf Hitler and British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain agreed to annex part of Czechoslovakia to the German Reich without the involvement of Czechoslovak authorities.
On the other hand, the agreement of a 30-day suspension of attacks on energy infrastructure, "Berlingske" deems a "microscopic step" towards peace.
"The conversation between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin can be seen as a new attack on Ukraine. The best response from Europe should be to buy weapons," the newspaper concludes.