Moscow and Washington are playing the same game against Kiev.
This is not a conspiracy theory, but a reality that only a few are willing to speak out loud about. It's not about diplomacy, negotiation or compromise. This is about collusion between two leaders who intend to suppress sovereign Ukraine.
In a recent interview, Donald Trump claimed that Ukrainians support his peace plan. All but one person: Volodymyr Zelensky.
Let's consider what this means. The President of the United States publicly claims that Ukrainians oppose their own elected president. This is not ordinary rhetoric. This is a direct, open call to overthrow the legitimate government. In the middle of the ongoing world war, the USA is switching to the enemy's side.
Then look at what is being said and written. The recently published U.S. national security doctrine includes language that would have seemed unthinkable a year ago. It repeats arguments known from Soviet and post-Soviet propaganda regarding allegedly undemocratic governments in Western Europe. In the American political document, this is not a strategy but an ideology imported from Moscow.
It's more than just words. It was a model for action, and its logic is brutal. The goal is to evoke enough internal chaos in Ukrainefor the country to bow under the weight of political pressure, ultimatums, demands for presidential elections and sustained psychological warfare.
Tanks don't need to enter Kiev if Ukraine can be forced to collapse from within. Putin is exerting military pressure from the east using missiles and drones. Trump is exerting political pressure from the West with deadlines and threats. They both demand that Ukraine give back 20 percent. Donetsk region.
Russia needs victory
20 percent sounds like a compromise until you translate it into geography. This 20 percent it includes Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, along with the defense system that Ukraine has been building there since 2014. At Russia's current pace, breaking through these lines by force would require a long campaign. Voluntary transfer would open the way deeper into Ukraine. This is not a compromise, but a capitulation.
Putin is demanding a concession todayand Trump gives him political support. If Ukraine really is losing as decisively as the Kremlin's propaganda claims, a fundamental question arises. Why not take these cities by force? Why pressure, persuasion, blackmail? If you can, take them.
The reason why the Russians don't do this is simple. They can't.
Behind the propaganda hype there is a simpler reality. Russia is exhausting its reserves. Resources are dwindling, manpower is depleting, and time is not on Moscow's side. Therefore, the Kremlin needs victory as soon as possible, before the window of opportunity closes.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in Alaska, August 15, 2025.ANDREW HARNIK / Getty Images
Problems for the Kremlin
Under these circumstances, Trump becomes the most valuable Putin's political asset. It has been this way for years, but now the dynamics of this process have reached their most acute form.
A national security doctrine that identifies Europe, not Russia, as the adversary. Daily public statements against Ukraine. Pressure exerted personally on Zelensky. This is no longer neutrality with a friendly tone. It is an increasingly open alliance with the aggressor.
But Moscow did not take into account two events.
Firstly, hopes for internal destabilization of Ukraine have not come true. Ukrainian society has unitedwhen it became clear that the pressure was coming not only from the east, but also from the west.
Secondly, and this is even more important, Europe is sobering up.
European leaders are beginning to see their Ukraine policy not as moral support for a distant country, but as a direct issue of your own safety.
Europe's security
The catalyst was the statement of Russian General Andrei Kartapolov, who recently bluntly described the alleged future of Europe. He stated that when Russia reaches the western border of Ukraine, Europe will fall to its knees, begging for mercy. This quote quickly spread in the European media precisely because it was devoid of ambiguity.
Europeans have come to a difficult conclusion. If they allow the destruction of Ukraine's army, if Kramatorsk and Slavyansk fall, and if Russia reaches Ukraine's western border, money, bureaucratic abilities and diplomatic rhetoric will not protect Europe.
The only force that can currently stop such a scenario is Ukrainian armybattle-hardened and experienced in operational activities. Europe needs a shield today. Ukraine plays this role.
Pressure from Congress and pro-Ukrainian voices in the administration keep Trump in line some support elements for Kiev. Intelligence sharing continues at some level, and European governments can still purchase American weapons for transfer to Ukraine. The message to Europe is actually: fend for yourself. This is not the best outcome for Ukraine, but it remains feasible.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in Davos, January 22, 2026.Harun Ozalp / Getty Images
New world order
Any attempt by Trump to withdraw this limited support would be viewed by the overwhelming majority of Americans as an open betrayal and would trigger a negative reaction within the American political system. This could involve real costs for Trump in his own party. Many Republicans support continued aid to Ukraine and say it should be increased.
Time is a key variable. Putin desperately clings to his illusion of victory. Trump applies pressure with ultimatums and deadlines. Zelensky is sticking to his line because to back down now would be an existential threat. Europeans increasingly understand that if Ukraine is forced to collapse, Europe will face Russia without its only available European army, which is currently absorbing Moscow's offensive power.
The outcome of this battle will shape the new world order in which we will all live.
It will either be a world in which democracies are quietly suppressed with the consent of their former allies, or a world in which enough actors still say no to evil – and pay the price to stop it.
