# Putin has Trump right where he wants him

> Trump betrays Ukraine to please Putin.
- Title: Putin has Trump right where he wants him · Salon | Shortify
- Summary: Trump betrays Ukraine to please Putin. Trump is selling out Ukraine to Russia for a win. putin, trump, ukraine · reported by Salon.
- Keywords: putin, trump, ukraine, vladimir zelenskyy, russia, iran war, starlink, starshield, executive order, sanctions, musk, marco rubio
- Source: Salon — https://salon.com/2026/10/20/putin-has-trump-right-where-he-wants-him
- Author: Heather Digby Parton
- Published: 2026-10-20T10:45:40+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: putin, trump, ukraine, vladimir zelenskyy, russia, iran war, starlink, starshield, executive order, sanctions, musk, marco rubio
## Trump's 2016 email threat
Trump invited Russia to hack Hillary Clinton's emails after the 2016 election.

> i hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing
## Trump's early Putin ties
Trump praised Putin and signaled closer ties during the 2024 election.

> our country does plenty of killing
## Trump's Ukraine pledge
Trump promised to end Ukraine war in 24 hours of taking office.

> i think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press
## Trump's Iran war failure
Trump's Iran war caused gas prices to skyrocket and sanctions.

> it's a crisis of his own making due to his misbegotten war in iran
## Trump's Ukraine betrayal
Trump signed executive order lifting sanctions on russian oil.

> the act is in practice a sign of goodwill toward putin
## Starlink sabotage
Trump slowed Starlink and Starshield systems for ukraine.

> russia took swift advantage of the favor
## Zelenskyy's accusation
Zelenskyy accused Trump of pushing ukraine to surrender to russia.

> i think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press
## Musk and Pentagon blame
Musk blamed government for starlink sabotage; Pentagon said white house ordered it.

> the government is to blame for the starlink starshield gambit
## Putin's summit offer
Putin proposed trilateral summit with trump and xi to decide ukraine's fate.

> the summit became widely seen by the right as the sell-out at yalta
## Trump's Yalta comparison
Trump compared his summit to yalta conference that divided europe after wwii.

> the summit became widely seen by the right as the sell-out at yalta
## Trump's midterm impact
Trump's actions have awakened some republicans for midterms.

> the president has gone this far to salve his ego
## Key takeaway

Trump is selling out Ukraine to Russia for a win.